# Charlie Day
**Charlie Day** (born Charles Peckham Day, 1976) is an American actor, writer, and producer best known as co-creator, executive producer, and star of the FX comedy *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia*, on which he plays Charlie Kelly[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/charlie_day) • [2](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia/cast/charlie-day-charlie). He was born in New York City[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/charlie_day) and grew up in Middletown, Rhode Island, with two academics as parents[3](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/charlie-day).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, New York City; birth name Charles Peckham Day[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/charlie_day) • [4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/charlie-day/credits/3000016726/) |
| Signature role | Charlie Kelly on *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia* (FX/FXX, 2005– ), also executive producer and writer[2](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia/cast/charlie-day-charlie) |
| Show's standing | The longest-running live-action sitcom in U.S. television history[5](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-always-sunny-76204/) • [15](https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/12/02/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-tvs-longest-running-live-action-sitcom) |
| Known film roles | Dale Arbus in *Horrible Bosses* (2011), Dr. Newton Geiszler in *Pacific Rim* (2013), Art in *Monsters University* (2013), Benny in *The Lego Movie* (2014), Luigi in *The Super Mario Bros. Movie*[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/charlie_day) |
| Directing | Feature directorial debut with *Fool's Paradise* (2023), which he also wrote and starred in[6](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-b2387150.html) |
| Other co-creation | *Mythic Quest*, with Rob McElhenney and Megan Ganz, for Apple TV+[5](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-always-sunny-76204/) |
## Early life and training
Day majored in art history at [Merrimack College](https://www.edgepedia.org/merrimack-college) in Massachusetts and pursued acting after graduation at the Williamstown Theatre Festival[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jul-07-la-et-charlie-day-20110707-story.html). In his 2014 commencement speech at Merrimack, his alma mater, he described turning down an entry-level job at a bank in Boston to move to New York and act, telling the graduates, "You do not have to be fearless. Just don't let fear stop you."[3](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/charlie-day) • [8](https://time.com/107393/charlie-day-graduation-speech/)
[In New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/in-new-york) he lived in what he calls a less-than-legal apartment above a Gray's Papaya in Manhattan, shared with actor [Jimmi Simpson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmi-simpson), and began making short films with borrowed cameras and friends holding microphones[5](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-always-sunny-76204/) • [9](https://singjupost.com/charlie-day-fail-pick-yourself-up-fail-again-full-transcript/). He has said that seeing himself on video taught him what played and what did not: "The more stuff that I did just with friends at home with a video camera, the more I saw myself—and the more I saw what I thought was working and not working."[10](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-days-key-success-9894/)
## It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
In 2005, a home video Day shot with friends [Rob McElhenney](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-mcelhenney) and [Glenn Howerton](https://www.edgepedia.org/glenn-howerton) for less than $50 evolved into the pilot for *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia*, which FX picked up[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jul-07-la-et-charlie-day-20110707-story.html). The show began as *It's Always Sunny on TV*, about aspiring actors in Los Angeles; when the characters became owners and workers at a Philadelphia bar, the title changed too. The name came from A-ha's 1985 song "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.," which Howerton used to play on a mixtape at the gym[11](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/still-going-nowhere).
Day plays Charlie Kelly, described in press coverage as the erratic, emotional, illiterate member of "the gang," five scheming misfits who run Paddy's Pub in [South Philadelphia](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-philadelphia)[8](https://time.com/107393/charlie-day-graduation-speech/) • [11](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/still-going-nowhere). He serves as executive producer and writer alongside McElhenney and Howerton, and the show migrated to FXX in 2013[2](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia/cast/charlie-day-charlie) • [11](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/still-going-nowhere). By 2023 he had 62 writing credits on the series[5](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-always-sunny-76204/).
**Longevity.** *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia* is the longest-running live-action sitcom in U.S. television history[5](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-always-sunny-76204/) • [15](https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/12/02/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-tvs-longest-running-live-action-sitcom). Its 17th season premiered in 2025, opening with a crossover with the ABC comedy *Abbott Elementary* in which the Sunny characters appear at the school[12](https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2025/07/09/always-sunny-in-philadelphia-premieres-crossover-episode-abbott-elementary) • [13](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/01/abbott-elementary-its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-crossover-review/681249/). "It's such a gift to do something for this long," Day told *The New York Times* around that premiere[12](https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2025/07/09/always-sunny-in-philadelphia-premieres-crossover-episode-abbott-elementary).
## Film and voice work
After early guest appearances on *Law & Order* and *Third Watch*, Day moved into features with *Going the Distance* (2010) and the black comedy *Horrible Bosses* (2011), playing dental assistant Dale Arbus opposite [Jennifer Aniston](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-aniston), Jason Bateman, and [Jason Sudeikis](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-sudeikis); he returned in *Horrible Bosses 2* (2014)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/charlie_day) • [14](https://time.com/3603544/horrible-bosses-2-movie/). [Guillermo del Toro](https://www.edgepedia.org/guillermo-del-toro), a fan of the show who had made a cameo on it, cast him as the scientist Dr. Newton Geiszler in *Pacific Rim* (2013)[3](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/charlie-day). His voice roles include Art in *Monsters University* (2013) and Benny in *The Lego Movie* (2014) and its sequel[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/charlie_day).
He voices Luigi in Illumination's *The Super Mario Bros. Movie* (2023) and returned for the sequel *The Super Mario Galaxy Movie* (2026)[5](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-always-sunny-76204/) • [2](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia/cast/charlie-day-charlie). In 2026 he also co-produced and starred in the murder mystery *[Kill Me](https://www.edgepedia.org/kill-me-2026-film)* with Allison Williams and [Giancarlo Esposito](https://www.edgepedia.org/giancarlo-esposito), which premiered at SXSW on March 12, 2026[2](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia/cast/charlie-day-charlie).
## Fool's Paradise
Day's feature directorial debut, *Fool's Paradise* (2023), is a Hollywood satire in which he stars as Latte Pronto, a man who loses his ability to speak and is accidentally propelled to stardom; the role is entirely silent, a deliberate choice for a performer whose high-pitched voice is his most distinctive trait[5](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-always-sunny-76204/) • [6](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-b2387150.html).
The film had a long production history. Day first wrote the script in 2014 under the title *El Tonto*, as a satire more directly about race; he filmed that version in 2018, but by 2020 could not find a studio comfortable distributing it. After del Toro, one of his closest friends, judged that the heart of the movie lay in [Ken Jeong](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-jeong)'s character, Day rewrote and reshot the film extensively in 2021 during the pandemic[6](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-b2387150.html). Reviews were scathing; on Rotten Tomatoes it stands as his lowest-rated film at 22 percent[6](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-b2387150.html) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/charlie_day). Day has remained ambivalent about the reworking, saying that when reviews called the satire toothless, "it stings—because I feel like I had to take all the teeth out of it," and floating the idea of releasing the original version later[6](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-b2387150.html).
## Other work
With McElhenney and [Megan Ganz](https://www.edgepedia.org/megan-ganz), Day co-created the Apple TV+ comedy *Mythic Quest*, and he is credited as creator of *[The Cool Kids](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cool-kids-tv-series)*[5](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-always-sunny-76204/) • [4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/charlie-day/credits/3000016726/). He has described writing and acting as mutually reinforcing: "When you've written the script, you understand every word and why it was written that way. The years of doing that [for 'Sunny'] have helped me with reading a script [for other projects]."[10](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-days-key-success-9894/) He is married to [Mary Elizabeth Ellis](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-elizabeth-ellis), an actor on *Sunny*[6](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-b2387150.html).
## References
1. [Charlie Day Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/charlie_day)
2. [Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly, FX Networks](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia/cast/charlie-day-charlie)
3. [Charlie Day, Interview Magazine (Guillermo del Toro interview), November 2014](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/charlie-day)
4. [Charlie Day List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/charlie-day/credits/3000016726/)
5. [Being There With Charlie Day, Backstage Magazine, May 2023](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-always-sunny-76204/)
6. [It's Always Sunny's Charlie Day interview, The Independent, August 2023](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/charlie-day-interview-fools-paradise-b2387150.html)
7. [Charlie Day is good at playing a fool, Los Angeles Times, July 2011](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jul-07-la-et-charlie-day-20110707-story.html)
8. [Watch Charlie Day's Hilarious, Inspirational Commencement Address, Time, May 2014](https://time.com/107393/charlie-day-graduation-speech/)
9. [Charlie Day: Fail, Pick Yourself Up & Fail Again (Full Transcript), The Singju Post](https://singjupost.com/charlie-day-fail-pick-yourself-up-fail-again-full-transcript/)
10. [Charlie Day's No. 1 Key to Success, Backstage Magazine](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/charlie-days-key-success-9894/)
11. [Still Going Nowhere, Television Academy / emmy magazine, November 2019](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/still-going-nowhere)
12. [Always Sunny in Philadelphia premieres tonight, Axios, July 2025](https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2025/07/09/always-sunny-in-philadelphia-premieres-crossover-episode-abbott-elementary)
13. [The Payoff of TV's Most Awaited Crossover, The Atlantic, January 2025](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/01/abbott-elementary-its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-crossover-review/681249/)
14. [Horrible Bosses 2 Has Nothing to Say About Bosses, and That's Okay, Time, November 2014](https://time.com/3603544/horrible-bosses-2-movie/)
15. ['It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' is TV's longest-running live-action sitcom](https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/12/02/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-tvs-longest-running-live-action-sitcom)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames D to Di*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license