Akiva D. Schaffer (/əˈkiːvə ˈʃeɪfər/; born December 1, 1977) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and film director. He is a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island along with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone. Schaffer began his career with The Lonely Island making videos for Channel 101. In 2005, Saturday Night Live hired the trio, with Schaffer joining as a writer. In their time at SNL, The Lonely Island pioneered the digital short format, creating some of the most popular sketches of all time, including "Lazy Sunday", "I Just Had Sex", "I'm on a Boat", and "Dick in a Box". After SNL, Schaffer went on to direct movies including Hot Rod, The Watch, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers. The Lonely Island has made albums such as Incredibad, Turtleneck & Chain, and The Wack Album. Schaffer also produced a number of TV shows and movies, some of which include MacGruber, PEN15, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, and Palm Springs.
Schaffer was born in Berkeley, California to Jewish parents from New York.
In 2000, he graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in film.

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