Originally from Atlanta, David Cross made his way to Boston to study film at Emerson College, but quickly dropped out and started doing stand-up full time. He moved to Los Angeles to write on The Ben Stiller Show where he shared the posthumous Emmy® (it was given after the show was canceled) with the show's other writers.

Continuing in the sketch tradition, he created (along with Bob Odenkirk) the groundbreaking show Mr. Show with Bob and David. The show ran for four years and garnered several Emmy® nominations. He has also released two comedy CDs on the Subpop label, Shut Up You F***king Baby and It's Not Funny. Shut Up... was nominated for a Grammy® Award and both albums continue to sell exceptionally well and have garnered rave reviews.

Cross has appeared in such films as Men in Black (both I and II), Waiting for Guffman, Scary Movie 2, Ghost World, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, School for Scoundrels and She's the Man. He is probably best known for his role as Tobias Fünke on the award-winning series Arrested Development. He also wrote, produced and starred in the Comedy Central animated series, Freak Show, which Cross co-created with Jon Benjamin.