Harris Wittels

Born in Oklahoma City but raised in Houston, Wittels attended his hometown's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts before graduating from Emerson College with a degree in film/video production. After relocating to Los Angeles, Wittels became a regular on the city's stand-up circuit and achieved his big break when he was asked to open for Sarah Silverman in 2007. Impressed by his comic talents, the star subsequently offered him a writing role on "The Sarah Silverman Program" (Comedy Central, 2007-2010), the cult sitcom which he would also make several guest appearances on. Shortly after, Wittels was hired by MTV to co-write their annual Video Music and Movie Awards, and continued his affiliation with the channel a year later when he served as consulting writer for an episode of sketch show "Human Giant" (MTV, 2007-08). Wittels was then given more creative control on "Secret Girlfriend" (Comedy Central, 2009), a unique dating-based comedy filmed from the perspective of the viewer.Wittels staked his claim as one of America's most gifted young writers when he became a staff writer and executive story editor on the second season of critically-acclaimed sitcom "Parks and Recreation" (NBC, 2009-15). Wittels gradually worked his way up the show's hierarchy with promotions to co-producer for its third season and executive producer for its fourth, and also appeared on screen as dim-witted Phish-loving animal controller Harris, a character reportedly based on his real-life persona. Wittels also became a favorite of the "Comedy Bang! Bang!" (IFC, 2012-) show and podcasts with "Harris Foam Corner," a recurring segment in which he read out jokes deemed not good enough for his stand-up act. He became a social media sensation when he invented the Twitter hashtag "#humblebrag," and served as writer and consulting producer on several episodes of sports sitcom "Eastbound and Down" (HBO, 2009-2013). Having previously been open about his issues with substance abuse, Wittels sadly succumbed to his addiction on February 19, 2015 when he was found dead of a suspected drug overdose at his home in Los Angeles, aged just 30. The final episode of "Parks and Recreation," aired less than a week later, featured the phrase "We love you, Harris" on a black screen at the show's end.