Detroit News Anchor Was Real Life Inspiration For Ron Burgundy

A former Detroit, Michigan news anchor has the distinct honor of being the real-life inspiration for the character Ron Burgundy played by Will Ferrell in the very popular 'Anchorman' movies.

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If you lived in Detroit or its surrounding areas between the years 1978 and 1997, chances are you know the name (and voice of) Mort Crim. For 19 years Mort Crim was a news anchor on WDIV Channel 4 in Detroit.

That is a very impressive career, but it is not Mort Crim's only claim to fame. The one and only Crim is the man who helped bring Ron Burgundy the popular character played by Will Ferrel in 'Anchorman' and 'Anchorman 2' to life on the big screen.

Will Ferrell revealed this fun fact in 2013 during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Fast forward to 2022 and most people are just finding out about this. There was even a segment devoted to this information in 2013 on Good Morning America (GMA) but for some reason, this is new information for many.

As you will see and hear in the video below, Will Ferrell loved the fact that Mort Crim always talked in his 'anchor man' voice. The fact that Crim referred to himself as being a male chauvinist pig in 1972 was another selling point for Ferrell too.

Mort Crim now retired, is a published author, and continues to do voice-over work. Hey with a voice like that, why wouldn't he? As for the 'Anchorman' movie, Crim said he enjoyed it immensely.

To find out what Mort Crim had to say in preparation for meeting Will Ferrell for the first time, check out the video below - it's awesome.