AllMovie

Philadelphia native Rob McElhenney struggled to find his footing as an actor in Los Angeles before deciding that the best way to get a job was to create his own series, and after collaborating with Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton to produce the pilot for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it finally seemed as if his dreams of stardom were coming true. A hardworking stage actor who had previously essayed roles in numerous Fordham University productions in addition to dabbling in regional theater, McElhenney began segueing into film with supporting roles in such features as The Devil's Own, A Civil Action, and Thirteen Conversations About One Thing. When subsequent roles in Campfire Stories and Latter Days failed to ignite McElhenney's onscreen career, he turned to waiting tables as a means of making ends meet. All the while, McElhenney knew there was something more creative he could be doing, and after scraping together 200 dollars and a digital video camera he enlisted the aid of Day and Howerton to shoot a pilot for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Thankfully for McElhenney, the folks at FX liked the prototype pilot, and before he knew it they had ordered a whole season. In addition to his roles in creating the series, McElhenney also appeared onscreen as temperamental barkeep "Mac," who runs Paddy's Irish Pub alongside his three best friends, Charlie (Day), Dennis (Howerton), and Sweet Dee (Kaitlin Olson). The show enjoyed a run of many years, and launched the career of Charlie Day.