We’re not sure if that’s surprisingly old or surprisingly young. (He is hosting The Price is Right, after all.)
Drew Carey was born in Cleveland in 1958. (As an aside: that was just a few days before Annette Bening was born in Topeka.)
Carey’s path to fame wasn’t exactly direct: high school, college (didn’t graduate), Marine Corps, standup. Here’s a timeline:
1975: Graduates from James Ford Rhodes High School
1975: Enrolls at Kent State University (but never graduates)
1981: Enters US Marine Corps Reserve for six-year stint
1986: Wins open-mike night at Cleveland Comedy Club
1991: First appearance on The Tonight Show, hosted by Johnny Carson
1993: Bit part as “Taxi Passenger” in the movie Coneheads
1995: Debut of The Drew Carey Show
1997: Publishes book Dirty Jokes and Beer
1998: Begins hosting Whose Line Is It Anyway?
2004: The Drew Carey Show ends run
2006: Whose Line Is It Anyway? ends run
2007: Begins hosting The Price is Right
(Sources: Cleveland.com, ABC.com, Drew!, Library of Congress.)