Shipley grew up in the beachside town of
Santa Cruz, California, the son of
William F. Shipley, a UC Berkeley/Santa Cruz linguistics professor who specialized in
Native American languages, and a
psychiatrist mother. He attended
Santa Cruz High School, then the
University of California, Santa Cruz for college. Following a post-college relocation to Los Angeles, Michael wrote, performed and directed with several sketch comedy groups including
Fun with Weasels and
3 Guys in Raincoats. As a teenager, Michael performed community theater with Emmy-award-winning actress
Camryn Manheim. He has one sister, Freya, who is an actress and Montessori teacher. His mother Barbara Shipley died when Michael was 23. His father William Shipley died in 2011. ==Personal==