Josh Gad

Josh Gad

Gad at the 41st Annie Awards in 2014
Born Joshua Ilan Gad
(1981-02-23) February 23, 1981
Hollywood, Florida, United States
Alma mater Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts
Occupation Actor, comedian, singer
Years active 2002–present
Spouse(s) Ida Darvish (m. 2008)
Children 2

Joshua Ilan "Josh" Gad[1] (born February 23, 1981)[2] is an American actor, comedian, and singer best known for voicing Olaf in Frozen, for originating the role of Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, and Ryan Church in the television series Back to You.

He has also appeared in ER, The Daily Show, Modern Family, New Girl, Bored to Death, and Numb3rs, played Skip Gilchrist in the political sitcom 1600 Penn on NBC, and a fictionalized version of himself on FX's The Comedians, alongside Billy Crystal. His film roles include The Rocker, The Internship, 21, Love & Other Drugs, Frozen, Jobs, Pixels, The Wedding Ringer, and The Angry Birds Movie.

Early life

Josh Gad was born in Hollywood, Florida on February 23, 1981.[2] His mother is a realtor and his stepfather is an investment advisor.[1] He was raised Jewish;[3][4] his father is a Jewish immigrant from Afghanistan and his mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.[5][6][7]

Gad attended the University School of Nova Southeastern University, graduating in 1999. While there, he won the National Forensics League National Tournament Championships for Original Oratory in 1998, and for Humorous Interpretation and Original Oratory in 1999. He then attended the Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts, where he graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama. During this time, he undertook a semester-long exchange at the National Institute of Dramatic Art.

Career

Gad portrayed news director Ryan Church on the Fox sitcom Back to You, which lasted one season from 2007 to 2008. Gad appeared as a correspondent on The Daily Show on May 5, 2009, and became a regular correspondent on June 2, 2009.[8] His signature segments include "The War on Christmas", in which he played an oversexed Benjamin Franklin, and "Chubby Chasers", in which he reported on Michelle Obama's efforts to curb childhood obesity.[9]

In 2008, he played a supporting role in the film 21, and a leading role in The Rocker. In 2010, he had a role in Love & Other Drugs, and a guest role on the Bored to Death episode "Make it Quick, Fitzgerald!".[10] He was cast in the American version of the British sitcom No Heroics.[11] In the pilot, Gad played Horse Force, a former classmate from Superhero College, who can summon horses and works at a bar where the group hangs out. The show was not picked up.[12]

Gad played the role of Elder Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. His last performance was June 6, 2012. The show opened at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 24, 2011.[13] Gad was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, along with his co-star Andrew Rannells.[14] Both lost to Norbert Leo Butz in Catch Me If You Can.

In 2011, Gad had a cameo appearance in ABC's hit show, Modern Family, in Season 3's Thanksgiving episode. In 2011, Gad voiced "Mondo" in the MTV animated series Good Vibes. He also made an appearance as Bump in the 2011 comedy road trip film Mardi Gras: Spring Break.[15]

In 2012, he voiced the molehog Louis in Ice Age: Continental Drift. He also played Bear Claw on an episode of New Girl. In 2012, he starred in the independent romantic comedy She Wants Me. In 2013, he appeared as Skip Gilchrist in NBC's 1600 Penn, of which he is also a co-creator and executive producer. Also in 2013, he played Andrew (Headphones) in the film The Internship and starred as Steve Wozniak in the film Jobs. The same year, he voiced Olaf in Frozen, re-collaborating with co-songwriter Robert Lopez from The Book of Mormon. In 2014, Gad co-starred in Zach Braff's film Wish I Was Here, playing the main character's brother.

On August 5, 2013, it was announced that Gad will play Sam Kinison in a biopic.[16] He wrote an article entitled "Technology pundit (for a day)", which appeared in USA Today on August 12, 2013.[17]

In December 2013, it was announced Gad will star and co-write the film version of Gilligan's Island.[18] In April 2014, it was announced that Gad and Ryan Dixon will be developing a live action family adventure-comedy for Disney.[19] In 2014, he had a guest voice role on Phineas and Ferb.

In 2015, Gad starred alongside Kevin Hart and Kaley Cuoco in The Wedding Ringer, co-starred with Billy Crystal on the FX comedy series The Comedians, which premiered on April 9,[20] and starred alongside Adam Sandler and Peter Dinklage in Pixels, about video game players who are recruited by the military to fight 1980s-era video game characters who have attacked the earth.

In September 2016, it was announced the Gad will co-write and star in the Amazon limited-series adaptation of the non-fiction book Toy Wars, by G. Wayne Miller, which follows the real-life battle between American toy giants Hasbro, the company behind GI Joe, Transformer and My Little Pony toys, and Barbie-maker Mattel in the 1980s and 1990s.[21]

Personal life

Gad married actress Ida Darvish in 2008. They have two children.[22][23] Gad has stated that he loves the traditional aspects of Judaism and celebrates some traditions of his wife's religion, Catholicism, but considers himself spiritual but not religious.[3]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Mary and Joe Angel
2007 Watching the Detectives Mark
2008 21 Miles
The Rocker Matt
2009 Crossing Over Howie
The Lost Nomads: Get Lost! Gigi
Miss Piggy
Jose Sanchez
The Clown
Spatula Lover
Big Guy Rodney Short
2010 Marmaduke Bandana Dog Voice
Love & Other Drugs Josh Randall
2011 Mardi Gras: Spring Break Bartholomew T. "Bump" Brown
2012 She Wants Me Sam Baum
Ice Age: Continental Drift Louis Voice
Thanks for Sharing Neil
2013 Jobs Steve Wozniak
The Internship Headphones
Frozen Olaf Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
2014 Wish I Was Here Noah Bloom
2015 The Wedding Ringer Doug Harris Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
Frozen Fever Olaf Voice
Short
Pixels Ludlow Lamonsoff Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
2016 The Angry Birds Movie[24] Chuck Voice
Marshall Sam Friedman Filming
2017 Beauty and the Beast LeFou Post-production
Murder on the Orient Express Hector MacQueen Filming
TBA Frozen 2 Olaf Voice

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2005 ER Sgt. Bruce Larabee Episode: "Here and There"
2007–08 Back to You Ryan Church 17 episodes
2008 American Dad! Art (voice) Episode: "Pulling Double Booty"
2008–09 Numb3rs Roy McGill 2 episodes
2009 Waiting to Die Simon Movie
2009 No Heroics Horseforce Movie
2009 Party Down Jeffrey Ells Episode: "California College Conservative Union Caucus"
2009 Woke Up Dead Matt 21 episodes
2009–11 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Correspondent
2011 The Cleveland Show Droopy / Pimp (voice) Episode: "Our Gang"
2011 Californication Doctor 2 episodes
2011 Gigi: Almost American Gigi 10 episodes
2011 Modern Family Kenneth Episode: "Punkin Chunkin"
2011 Good Vibes Mondo (voice) 12 episodes
2012–13 1600 Penn Skip Gilchrist 13 episodes, also co-creator and executive producer
2013 Hollywood Game Night Himself Episode: "America's Got Game Night"
2012–15 New Girl Bear Claw 3 episodes
2015 The Comedians Josh Main role
2015 Sesame Street Vincent Van Stop Season 45 Episode 4520 - Bert's Sign Painting Challenge[25]
2015 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Himself Episode: "2,677"; cameo
2015 Phineas and Ferb Wendell (voice) 2 Episodes Guest Star
2016 Sofia the First Olaf (voice) Episode: "The Secret Library: Olaf and the Tale of Miss Nettle"
2016 Lip Sync Battle Himself / Donald Trump Season 2, Episode 4: "Josh Gad vs. Kaley Cuoco"
2016 Talking Dead Himself Guest

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Disney Infinity 3.0 Olaf (voice)[26]

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2005 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee William Barfee Circle in the Square Theatre
2011 The Book of Mormon Elder Cunningham Eugene O'Neill Theatre

References

  1. 1 2 "PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: Book of Mormon Star Josh Gad". Playbill.
  2. 1 2 "Josh Gad biography". Biography.com. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Eric Spitznagel (June 9, 2011). "Josh Gad Has No Formal Musical Training and Five-to-Two Odds That He'll Win the Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  4. Ellen Gamerman. "A Missionary From the Borscht Belt". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  5. "Josh Gad Talks "Gigi: Almost American", "The Book Of Mormon", And Physical Comedy". Complex. March 25, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  6. "Josh Gad combats sadness with laughter". inquirer.net. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  7. "To Have and Have Knot: Exploring Family Ties in 'Wish I Was Here'". Jewish Exponent. July 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  8. Matt Tobey (May 6, 2009). "Josh Gad on the Daily Show". Comedy Central. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  9. Rudolph, Ileane (July 27, 2015). "Alumni Association: A roundup of The Daily Show's coolest Graduates". TV Guide, pp. 21-22.
  10. jotix100 (November 15, 2010). ""Bored to Death" Make it Quick, Fitzgerald! (TV Episode 2010)". IMDb.
  11. "Freddie Prinze Jr. cast in 'No Heroics". The Hollywood Reporter. March 18, 2009. Archived from the original on March 21, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  12. "Scrubs Renewed for Season 9". IGN. May 14, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  13. "About the Show". The Book of Mormon Musical. 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  14. BWW Staff writers (May 3, 2011). "2011 Tony Nominations Announced! 'The Book of Mormon' Leads With 14!". Broadway World. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  15. "Mardi Gras: Spring Break (2010/2011)". Covering Media. April 19, 2016.
  16. "Josh Gad to Headline Kinison". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  17. Josh Gad's latest role: Technology pundit (for a day), usatoday.com, August 11, 2013; retrieved August 24, 2013.
  18. Mike Fleming Jr. "'Gilligan's Island' Movie Relaunch To Star Josh Gad - Deadline". Deadline.
  19. "Josh Gad Developing Family Comedy-Adventure Film At Disney". Deadline. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  20. Maane Khatchatourian. "Watch: Billy Crystal and Josh Gad in 'The Comedians' First Trailer". Variety.
  21. "'Toy Wars' Drama From Josh Gad, Josh Schwartz & Seth Gordon Set at Amazon". Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  22. Ann Oldenburg (February 18, 2014). "Josh Gad welcomes baby girl". USA Today.
  23. Erin Hill (June 14, 2011). "Bryce Dallas Howard: I've Always Wanted My Dad to Direct Me". Parade.com. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  24. "Angry Birds Movie Voice Cast Announced, Includes Game of Thrones and SNL Vets". Yahoo News. October 1, 2014.
  25. "Sesame Street Season 45 Episode 4520 - Bert's Sign Painting Challenge". Muppet Central Forum.
  26. Avalanche Software. Disney Infinity 3.0. Scene: Closing credits, 5:39 in, Featuring the Voice Talents of.
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