Joshua Ilan Gad[1] (born February 23, 1981)[2] is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He is known for voicing Olaf in Frozen, playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, and LeFou in the live action adaptation of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
He has also appeared in ER, The Daily Show, Modern Family, New Girl, Bored to Death, and Numb3rs.
Gad 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 other film roles include The Rocker, The Internship, 21, Love & Other Drugs, Frozen, Jobs, Pixels, The Wedding Ringer, The Angry Birds Movie, A Dog's Purpose, Marshall, and Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. He will star in the upcoming Netflix movie Super-Normal.
Early life[]
Joshua Ilan Gad was born in Hollywood, Florida, on February 23, 1981.[2] His mother, Susan,[3] is a real estate agent and his stepfather is an investment advisor, and he has two brothers, a stepbrother and a stepsister.[1] He was raised Jewish[4][5] as his father Sam (Shmuel) Gad is a Jewish emigrant from Afghanistan and his mother, who was born in Germany, is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.[6][7][8][9]
Gad attended University School of Nova Southeastern University, graduating in 1999. While there, he won the National Forensics League (NFL) National Tournament Championships for Original Oratory in 1998, and for Humorous Interpretation and Original Oratory in 1999.[10] 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.[11]
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.[12] 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.[13]
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Gad at the 2010 Streamy Awards
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!". He was cast in the American version of the British sitcom No Heroics.[14] 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.[15]
Gad originated 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.[16] Gad was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, along with his co-star Andrew Rannells.[17] Both lost to Norbert Leo Butz in Catch Me If You Can.[18]
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.[19]
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.[20] 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.[21]
In 2013, Gad's name was briefly attached to the role of Sam Kinison in a biopic that was then under ongoing consideration.[22][23][24] He wrote an article entitled "Technology pundit (for a day)", which appeared in USA Today on August 12, 2013.[25]
In December 2013, it was announced Gad will star and co-write the film version of Gilligan's Island.[26] In April 2014, it was announced that Gad and Ryan Dixon will be developing a live-action family adventure-comedy for Disney.[27] 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,[28] 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.[29]
In September 2016, it was announced that 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.[30]
In 2017, Gad voiced the dog Bailey in A Dog's Purpose,[31] a film billed as "a celebration of the special connection between humans and their dogs."[32] Also that year, he played LeFou in the live-action film remake of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, co-starring with Emma Watson;[33] starred in Reginald Hudlin's biographical drama Marshall, alongside Chadwick Boseman and Beauty and the Beast co-star Dan Stevens; and played Hector MacQueen in a film adaptation of Agatha Christie's detective novel Murder on the Orient Express, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, alongside Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, and Daisy Ridley.
In addition, Gad will also be starring with Lupita Nyong'o and Alexander England in Abe Forsythe's Australian zombie romantic-comedy, horror film crossover, entitled Little Monsters.[34]
Personal life[]
Gad married actress Ida Darvish in 2008. They have two daughters.[35][36] Gad has stated that he loves the traditional aspects of Judaism and celebrates some traditions of his wife's religion (Catholicism), and considers himself spiritual but not religious.[4]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Mary and Joe | Angel | |
| 2007 | Watching the Detectives | Mark | |
| 2008 | 21 | Miles | |
| 2008 | The Rocker | Matt | |
| 2009 | Crossing Over | Howie | |
| 2009 | The Lost Nomads: Get Lost 22 | Gigi Miss Piggy Jose Sanchez The Clown Spatula Lover |
|
| 2009 | Big Guy | Rodney | |
| 2010 | Marmaduke | Bandana Dog (voice) | |
| 2010 | Love & Other Drugs | Josh Randall | |
| 2011 | Mardi Gras: Spring Break | Bartholomew T. "Bump" Brown | |
| 2012 | She Wants Me | Sam Baum | |
| 2012 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | Louis (voice) | |
| 2012 | Thanks for Sharing | Neil | |
| 2013 | Jobs | Steve Wozniak | |
| 2013 | The Internship | That Headphones Guy | |
| 2013 | Frozen | Olaf (voice) | Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production |
| 2014 | Wish I Was Here | Noah Bloom | |
| 2015 | The Wedding Ringer | Doug Harris | |
| 2015 | Frozen Fever | Olaf (voice) | Short film |
| 2015 | Pixels | Ludlow Lamonsoff | |
| 2016 | The Angry Birds Movie | Chuck (voice) | [37] |
| 2017 | A Dog's Purpose | Bailey, Buddy, Tino, Ellie, and Waffles (voices) | |
| 2017 | Beauty and the Beast | LeFou | |
| 2017 | Marshall | Sam Friedman | |
| 2017 | Murder on the Orient Express | Hector MacQueen | |
| 2017 | Olaf's Frozen Adventure | Olaf (voice) | Television special |
| 2019 | Little Monsters[38] | Teddy McGiggle | |
| 2019 | A Dog's Journey | Bailey and Buddy (voices) | Post-production |
| 2019 | Artemis Fowl | Mulch Diggums | Post-production |
| 2019 | The Angry Birds Movie 2 | Chuck (voice) | In production |
| 2019 | Frozen 2 | Olaf (voice) | In production |
| 2023 | Frozen 3 | Olaf (voice) | In production |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | ER | Sgt. Bruce Larabee | Episode: "Here and There" |
| 2007–08 | Back to You | Ryan Church | Main role; 17 episodes |
| 2008 | American Dad! | Art (voice) | Episode: "Pulling Double Booty" |
| 2008, 2009 | 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, 2015 | 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 Ploufe | Episode: "Punkin Chunkin" |
| 2011 | Good Vibes | Mondo (voice) | Main role; 12 episodes |
| 2012–13 | 1600 Penn | Skip Gilchrist | Main role; 13 episodes; also co-creator and executive producer |
| 2012–15 | New Girl | Bearclaw | 3 episodes: "Katie", "Birthday", "Walk of Shame" |
| 2013 | Hollywood Game Night | Himself | Episode: "America's Got Game Night" |
| 2014 | Monsters vs. Aliens | Internet (voice) | Episode: "Bride of the Internet" |
| 2015 | The Comedians | Josh | Main role |
| 2015 | Sesame Street | Vincent Van Stop | Episode: "Bert's Sign Painting Challenge[39] |
| 2015 | Phineas and Ferb | Wendell (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | TripTank | Louis (voice) | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Jeopardy! | Himself | Celebrity contestant[40] |
| 2016 | Lip Sync Battle | Himself / Donald Trump | Episode: "Josh Gad vs. Kaley Cuoco" |
| 2016 | Sofia the First | Olaf (voice) | Episode: "The Secret Library: Olaf and the Tale of Miss Nettle" |
| 2016 | LEGO Frozen Northern Lights | Olaf (voice) | Special |
| 2016 | Talking Dead | Himself | Guest |
| 2017 | Star Wars Rebels | Controller (voice) | Episode: "Double Agent Droid" |
| 2017 | South Park | Marcus Preston (voice) | Episode: "Hummels & Heroin" |
| 2018 | Bob's Burgers | Damon (voice) | Episode: "Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now" |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | MIB: Alien Crisis | Emilio Chauncey, Handsome Guest, Khnemu |
| 2013 | Frozen: Olaf's Quest | Olaf |
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0[41] | Olaf |
| 2019 | Kingdom Hearts III | Olaf |
Web[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Kevin Pollak's Chat Show | Himself / Guest | Podcast |
Theatre[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | William Barfée | Circle in the Square Theatre |
| 2011 | The Book of Mormon | Elder Cunningham | Eugene O'Neill Theatre |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: Book of Mormon Star Josh Gad. Playbill.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Josh Gad biography. Retrieved on September 2, 2015.
- ↑ Twitter. Retrieved on January 13, 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ellen Gamerman. "A Missionary From the Borscht Belt". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Josh Gad Talks "Gigi: Almost American", "The Book Of Mormon", And Physical Comedy". Complex. March 25, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- ↑ Josh Gad combats sadness with laughter. inquirer.net. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
- ↑ To Have and Have Knot: Exploring Family Ties in 'Wish I Was Here'. Jewish Exponent (July 2014). Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
- ↑ Diversions - SD JEWISH JOURNAL. Retrieved on January 13, 2018.
- ↑ Nationals History. Retrieved on January 13, 2018.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Beauty and the Beast's Josh Gad: controversy over the gay LeFou 'very blown out of proportion'". The Sydney Morning Herald. March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ↑ Matt Tobey (May 6, 2009). Josh Gad on the Daily Show. Comedy Central. Retrieved on August 8, 2011.
- ↑ Rudolph, Ileane (July 27, 2015). "Alumni Association: A roundup of The Daily Show's coolest Graduates". TV Guide, pp. 21-22.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."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. Unknown parameter
|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ↑ Scrubs Renewed for Season 9. IGN (May 14, 2009). Retrieved on August 8, 2011.
- ↑ About the Show. The Book of Mormon Musical (2011). Retrieved on August 8, 2011.
- ↑ BWW Staff writers (May 3, 2011). 2011 Tony Nominations Announced! 'The Book of Mormon' Leads With 14!. Broadway World. Retrieved on August 8, 2011.
- ↑ Jones, Kenneth "War Horse, Book of Mormon, Anything Goes, Normal Heart Win 2011 Tony Awards" Template:Webarchive playbill.com, June 12, 2011
- ↑ Mardi Gras: Spring Break (2010/2011). Covering Media (April 19, 2016).
- ↑ ‘1600 Penn’ To Have Media Figures As Guests, But Not Politicians: TCA. Retrieved on May 4, 2017.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Josh Gad Joins Zach Braff's 'Wish I Was Here'". variety.com. May 15, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ↑ Lesnick, Silas (August 5, 2013). Josh Gad to Headline Kinison. ComingSoon.net. Retrieved on January 22, 2013.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (November 17, 2010). HBO’s Sam Kinison Biopic Now Heading for the Big Screen. TheWrap. Retrieved on January 22, 2018.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Fleming, Michael (November 17, 2008). "'Brother Sam' set for HBO". Variety. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
- ↑ Josh Gad's latest role: Technology pundit (for a day), usatoday.com, August 11, 2013; retrieved August 24, 2013.
- ↑ Mike Fleming Jr. 'Gilligan’s Island' Movie Relaunch To Star Josh Gad - Deadline. Deadline.
- ↑ Josh Gad Developing Family Comedy-Adventure Film At Disney. Retrieved on April 23, 2014.
- ↑ Maane Khatchatourian. Watch: Billy Crystal and Josh Gad in ‘The Comedians’ First Trailer. Variety.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sneider, Jeff (February 26, 2014). "Adam Sandler to Star in Sony's Big-Budget Video Game Movie 'Pixels'". thewrap.com. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
- ↑ ‘Toy Wars’ Drama From Josh Gad, Josh Schwartz & Seth Gordon Set at Amazon. Retrieved on September 22, 2016.
- ↑ Josh Gad is Reincarnated Over and Over in the A Dog's Purpose Trailer (en-US) (2016-08-26).
- ↑ Template:Citation
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kit, Borys (March 13, 2015). "Josh Gad Joining Disney's Live-Action 'Beauty and the Beast' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ↑ Clark, Stewart (2017-10-30). Lupita Nyong’o, Josh Gad to Star in Zombie Rom-Com ‘Little Monsters’.
- ↑ Ann Oldenburg (February 18, 2014). Josh Gad welcomes baby girl. USA Today.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Erin Hill (June 14, 2011). "Bryce Dallas Howard: I've Always Wanted My Dad to Direct Me". Parade.com. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ↑ Angry Birds Movie Voice Cast Announced, Includes Game of Thrones and SNL Vets. Yahoo News (October 1, 2014).
- ↑ Hipes, Patrick (October 30, 2017). Lupita Nyong’o & Josh Gad To Star In Zombie Comedy ‘Little Monsters’. Retrieved on January 13, 2018.
- ↑ Sesame Street Season 45 Episode 4520 - Bert's Sign Painting Challenge. Muppet Central Forum.
- ↑ Kelley, Seth (May 14, 2015). Watch ‘Scandal’ Star Bellamy Young Dominate ‘Celebrity Jeopardy’. Variety. Retrieved on February 12, 2019.
- ↑ Template:Cite video game
External links[]
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