Joshua Ilan "Josh" Gad (born February 23, 1981) is an American actor best known for voicing Olaf in Frozen and 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 short-lived political sitcom 1600 Penn on NBC and currently plays a fictionalized version of himself on FX's The Comedians, alongside Billy Crystal. His film roles include The Rocker, 21, Love & Other Drugs, and Jobs.
Early life
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Gad was born in Hollywood, Florida. His mother is a realtor and his stepfather is an investment advisor. He was raised Jewish; his father is a Jewish emigrant from Afghanistan and his mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. 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. He appeared on The Daily Show on November 11, 2009 in a segment titled "Crash for Clunkers" about the effect the Cash for Clunkers program had on demolition derbies. He appeared in a June 27, 2011, segment about the legalization of gay marriage in New York reported from the Gay Pride March in New York City.
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. 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.
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. Gad was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, along with his co-star Andrew Rannells. 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. 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. He wrote an article entitled "Technology pundit (for a day)", which appeared in USA Today on August 12, 2013. In December 2013, it was announced Gad will star and co-write the film version of Gilligan's Island. In April 2014, Gad and Ryan Dixon will be developing a live action family adventure-comedy for Disney. In 2014, he was also a guest voice on Phineas and Ferb.
In 2015, Gad starred alongside Kevin Hart and Kaley Cuoco in The Wedding Ringer.
Gad currently co-stars alongside Billy Crystal on the FX comedy series The Comedians, which premiered on April 9, 2015.
Gad recently finished production on Sony’s Pixels where he’ll star alongside Adam Sandler and Peter Dinklage about video game experts who are recruited by the military to fight 1980s-era video game characters who've attacked New York.
On March 13, 2015, it was announced that Gad will join Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, and Luke Evans in the cast of the Disney live-action film version of Beauty and the Beast as Le Fou.
Personal life
Gad married actress Ida Darvish in 2008. They have two daughters, Ava and Isabella. He is also the godfather of Theo, the son of Bryce Dallas Howard and Seth Gabel. Gad has stated that he loves the traditional aspects of Judaism, but considers himself spiritual and not religious.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
References
External links
- Josh Gad at the Internet Broadway Database
- Josh Gad at the Internet Movie Database
- Josh Gad on Facebook
