- B. J. Novak
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B. J. Novak 
Novak in September 2009Born Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak
July 31, 1979
Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.Occupation Actor
Comedian
Screenwriter
DirectorYears active 2001 – present Benjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak (born July 31, 1979) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds. He has received an Emmy Award for his works for The Office.
Contents
Early life
Novak was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Linda (née Manaly) and William Novak.[1][2][3] His father has ghostwritten memoirs for Nancy Reagan, Lee Iacocca, and others. Novak's family is Jewish; his father co-edited The Big Book of Jewish Humor and his parents also established a Jewish matchmaking service.[4][5] Novak has two younger brothers, Jesse, an electronic music producer, and Lev, an undergraduate student at Tufts University. He attended Newton South High School with future Office costar John Krasinski,[6] and they graduated in 1997.[6] Novak attended Harvard University, where he worked for the Harvard Lampoon and majored in English and Spanish literature after writing a thesis on Hollywood responses to Shakespeare. In addition to the Lampoon, he occasionally staged and performed in a variety show called The B.J. Show with fellow Harvard student B. J. Averell.[6] Novak wrote his honors thesis on the films of Shakespeare's Hamlet.[7]
Career
Novak in June 2007
Novak graduated from Harvard in 2001. Afterward he moved to Los Angeles and began working in clubs as a comedian. His first live stand-up performance took place on October 10, 2001 at the Hollywood Youth Hostel. He was named one of Variety's "Ten Comedians To Watch" in 2003.[8]
Novak was a writer for the short-lived The WB sitcom Raising Dad.[6] He has also performed on Comedy Central's Premium Blend and on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.[8]
Novak's television acting career began on MTV's Punk'd. He was the lead accomplice to Ashton Kutcher on the show's second season in 2003, and has played pranks on Hilary Duff, Usher, and Mýa.
After hearing Novak's opening joke at a comedy club, executive producer Greg Daniels immediately decided to include Novak in his upcoming project: a U.S. version of the hit British series The Office. Novak was cast as Ryan Howard, becoming the first cast member.[6] He is also a writer and co-executive producer for the series. On July 21, 2010, news reports indicated Novak had signed a contract to remain with the show for its 7th and 8th seasons; under the new terms, he would be made a full executive producer midway through Season 7 and also direct two episodes of the show, as well as becoming the latest cast member to also have a deal with NBC to develop other shows. In a June 2009 interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, Novak spoke about sharing the success of The Office with his Newton South High School classmate John Krasinski:[9] He has claimed that his all time favorite episode of "The Office" is "The Injury."
“ Sometimes when this feels too good to be true, I think that if this were all a dream, that would be what should have tipped me off. I'd wake up saying, 'I was in this incredible TV show and it was a big hit and the star was John Krasinski from high school. Isn't that weird?' ” In addition to his television credits, Novak has appeared in the films Unaccompanied Minors, Reign Over Me, Knocked Up and Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.[10]
Filmography
As actor
Year Film Role Notes 2003 Punk'd Field Agent TV series 2005–present The Office Ryan Howard Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2006, 2007)
Nominated: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2008)
Nominated: Prism Award for Best performance in a Comedy Series (2009)2006 Unaccompanied Minors Flight Attendant 2007 Reign Over Me Mr. Fallon Knocked Up Unnamed Doctor 2009 Inglourious Basterds Pfc. Smithson Utivich Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 2011 The Smurfs Baker Smurf As writer
Year Title Notes 2001–2002 Raising Dad 2 episodes 2005–present The Office Episodes written: - Diversity Day (March 29, 2005) - Season 1
- Sexual Harassment (September 27, 2005) - Season 2
- The Fire (October 11, 2005) - Season 2
- Boys and Girls (February 2, 2006) - Season 2
- Initiation (October 19, 2006) - Season 3
- Safety Training (April 12, 2007) - Season 3
- Local Ad (October 25, 2007) - Season 4
- Chair Model (April 17, 2008) - Season 4
- Prince Family Paper (January 22, 2009) - Season 5
- Dream Team (April 9, 2009) - Season 5
- Happy Hour (March 25, 2010) - Season 6
- Counseling (September 30, 2010) - Season 7
- Threat Level Midnight (February 17, 2011) - Season 7
- The List (September 22, 2011) - Season 8
Writers Guild of America Award for Comedy Series (2006)
Nominated: Writers Guild of America Award for a Comedy Series (2005, 2007, 2008)
Nominated: Writers Guild of America Award for a New Series (2005)
Nominated: Writers Guild of America Award for an Episodic Comedy (2005, 2007)As director
Year Title Notes 2009 The Office – Blackmail webisode series 4 episodes 2009 The Office – Scott's Tots aired 12/03/09 2011 The Office - The Seminar aired 1/27/11 The Office - The List aired 9/22/11 Awards and nominations
Year Group Award Won Film/Television series 2005 Writers Guild of America Awards New Series No The Office Episodic Comedy - for episode Diversity Day No Comedy Series No 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series[11] Yes Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy Series Yes Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Yes 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series[12] Yes Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series No Writers Guild of America Awards Episodic Comedy - for episode Local Ad No Comedy Series No 2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series No Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series No Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy Series No 2009 Prism Awards Performance in a Comedy Series No References
- ^ Courtney Hollands (20 December 2007). "Molly Goodson has stars in her eyes - and on her blog". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/articles/2007/12/20/shes_got_stars_in_her_eyes___and_on_her_blog/. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
- ^ Berman, Alyssa R.; Beborah B. Doroshow (2001-05-14). "BJ's Bring a Full House to Sanders". Harvard Crimson. http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=104390. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ Novak, William (2006). The Big Book of Jewish Humor. Collins. pp. vii. ISBN 0061138134.
- ^ Getlin, John (1992-09-17). "Ghost to the Stars - William Novak Is the Invisible Writer Behind Memoirs by Lee Iacocca, Nancy Reagan and--Soon--Magic Johnson". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-09-17/news/vw-968_1_william-novak. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ Uriel Heilman (19 November 2006). "Better than Pork, Isn't it? Jewish Joke Book turns 25". JTA. http://jta.org/news/article/2006/11/19/14678/Betterthanp. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ a b c d e Christopher Muther (6 December 2005). "Class reunion". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2005/12/06/class_reunion/. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
- ^ Biography for B. J. Novak at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ a b "B.J. Novak: Videos, Jokes, Tour Dates, Biography and more". Jokes.com. ComedyCentral. 2009. http://www.comedycentral.com/comedians/browse/n/bj_novak.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
- ^ B.J. Novak gives at 'The Office' and out of it
- ^ B.J. Novak Takes 'Office' Leave
- ^ Screen Actors Guild Honors Outstanding Film and Television Performances..., a January 2007 press release from the SAG Awards website
- ^ 'Sopranos,' 'The Office' Win SAG Ensemble Awards, a January 2008 TVWeek article
External links
External videos
Joey Fatone interviews Novak at the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2008) - B. J. Novak at the Internet Movie Database
- B. J. Novak biography at the official NBC website
- "The Office's BJ Novak: Uncut", an NPR interview from May 2008
Categories:- 1979 births
- Actors from Massachusetts
- American comedy writers
- American film actors
- American Jews
- American television actors
- American television writers
- Harvard Lampoon people
- Harvard University alumni
- Living people
- Jewish actors
- Jewish comedians
- The Office (U.S. TV series)
- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People from Newton, Massachusetts
- Writers Guild of America Award winners
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