Jeff Hiller | |
|---|---|
 Hiller in 2023 | |
| Born | December 7, 1975 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | Texas Lutheran University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Notable work | Somebody Somewhere |
| Website | hillertime |
Jeff Hiller (born 1975) [1] is an American actor, improvisor and comedian. He is best known for his portrayal of Joel on the television series Somebody Somewhere , for which he won the 2025 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Hiller grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and graduated from Texas Lutheran University in 1998. [2] [3]
Hiller started performing improv comedy with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in 2001 where he was part of the improv teams People People, The Scam, Creep, Rumpleteaser and Police Chief Rumble. He taught improv comedy for a decade. [2]
Hiller has appeared in various television series, including Guiding Light , Ugly Betty , 30 Rock , Law & Order: Criminal Intent , Psych , Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt , and Community . [4] Hiller appeared in the films Morning Glory and Ghost Town . Hiller was well-received for his performance as John Quincy Adams in the hit rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson . In 2018, Hiller replaced Drew Droege's solo show Bright Colors and Bold Patterns off-Broadway and it was directed by Michael Urie. [5]
From 2022-2024, Hiller played Joel in Bridget Everett's Peabody Award-winning series Somebody Somewhere. Hiller won his first Emmy for his portrayal of Joel in 2025. [6]
His memoir, Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail To Overnight Success, [7] was released June 10, 2025. On the first printing of the book, the spine was misspelled, missing an "R" in the word Certain; Hiller joked about it on The Daily Show with Desi Lydic. [8]
In the 2025 revival of Urinetown , Hiller played the role of Mr. McQueen. [9]
In June 2025, Hiller served as a panelist on NPR's Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! [10] and was interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air in August 2025.
Hiller won the 2025 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Joel in HBO's Somebody Somewhere. [11]
Hiller is gay [5] and founded the all-gay improv troupe Neely O'Hara. [12] Hiller is married to artist Neil Goldberg with whom he lives in New York City. [13]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Dream Assassin | Waiter | Short |
| Ghost Town | Naked Guy | ||
| 2009 | Adam | Rom | |
| 2010 | Morning Glory | Sam - Channel 9 Producer | |
| 2011 | Bad Seed | Jeff | Short |
| 2012 | Gayby | Showgirls Fan Customer | |
| 2013 | Gods Behaving Badly | First Follower | |
| That Thing with the Cat | Rick | ||
| Chasing Taste | Chef Micah | ||
| Snore (Downton Abbey) | Unnamed role | Short | |
| The Little Tin Man | Gregg | Independent film | |
| 2015 | The Last Ones | Brad | Short |
| The Poets | Leonard | Short | |
| 2016 | Sing! | Mark | Voice role |
| 2018 | Greta | Maitre D' Henri | |
| Set It Up | Mexican Restaurant Waiter | ||
| 2020 | First One In | Frazzled Salesman | |
| 2024 | Lost & Found in Cleveland | Graham Hargreaves |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | A2Z | Comedian Panelist | Episode: "Guns N' Roses" |
| 2005 | Starved | Gay Man | Episode: "3D" |
| 2006 | The P.A. | Jeff | 1 episode |
| 2008 | 30 Rock | Hotel Clerk | Episode: "Reunion" |
| 2008–2009 | Guiding Light | Francois the Tailor | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Old Friends | Waiter | Episode: "Waverly Place" |
| Submissions Only | Gay 4 (Sonny) | Episode: "Old Lace" | |
| Wiener & Wiener | Man | Episode: "Always a Bridesmaid" | |
| Ugly Betty | Wilheldiva Fan | Episode: "Chica and the Man" | |
| 2011 | 30 Rock | Stewart | Episode: "Double-Edged Sword" |
| Community | Glee Club Guy | Episode: "Regional Holiday Music" | |
| Bored to Death | Emcee | Episode: "Forget the Herring" | |
| Death Valley | Security Guard | Episode: "Tick... Tick... BOOM!" | |
| Psych | Dwayne | Episode: "Last Night Gus" | |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Stan | Episode: "Boots on the Ground" and "To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap" | |
| 2012 | Squad 85 | Macey | 3 episodes |
| Partners | Randy | 2 episodes | |
| NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Don | Episode: "The Return of Dragon Shumway" | |
| Best Friends Forever | The Host | Episode: "Fatal Blow Out" | |
| 2012–2013 | Campus Security | Lyle Moses | 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Raptor Raptor | Unnamed role | Episode: "How to Get a Job" |
| Go On | Eric the Actor | Episode: "Urn-ed Run" | |
| 2014 | Dead Boss | Timothy | TV movie |
| The McCarthys | Phillip | 2 episodes | |
| UCB Comedy Originals | Unnamed roles | 2 episodes | |
| The Hotwives of Orlando | Antoine Donner | 4 episodes | |
| Long Distance | Matt | 1 episode | |
| 2015 | The Hotwives of Las Vegas | Antoine Donner | 3 episodes |
| Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell | Wolfgang Ragekiss | Episode: "New-cronomicon" | |
| 2015–2016 | Impastor | Jeffrey | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | Harry | Episode: "That Text Was Not Meant for Josh!" |
| 2016–2017 | Nightcap | Phil Miller | 20 episodes |
| 2017 | Difficult People | Subway Man | Episode: "Sweet Tea" |
| Broad City | Tim | Episode: "Sliding Doors" | |
| Playing House | Jeff | 3 episodes | |
| ASAP Fables | Lion | Episode: "The Lion and His Privilege" | |
| New York Is Dead | Dante | Web series | |
| 2018 | Human Kind Of | Various roles | 10 episodes |
| West 40s | Ryan | Episode: "Forty Candles" | |
| 2019 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Tomothy / Tomathy | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Little America | Man with Cold | Episode: "The Silence" |
| 2022–2024 | Somebody Somewhere | Joel | 21 episodes |
| 2022 | American Horror Story: NYC | Gideon Whitely | 9 episodes |
| Evil | Chuck | Episode: "The Demon of Parenthood" | |
| The Watcher | Therapist | Episode: "Haunting" | |
| 2023 | FBI: Most Wanted | Rudolph Varitek | Episode: "Black Mirror" |
| 2023–2024 | American Horror Stories | Mr. Nevins | Episode: "Bestie" |
| Niles Taylor | Episode: "The Thing Under the Bed" | ||
| 2025 | King of Drag | Himself; guest judge | Episode: "Comedy" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Escape from Virtual Island | Waiter / Man No. 1 / Crowd (voice) | 11 episodes |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Somebody Somewhere | Won | [15] |
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series | Nominated | [16] | ||
| 2025 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | [17] |
| Authority control databases: Artists |
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