Judah Friedlander | |
---|---|
Born | Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S. | March 16, 1969
Alma mater | New York University |
Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian |
Years active | 1989–present |
Website | www |
Judah Friedlander (born March 16, 1969) [1] [2] is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for playing the role of writer Frank Rossitano on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock . [3] [4] [5] Friedlander is also known for his role as Toby Radloff in the film American Splendor , [1] [4] [6] a role that garnered him favorable reviews and a nomination for best supporting actor at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] Earlier in his career, he was recognized as "the hug guy" from the music video for the 2001 Dave Matthews Band single "Everyday". [5] [6] [12]
Friedlander is known for his distinctive look, which includes oversized glasses, shaggy hair, and a t-shirt and trucker hat (both often emblazoned with slogans such as "world champion"), and a generally unkempt appearance. [1] [3] [10] [11] [12] [13] It is a look he maintains as a stand-up comedian, during most of his public appearances, and which he has employed in some of his acting roles. [1] [3] [11] [14]
Friedlander was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the son of Shirley and Art Friedlander. [1] [12] His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother, a native of Pittsburgh, is Croatian American. [12] [15] [16]
As a child, Friedlander drew political cartoons and made animated films. [17] He first tried stand-up comedy in 1989 at the age of 19 while attending New York University. [3] [11] [13] [18] Friedlander graduated from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. [19]
Friedlander has performed stand-up comedy regularly throughout his entertainment career. [3] [4] [13] He continued to perform stand-up several nights a week in New York City while working on the sitcom 30 Rock. [3] [4] Friedlander has stated that he is most relaxed when doing stand-up [11] and that he considers stand-up to be his first true love, [20] preferring it to acting. [21] He stated in 2012 that stand-up comedy is "still the most important thing I do from an artistic standpoint." [22]
Friedlander has cited comedians Steven Wright, Sam Kinison and John Mulrooney as influences. [23] He also says that Dave Attell is one of his favorite comics. [23]
Friedlander's comedic performances often feature him making outrageous and bombastic claims about himself with a deadpan delivery. [3] [6] [12] [20] Many of these claims are reflected in slogans displayed on the many trucker hats he wears — the most common being "World Champion", a slogan he has worn in various languages. [6] [10] [11] [15] [17]
One of his claims include being an expert in karate, having achieved an "extra-dark black belt" in the sport. [4] [14] [24] In 2010, he authored the humor book How to Beat Up Anybody: An Instructional and Inspirational Karate Book by the World Champion. [8] [17] Friedlander's claims provide comedic irony when contrasted against his nonchalant attitude and physical appearance. [3] [10] Friedlander wears large, thick-rimmed glasses, is often unshaven and is generally unkempt. [3] [5] [17]
The look that Friedlander employs during his stand-up has also carried over into some of his television and film roles, including his 30 Rock role as TV writer Frank Rossitano. [14] [17] Frank is however much lazier than Friedlander's "World Champion" persona. [14] [25]
In 2007, Heeb magazine included Friedlander in their list of "100 people you need to know about". [26]
Friedlander played the role of a techie on the Al Franken sitcom LateLine in 1999. [2] Over the 2000s Friedlander held guest roles on several television shows, including Spin City , Curb Your Enthusiasm and Flight of the Conchords , as well as providing voices for characters on the animated series Wonder Showzen and Xavier: Renegade Angel . [2] Friedlander made regular appearances on the entertainment and pop-culture program Best Week Ever . [9] [20] He appeared as the online co-host of the 2009 TV Land Awards, alongside main stage host Neil Patrick Harris. [27] [28]
Friedlander was a regular cast member of the sitcom 30 Rock throughout its entire run, from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. [1] [23] His character, Frank Rossitano, is a sarcastic and wisecracking writer on the fictional show TGS with Tracy Jordan [1] [11] [29] Frank is lazy, slovenly, and lives with his mother (played by Patti Lupone). [17] [30] He is also sex-obsessed, which he often reveals by way of vulgar and sexually suggestive comments. [1] [17] [29] Friedlander has stated that Frank Rossitano is based on at least two writers with whom Tina Fey used to work at Saturday Night Live . [29] His ever-changing, slogan-bearing trucker hats also became a running gag on the show. [21] [29] Friedlander makes his hats himself and created enough of them to be able to wear a different one in each scene of 30 Rock, which is about three hats per show. [12] [18] [29]
Friedlander has appeared on late-night talk shows such as Late Night with Conan O'Brien , The Daily Show with Jon Stewart , The Daily Show with Trevor Noah , The Tonight Show with Jay Leno , Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Last Call with Carson Daly . [2] In 2010 Friedlander appeared in 2 episodes of the children's series Sesame Street . [2] [8] [31] He also appeared as a panelist on The Burn with Jeff Ross in 2013. [2]
In May and June 2014, Friedlander narrated ESPN's Inside: U.S. Soccer’s March to Brazil six-part series in preparation for the World Cup in Brazil. [32]
He has appeared on MSNBC's Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and provided personal commentary on The World Cup and soccer in general. [33]
In 2001, Friedlander played "the hug guy" in the music video for the Dave Matthews Band single "Everyday"; his character is seen hugging various people throughout the video. [6] [12] [13] Friedlander was recognized for his "hug guy" role for years after appearing in the video, causing complete strangers to offer him hugs. [6] The same year, he appeared in the comedy film Wet Hot American Summer . [1] [2]
In 2003 Friedlander played Toby Radloff in the biopic American Splendor , a role that received favorable reviews — his performance was deemed "unforgettable" [1] by The New York Times and "pitch-perfect" by both Nick A. Zaino III of The Boston Globe [9] and Dan Dinicola of The Daily Gazette . [34] He was also nominated in the category of best supporting actor at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards. [1] [6] [29]
Friedlander had roles in the Ben Stiller films Meet the Parents , Zoolander and Along Came Polly . [1] [2]
He had a starring role in the 2005 independent comedy Full Grown Men and a supporting role in the 2008 drama The Wrestler . [2] [8] [14]
He has also appeared in films such as Duane Hopwood , Chapter 27 , Southern Belles , Live Free or Die , and Feast . [2] [8]
Friedlander has lived in the New York City area for most of his career, with the exception of two years spent in Los Angeles. [4] Currently residing in Queens, [11] [22] he has stated that he prefers living in New York. [4]
Friedlander enjoys playing table tennis. [4] [5] [11] [15] As a child, he had played the sport competitively, and he took it up again in 2008. [4] [5] He is a big fan of professional wrestling, which is often used as subject matter for his trademark hats and shirts. He is also a fan of the New York Red Bulls, has attended games at Red Bull Arena and appeared in commercials for the team. [35]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Endsville | Wrestling fan | |
Meet the Parents | Pharmacy clerk | ||
2001 | Wet Hot American Summer | Ronald von Kleinstein | |
Zoolander | Scrappy Zoolander | ||
How High | Student | ||
2002 | Showtime | Julio | |
2003 | The Trade | Duffy Dyer | |
Old School | Action figure dude | ||
American Splendor | Toby Radloff | ||
The Janitor | Drunk man | ||
2004 | Starsky & Hutch | Ice-cream man | |
Bad Meat | Maintenance man | ||
Along Came Polly | Dustin | ||
2005 | Duane Hopwood | Anthony | |
Southern Belles | Duane | ||
Pizza | Jimmy | ||
The Unseen | Earl | ||
Feast | Beer guy | ||
2006 | The Darwin Awards | Simon | |
Date Movie | Nicky | ||
Live Free or Die | Hesh | ||
The Cassidy Kids | Adult Max Cassidy | ||
Full Grown Men | Elias Guber | ||
2007 | Chapter 27 | Paul | |
The Proctor | Harry | Short film | |
2008 | Feast II: Sloppy Seconds | Beer guy | |
Meet Dave | Engineer | ||
The Wrestler | Scott Brumberg | ||
2009 | I Hate Valentine's Day | Dan O'Finn | |
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever | Toby | ||
2010 | Beware the Gonzo | Cafeteria guy | |
2011 | Rio | Tourist | Voice |
2013 | Epic | Larry The Cab Driver | Voice |
2014 | Ping Pong Summer | Anthony | |
2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Bar Patron | |
2019 | Can You Keep a Secret? | Mick |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | LateLine | Techie | 3 episodes |
2000 | Spin City | Flirtatious Man in Bar | Episode: "About Last Night" |
The Beat | Episode: "The Beat Goes On" | ||
2001 | Spring Break Lawyer | Mervin | Television film |
2002 | O2Be | Trailer Trash | Episode: "O2Be" |
2003 | Old School | Action Figure Dude | Pilot |
2004 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Donald | Episode: "The Blind Date" |
2005 | Cheap Seats: Without Ron Parker | Steven Gregory | Episode: "1995 SuperDogs! Superjocks!" |
Sunday Pants | Voice Segment "History According to Noodle" | ||
2006 | Wonder Showzen | Crickey | 2 episodes |
2006–2013 | 30 Rock | Frank Rossitano | 119 episodes |
2007 | Flight of the Conchords | Isabella | Episode: "Sally" |
2009 | Xavier: Renegade Angel | Big Papa Dick / Slippy Villager | Voices 2 episodes |
100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s | Host | ||
2010 | Sesame Street | Inspector 4 | Episode: "Inspected by 4" |
Sesame Street | Himself | Episode: "Abby's Tricycle" | |
The Life & Times of Tim | Ping Pong Guy | Voice Episode: "Stu Is Good at Something" | |
2011 | The Heart, She Holler | Episode: "Dare to Holler" | |
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas | Head Mini Sloth | ||
2013 | Childrens Hospital | Al Yankovic | Episode: "Country Weekend" |
2014 | Sharknado 2: The Second One | Bryan | Television film |
2015 | Fresh Off the Boat | Ray | Episode: "Very Superstitious" |
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp | Ron von Kleinenstein | 2 episodes | |
The Jim Gaffigan Show | Himself | Episode: "My Friend the Priest" | |
2016 | Bordertown | Sanford Buckwald | Voice 13 episodes |
Albert | Gene | Voice Television film | |
2017 | Bob's Burgers | Ferdie | Voice Episode: "Like Gene for Chocolate" |
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Gordy | 2 episodes | |
America is the Greatest Country in the United States | Himself | Stand-up special; also director and editor | |
2018 | The Last Sharknado: It's About Time | Bryan | Television film |
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Supporting Male | American Splendor | Nominated |
2008 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared with the cast) | 30 Rock | Nominated |
Gold Derby Awards | Ensemble of the Year (shared with the cast) | Nominated | ||
2009 | Nominated | |||
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared with the cast) | Won | ||
2010 | Nominated | |||
2011 | Nominated | |||
2012 | Nominated | |||
2013 | Nominated | |||
2014 | Nominated |
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