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Jeff Garlin
Garlin at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, Oregon, on March 19, 2010.
Birth name	Jeffrey Garlin
Born	(1962-06-05) June 5, 1962 (age 50) Chicago, IL, U.S.
Medium	Film, television, stand-up
Nationality	American
Years active	1983-present

Jeffrey "Jeff" Garlin (born June 5, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, voice artist, director, writer and author, best known for his role as Jeff Greene on the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. He is also a producer on the show.

Early life[link]

Garlin was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 5, 1962 and grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois where his father had a plumbing supply business and his mother was active in community theater. Garlin is Jewish^[1] and attended Hebrew school.^[2][3] He graduated from Fort Lauderdale's Nova High School in 1980. He attended Broward Community College followed by a stint at the University of Miami, but eventually dropped out. He began performing stand-up comedy there.^[4]

Career[link]

In 1984, at the age of 22, Garlin moved back to Chicago, to perform with the comedy troupe The Second City, into which he had been accepted, as well as to pursue a stand-up comedy career there.^[5] Several years later, he was roommates with Conan O'Brien, who was then a comedy writer. (He remains close to O'Brien, and after O'Brien was removed as host of The Tonight Show in 2010 so that Jay Leno could return, Garlin stated that he would not be a guest on the show again.)^[5]

Film and television[link]

Garlin has a variety of television and film appearances to his credit, as an actor and a stand-up, including Dr. Katz, Arrested Development, Everybody Loves Raymond, Late Show with David Letterman, Tom Goes to the Mayor, The Life and Times of Tim, The Daily Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Entourage. Garlin appeared with Eddie Murphy in Daddy Day Care and appeared in Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal.

Garlin went on to appear in a small cameo role in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me in 1999. Other cameo appearances include Run Ronnie Run, After the Sunset, Fat Albert, and Sleepover.

His feature directorial debut, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (which he also wrote), premiered to favorable reviews at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. It opened in September 2007. The film co-stars Sarah Silverman and Bonnie Hunt, with supporting appearances by Paul Mazursky, Dan Castellaneta, and Amy Sedaris.

In 2005, Garlin played a small role in Fun with Dick and Jane as a man who falls victim to Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni's crime spree.

In 2006, Garlin also directed This Filthy World, a one-man show performed by director John Waters. Garlin also was a voice actor in WALL-E, an animated film by Pixar that was released June 27, 2008, as the Captain of the Axiom spaceship. According to an interview, Garlin developed a harmful nodule in his throat due to the long process of recording his voice for this role.^[6]

He had a recurring role on the series Wizards of Waverly Place as Uncle Kelbo, appearing in three episodes over the first three seasons.

In 2008, Garlin appeared in The Rocker as Stan. During 2008, he also played Ed Lawson in the film Strange Wilderness. He lent his voice to Disney/Pixar's film Toy Story 3, as Buttercup.^[7] Garlin also appeared as Sid, alongside Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, in the 2010 comedy-action film The Bounty Hunter.

[edit] Curb Your Enthusiasm

On television, Garlin is a co-star and executive producer in the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show stars Larry David, the co-creator of Seinfeld. Garlin co-stars in the show as Larry David's manager.

Regarding the show and his role, Garlin stated:

Originally, I approached Larry David with the idea for the show, and my intent was to direct it and not even be in it. He's the one that insisted that I play his manager and be an executive producer. It totally has changed my life, and I'm indebted to him forever, and every time I work on that show, not only am I lucky, I laugh my ass off and I have a great time. And it's probably the most fun I'll ever have as an actor, ever.^[8]

Garlin spent three seasons on NBC's Mad About You in the role of Marvin. In addition to his acting career, Garlin has also directed both Jon Stewart (Unleavened) and Denis Leary (Lock-n-Load) in their respective HBO specials, as well as an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.^[9] Garlin has also had his own HBO half-hour comedy special.

Author[link]

On February 23, 2010, Garlin released a book, My Footprint: Carrying the Weight of the World, a memoir which documents his journey to lessen both his physical and carbon footprint.

Filmography[link]

Television work[link]

• Roseanne - Fred (1989)
• Open House - Brian (1990)
• Baywatch - Larry 'Loomin' Large (1994)
• Gross Ratings - Jack Bekins (1996)
• Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist - Jeff (1997)
• Mad About You - Marvin (1997–1999)
• Self Storage - Duncan Baumgartner (2000)
• The Michael Richards Show - Ed (2000)
• Late Friday - Himself/Host (2001)
• Three Sisters - Joel (2001)
• Dead Last - Ron Belson (2001)
• What About Joan? - Steinie (2001–2002)
• King of the Hill - Dan (2002)
• Everybody Loves Raymond - Produce Manager Jimmy (2001–2003)
• Greetings from Tucson - Executive (2003)
• Crank Yankers - Jeff (2003)
• Tom Goes to the Mayor - Pat Croce (2004)
• Pudding Wars - Tobey (2005)
• Duck Dodgers - Camoman (2005)
• Yes, Dear - Howie (2005)
• MADtv - Hank Whitley (2005)
• Arrested Development - Mort Meyers (2005–2006)
• Hooked - Mr. Waterhouse (2006/I)
• Campus Ladies - Mr. Hubney (2006)
• Shorty McShorts' Shorts - Duke (2007)
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Barry Freeburg (2008)
• The Life & Times of Tim (2008)
• BURN-E - Captain (uncredited) (2008)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm - Jeff Greene (2000–present)
• Wizards of Waverly Place - Uncle Kelbo (2008–2010)
• Entourage - Roger Jay (2010)
• Community - Himself (2011)

Video games[link]

• Blade Runner - Lieutenant Edison Guzza (1997)
• WALL-E - Captain (2008)
• Toy Story 3: The Video Game - Buttercup (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Jeff Garlin at the Internet Movie Database
• Jeff Garlin on Twitter
• New York Times Magazine article (June 25, 2006)