H. Jon Benjamin

H. Jon Benjamin

at San Diego Comic-Con International (July 2010)
Birth name Henry Jon Benjamin
Born May 23, 1966 (1966-05-23) (age 45)
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Medium Film, stand-up, television
Nationality American
Years active 1991–present
Influenced Loren Bouchard
Notable works and roles Ben in Dr Katz, Professional Therapist
Coach McGuirk/Jason in Home Movies
Bob Belcher in Bob's Burgers
Carl in Family Guy
various Roles in Freak Show
various Roles in Important Things with Demetri Martin
Sterling Archer in Archer
The Master in The Venture Brothers

Henry Jon Benjamin[1] (born May 23, 1966), known professionally as H. Jon Benjamin and Jon Benjamin, is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his voice-over roles as Jason and Coach McGuirk on Home Movies, Ben on Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, The Devil on Lucy, Daughter of the Devil and currently as the voice of Sterling Archer in FX's animated series Archer and Bob Belcher in the Fox animated series Bob's Burgers. His new Comedy Central series Jon Benjamin Has a Van began airing on June 14, 2011.

Contents

Early life

Benjamin was born in 1966 in Worcester, Massachusetts and graduated from Worcester Academy in 1984.[2]

Career

His comedy career began at age twenty-four in Boston where he was in a comedy duo with Sam Seder, then a member of Cross Comedy, a comedy team led by David Cross. For approximately the first seven years of his career, Benjamin almost exclusively worked in groups rather than independently. Afterwards, his independent work remained more experimental, rejecting traditional styles of stand-up comedy.

Benjamin's live projects include the Midnight Pajama Jam, a show performed in New York City with Jon Glaser, and Tinkle, a show combining stand-up comedy and live music co-hosted by Todd Barry and David Cross. A Midnight Pajama Jam DVD is currently in production. He and Cross also appear together on Invite Them Up.

He was the guest on Space Ghost Coast to Coast in its eighty-first episode "King Dead" on December 17, 1999 where Zorak and Moltar kidnapped him. He has appeared in the television show Cheap Seats, on ESPN Classic, as "Gene Stapleton" and "Rabbi Marc Shalowitz". He co-starred in Todd Barry's short film Borrowing Saffron, and portrayed a talking can of vegetables with a shameful habit of autofellatio in the film Wet Hot American Summer. He also made short cameos in Not Another Teen Movie as the football trainer and on the FX Network dramedy Rescue Me as the pimp "F-bomb" in season two. He can also be seen in Turbocharge- the Unauthorized Story of the Cars, a comedy biopic about 80's rock band The Cars, playing the role of Cars' manager Elliot Roberts in his usual deadpan comedic delivery.[3]

Benjamin has done extensive voice work in animated TV shows. His credits include starring roles in several Soup2Nuts cartoon shows, such as Science Court, Home Movies, O'Grady, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, and Assy McGee. He also co-created the show Freak Show with his friend David Cross. Benjamin also starred as the Devil and multiple other roles in Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil, which ran for one season on Adult Swim beginning September 9, 2007. Benjamin also plays a recurring character on the PBS Kids series WordGirl, and is the announcer for The Sam Seder Show and the recently revived The Majority Report. He also did the voice of "Shelly", Sam Seder's accountant, on Breakroom Live with Maron & Seder.

Benjamin has made guest appearances in several animated shows. He was in the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episodes "Bus of the Undead" and "The Last One" as Mothmonsterman, in "Broodwich" as Mr. Sticks, in "Bible Fruit" as Mortimer Mango, and played the live-action role of Master Shake in "Last Last One Forever and Ever", credited as Capt. Turd Mahoy. He also made a cameo appearance as a government agent in the film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters alongside frequent collaborator Jon Glaser. He has appeared in Family Guy as Carl, a movie trivia obsessed convenience store clerk who also portrayed Yoda in the Star Wars parody episode "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side". Other notable recent appearances include The Venture Bros., in the episodes "Escape to the House of Mummies Part II," "I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills," and "The Better Man," in which he played Dr. Orpheus's master – who appears in the form of Cerberus, Catherine the Great's horse) and, in "The Better Man", both Dr. Orpheus's ex-wife and a future Dean Venture, respectively. He also appeared in the Stella short "Bar", which can be found as an easter egg on the Season 1 DVD. Benjamin appeared on the Comedy Central sketch/variety show Important Things with Demetri Martin and had nearly as much screen time as Martin himself. In 2009 Benjamin, along with David Cross, created and wrote for Paid Programming, a live action television pilot for Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim. Paid Programming was not picked up for a full series, this was confirmed when Benjamin referred to it as an "abject failure".[4]

Benjamin was featured in a Super Bowl XLIII Bud Light commercial with Conan O'Brien[5] and was responsible for the McCain Girls[6] videos on YouTube.[7] He plays the voice of Sterling Archer, a secret agent in the FX series Archer that first aired January 14, 2010.[8] He has also appeared in several segments of the television show Human Giant and had a cameo in the American Dad episode "License to Till" as a talking head of cabbage.

Benjamin recently starred in the Comedy Central series Jon Benjamin Has a Van, which he co-created with comedian Leo Allen.[9] The series debuted on June 14, 2011; a total of 10 episodes aired, the last on August 10, 2011.

Selected filmography

Year Title Role Other notes
2011 Jon Benjamin Has a Van Host Star
Creator
Comedy Central series
2011 Soul Quest Overdrive Mortimer Co-Creator
Co-Writer
Voice only
Adult Swim series
2011–present Bob's Burgers Robert "Bob" Belcher Voice Actor
2009–2010 Important Things with Demetri Martin Various characters Writer
Various characters
Senior/Co-Producer
Sketch comedy series
2009–present Archer Agent Sterling Archer Voice only
2009 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live-action Master Shake Guest Appearance
Michael and Michael Have Issues Larry Guest Appearance
Paid Programming Creator Failed pilot
Parks and Recreation Scott Braddock Guest Appearance
Something, Something, Something, Dark Side Yoda Voice only
Turbocharge: the Unauthorized Story of the Cars Dance Instructor Actor
2007–2008 WordGirl Various characters; Reginald Voice only
Animated series
Human Giant Various characters Actor
Writer
Sketch comedy series
2006–present Family Guy Carl Voice only
Animated series
2006–2008 Assy McGee The Mayor
Various characters
Voice actor
Writer
Consulting producer
Animated series
2007 The Ten Lying Rhyno Voice Actor
Film
2007 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters CIA Agent #1 Voice only
Animated film
Credited as
H. Jon Benjamin
2006–2009 The Venture Bros. The Master Voice only
Animated series
Credited as
H. Jon Benjamin
2006 Freak Show Tuck
Various characters
Creator
Writer
Executive producer
Voice actor
Animated series
2005–2007 Lucy, The Daughter of the Devil Satan
Special Father #1
Various characters
Voice actor
Additional Material
Creative Consultant
2005 Rescue Me Gary Actor
TV series
2004–2006 Cheap Seats: Without Ron Parker Rabbi Marc Shalowitz
Gene Stapleton
Actor
TV series
2004–2006 O'Grady Kevin Harnisch
Iris
Philip
Voice actor
Animated series
2004 New York Minute Vendor Actor
film
2004 Pilot Season Ken Fold Actor
TV miniseries
2002 Saddle Rash Gummy
Tommy Morgan
Voice actor
Additional material
TV Pilot
2002 Martin & Orloff Keith Actor
film
2002 Not Another Teen Movie Trainer Actor
film
2001–present Aqua Teen Hunger Force Mothmonster man
Mr. Sticks
Mortimer Mango
Master Shake (Live-Action episode)
Voice Actor
Animated Series
Credited as
H. Jon Benjamin
2001 Wet Hot American Summer Can of Vegetables Actor
Film
2000 Happy Accidents Reveler #1 Actor
film
1999–2004 Home Movies Coach John McGuirk
Jason Penopolis
Various characters
Voice actor
Writer
Producer
Animated series
Credited as
H. Jon Benjamin
1999 Space Ghost Coast to Coast Himself Guest
TV Series
1999 The Dick & Paula Celebrity Special Various characters Voices actor
Writer
TV series
1998 Upright Citizens Brigade Various characters Voice only
1998 Sex and the City Jeff Actor
TV series
1998–2000 Late Night with Conan O' Brien Foam Rubber Conan
7 Foot Bong
Writer
Late Night Talk show
1997 The Jenny McCarthy Show Various characters Actor
Sketch comedy series
1997 Science Court Various characters voice only
Animated series
1997 Who's the Caboose? Ken Fold Actor (as Jon Benjamin)
Film
1995 Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Ben
Various characters
Voice Actor
Writer
Animated Series

References

Notes

External links