H. Jon Benjamin | |
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at San Diego Comic-Con International (July 2010) |
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Birth name | Henry Jon Benjamin |
Born | May 23, 1966 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.
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Benjamin was born in 1966 in Worcester, Massachusetts and graduated from Worcester Academy in 1984.[2]
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.
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 |
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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 |