| Jeff Goldblum | |
|---|---|
Jeff Goldblum at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival |
|
| Born | Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum October 22, 1952 West Homestead, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Spouse | Patricia Gaul (1980–1986) Geena Davis (1987–1990) |
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum (born October 22, 1952) is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day. From 2009 to mid-2010 he starred as Detective Zach Nichols on the USA Network's crime drama series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Contents |
Goldblum was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Homestead, Pennsylvania, the son of Shirley S. (née Temeles), a radio broadcaster who later ran a kitchen equipment and appliances sales firm, and Harold L. Goldblum, a medical doctor.[1][2] He has a sister, Pamela, and an older brother, Lee. Another older brother, Rick, died at age 23. His family is Jewish and belonged to an Orthodox synagogue.[3][4]
Goldblum's parents were interested in show business.[5] Goldblum moved to New York City at 17 to become an actor. Goldblum worked on the stage and studied acting at the renowned Neighborhood Playhouse under the guidance of acting coach Sanford Meisner. He made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical Two Gentlemen of Verona. He is also an accomplished jazz pianist and declared that if he did not act, he would have become a professional musician. He made his film debut as a thug in the 1974 Charles Bronson film Death Wish. He briefly appeared as a protester in the TV movie Columbo A Case of Immunity (1975).
In 1974, Goldblum appeared in Death Wish as Freak # 1. Later in his career, as "Lacey Party Guest" in Annie Hall (1977), Goldblum is seen saying into the telephone at a Hollywood party, "This is Mr. Davis. I forgot my mantra." Goldblum has had leading roles in films such as The Fly, Independence Day, The Lost World (1997), Earth Girls Are Easy, The Tall Guy, Vibes (1988) and Into the Night (1985). Goldblum's strong supporting roles include those in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Big Chill (1983), and Jurassic Park (1993), as well as The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and the cult films The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984) and Igby Goes Down (2002).
For several years, Goldblum was the voice for most U.S. Apple commercials, including advertisements for the iMac and iBook. He also voices some U.S. Toyota commercials as well as Procter & Gamble's facial cream line. He has recently appeared on Irish TV in commercials for the National Lottery.
Goldblum taught acting at Playhouse West in North Hollywood with Robert Carnegie. It was with several actors from this acting company that he improvised and directed the live action short film Little Surprises, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1996.
Goldblum got the role of Adam in the upcoming film Adam Resurrected, a film adaptation of the Yoram Kaniuk novel about a former German entertainer who becomes the ringleader to a group of Holocaust survivors in an asylum after World War II.
In September 2006, it was announced that Goldblum was one of the founding members of a new theater company in New York called The Fire Dept. According to press materials, "The Fire Dept is made up of established and emerging writers, directors, actors and designers who have come together to create and produce work that cannot be replicated inside a television box or on a movie screen...The work of The Fire Dept combines the rigor and structure of great narrative storytelling with the vitality of formal experimentation to immerse audiences in a total experience that leaves them awake, alive and transformed." The company will devote energy into developing new live theater works as well as interpreting old favorites.
His guest appearance was on Sesame Street in 1990 as Bob's long-lost brother Minneapolis (parody of Indiana Jones) where Big Bird's friend Snuffleupagus had "the golden cabbage of Snuffertiti" hidden in his cave. He has also appeared on Tom Goes to the Mayor, The Colbert Report, and Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!.
Goldblum replaced Chris Noth as a Senior Detective on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.[6] In the series, Goldblum plays the role of Detective Zach Nichols. In August 2010, media outlets reported that Goldblum had decided not to return to Criminal Intent due to persistent concerns about the program's future.[7][8]
Goldblum has been married twice: from 1980 to 1986, to Patricia Gaul, with whom he starred in Silverado (1985), and from 1987-1990 to Geena Davis, his co-star in three films (including the comedy Earth Girls Are Easy and the science fiction/horror film The Fly). He claims to have maintained a good friendship with Davis, saying she is a wonderful person and a phenomenal actress.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Death Wish | Freak #1 | |
| California Split | Lloyd Harris | ||
| 1975 | Nashville | Tricycle Man | |
| 1976 | Special Delivery | Snake | |
| St. Ives | Hood #3 | ||
| Next Stop, Greenwich Village | Clyde Baxter aka Charlie Biletnikoff | ||
| 1977 | Annie Hall | Lacey Party Guest | |
| Between the Lines | Max Arloft | ||
| The Sentinel | Jack | ||
| 1978 | Thank God It's Friday | Tony Di Marco | |
| Invasion of the Body Snatchers | Jack Bellicec | ||
| Remember My Name | Mr. Nudd | ||
| 1981 | Threshold | Aldo Gehring | |
| 1983 | The Right Stuff | Recruiter | |
| The Big Chill | Michael Gold | ||
| 1984 | The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension | New Jersey | |
| Terror in the Aisles | Jack Bellicec | Documentary Archival Footage |
|
| 1985 | Transylvania 6-5000 | Jack Harrison | |
| Silverado | ‘Slick’ Calvin Stanhope | ||
| Into the Night | Ed Okin | ||
| 1986 | The Fly | Seth Brundle | Saturn Award for Best Actor |
| 1987 | Beyond Therapy | Bruce | |
| 1988 | Vibes | Nick Deezy | |
| Earth Girls Are Easy | Mac | ||
| 1989 | The Tall Guy | Dexter King | |
| The Fly II | Seth Brundle | Uncredited Archival Footage |
|
| 1990 | Framed | Wiley | |
| El Sueño del Mono Loco | Dan Gillis | ||
| Mister Frost | Mr. Frost | ||
| 1991 | The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish | Pianist | |
| 1992 | Shooting Elizabeth | Howard Pigeon | |
| The Player | Himself | ||
| Fathers & Sons | Max | ||
| Deep Cover | David Jason | Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male | |
| 1993 | Jurassic Park | Dr. Ian Malcolm | Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1995 | Hideaway | Hatch | |
| Nine Months | Sean Fletcher | ||
| Powder | Donald Ripley | ||
| 1996 | Independence Day | David Levinson | Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actor |
| The Great White Hype | Mitchell Kane | ||
| Mad Dog Time | Mickey Holliday | ||
| Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland | Dracula | Voice Only Video Game |
|
| 1997 | The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Dr. Ian Malcolm | |
| 1998 | The Prince of Egypt | Aaron | Voice Only |
| Welcome to Hollywood | Himself | ||
| Holy Man | Ricky Hayman | ||
| 2000 | Auggie Rose | John Nolan | |
| Chain of Fools | Avnet | ||
| One of the Hollywood Ten | Herbert Biberman | ||
| 2001 | Cats & Dogs | Professor Brody | |
| Beyond Suspicion | John Nolan | ||
| Perfume | Jamie | Also Executive Producer | |
| 2002 | Run Ronnie Run! | Himself | Uncredited |
| Igby Goes Down | D.H. | ||
| 2003 | Dallas 362 | Bob | |
| Spinning Boris | George Gorton | ||
| War Stories | Journalist | ||
| 2004 | Incident at Loch Ness | Party Guest | |
| The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | Allistair Hennessey | Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast | |
| 2006 | Mini's First Time | Mike Rudell | |
| Fay Grim | Agent Fullbright | ||
| Pittsburgh | Himself | Also Producer | |
| Man of the Year | Stewart | ||
| 2009 | Adam Resurrected | Adam Stein | |
| 2010 | The Switch | Leonard | |
| Morning Glory | Jerry Barnes | ||
| 2012 | Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie |
|
||||||||