Jason Biggs

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Jason Biggs

Biggs in March 2012, at the American Reunion premiere in Sydney, Australia.
Born Jason Matthew Biggs
(1978-05-12) May 12, 1978[1]
Pompton Plains, New Jersey
Nationality American
Occupation Actor
Years active 1983–present
Spouse(s) Jenny Mollen (m. 2008)

Jason Matthew Biggs (born May 12, 1978) is an American actor best known for his role as Jim Levenstein in the American Pie series of teen comedy films and the current voice of Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and plays Larry Bloom in Orange Is the New Black.

Early life and education

Biggs was born in the Pompton Plains section of Pequannock Township, New Jersey. His mother, Angela (nΓ©e Zocco), is a nurse, and his father, Gary Louis Biggs, is a shipping company manager.[2][3][4] Biggs' father is of English and Italian descent and Biggs' mother is of Sicilian descent. His last name is derived from his English ancestry.[3] He was raised Roman Catholic.[5]

He grew up in Hasbrouck Heights and attended Hasbrouck Heights High School there.[6][7] Biggs had success in tennis while in high school.[8] Biggs attended Montclair State University for three weeks before dropping out.

Career

Biggs at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2006.

Biggs began acting at the age of five. In 1991, he made his television debut in the short lived Fox network series Drexell's Class. He also made a one-off HBO special, The Fotis Sevastakis Story, but due to licensing arguments, it was never aired. That same year, Biggs debuted on Broadway in Conversations with My Father, which helped pave the way for him to participate in the daytime soap opera, As the World Turns. He was nominated for the award of Best Younger Actor at the daytime Emmy Awards for his role.

Biggs attended New York University briefly from 1996–1997, but soon afterwards, he returned to pursue acting. And so he would be seen again in another short lived television series, 1997's Camp Stories. He then starred in American Pie, which went on to become an international hit that has spawned three sequels (also starring Biggs) and four spinoffs (that did not star Biggs). After that, Biggs accepted starring roles in movies such as Loser in 2000, and others. He appeared in the 2002 Broadway production of The Graduate as Benjamin Braddock alongside Kathleen Turner and Alicia Silverstone. In 2003, Biggs appeared as Jerry Falk in the Woody Allen romantic comedy Anything Else. In the 2004–2005 season Biggs portrayed an Orthodox Jew in Daniel Goldfarb's comedy, Modern Orthodox, staged at Dodger Stages theater in New York City. In 2006, Biggs was seen in the MTV reality show Blowin' Up with Jamie Kennedy and Stu Stone which led to his participation in a hip-hop recording with Bay Area rapper E-40. Biggs returned to the stage in the fall of 2008 in Howard Korder's Boys' Life at New York City's Second Stage Theatre.

Biggs has appeared in several other films, including Texas Rangers, Scary Movie and Over Her Dead Body. In 2010, Biggs made his literary debut by contributing "Scratch-and-Sniff," a poem about growing up in New Jersey, to the anthology What's Your Exit? A Literary Detour through New Jersey (Word Riot Press, 2010), alongside writers such as Joyce Carol Oates, Tom Perrotta, Robert Pinsky, Gerald Stern and J. Robert Lennon.

Biggs reprised his role as Jim Levenstein in American Reunion, which was released on April 6, 2012. In the summer of 2012, Biggs took a job voicing Leonardo on Nickelodeon in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Biggs also plays the cowbell in the supergroup Yukon Kornelius.

Personal life

Biggs has stated in interviews that he is sometimes cast as an explicitly or implicitly Jewish character, as he was in American Pie (other examples include his roles in Saving Silverman, Prozac Nation, Anything Else, and Orange is the New Black), though he is not Jewish himself.[5][9][10]

In January 2008, he became engaged to his My Best Friend's Girl co-star, actress Jenny Mollen; they married on April 23, 2008.[11] He currently resides in Los Angeles, California. In July 2013, Biggs and Mollen announced they were expecting their first child.[12]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1991 Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel Boy
The Boy Who Cried Bitch Robert
1997 Camp Stories Abby
1999 American Pie Jim Levenstein Young Hollywood Awards for Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated – Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favourite Actor – Best Newcomer
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Actor
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Chemistry
2000 Boys and Girls Hunter/Steve
Loser Paul Tannek Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Wipeout Scene of the Summer
2001 Saving Silverman Darren Silverman
American Pie 2 Jim Levenstein MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared w/ Seann William Scott)
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Line
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Comedy Film Actor
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Himself Cameo
Prozac Nation Rafe
2003 American Wedding Jim Levenstein Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Hissy Fit
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liplock (shared w/ Alyson Hannigan)
Anything Else Jerry Falk
2004 Jersey Girl Arthur Brickman
2005 Guy X Corporal Rudy Spruance Taormina Film Fest Award for Best Actor
2006 Farce of the Penguins Insecure Penguin
Eight Below Charlie Cooper
Wedding Daze Anderson
2007 I'm in Hell Nick TV Movie; Producer
The Glitch Alan Short Film
2008 Over Her Dead Body Dan
My Best Friend's Girl Dustin
Lower Learning Tom Willoman
2009 Kidnapping Caitlynn Max Short Film
2010 The Third Rule Don Short Film
2011 Grassroots Phil Campbell
2012 American Reunion Jim Levenstein Executive Producer;
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1991–1992 Drexell's Class Willie Trancas Series regular; 14 episodes
1994–1995 As the World Turns Pete Wendall Nominated – Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series (1995)
Nominated – Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Male Newcomer (1995)
1997 Total Security Robbie Rosenfeld 7 episodes
2002 Off Centre Rick Steve Episode: "The Good, the Bad and the Lazy"
2004 Frasier Dr. Hauck Episode: "Goodnight, Seattle: Part 2"
2005 Will & Grace Baby Glenn Episode: "The Hole Truth"
2006 Blowin' Up Himself Episode: "The Break-Up"
2009 Happiness Isn't Everything Jason Hamburger CBS pilot; Producer
2011 Mad Love Ben Parr Main Cast & Producer; 13 episodes
2012–present Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo Main Cast; Voice
2012–2013 The Good Wife Dylan Stack 2 episodes
2013–present Orange Is the New Black Larry Bloom Main Cast;
Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series (2014)
Music video
Year Title Artist Role
2002 Teenage Dirtbag Wheatus Title character

References

  1. ↑ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (1207) (Time Inc.). May 18, 2012. p. 29. 
  2. ↑ Jason Biggs profile at FilmReference.com
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kevin Pollak interview: KPCS Jason Biggs #145, at 32 minute mark
  4. ↑ http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/northjersey/obituary.aspx?n=assunta-biggs-susan-furno&pid=144047623
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "A Nice Not-Jewish Boy"
  6. ↑ McKinley, Jesse. "THEATER; Bye, Bye 'American Pie'; Mrs. Robinson Is Calling", The New York Times, March 31, 2002. Accessed March 3, 2008. "Unlike that character, Mr. Biggs was proving to be a pretty normal teenager, playing high school tennis and holding a series of menial jobs (flower delivery boy, sandwich maker, kitchen staff at a hospital). In 1996, he graduated from Hasbrouck Heights High School and started at New York University, where he enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences."
  7. ↑ TeenHollywood.com – Jason Biggs is Hot
  8. ↑ Della Cava, Marco R. (July 25, 2000). 'Pie'+in+the+sky+Huggable+Jason+Biggs+is+on+a+roll+after+losing+his+cinematic+virginity&pqatl=google "Acting dreams no longer 'Pie' in the sky Huggable Jason Biggs is on a roll after losing his cinematic virginity". USA Today. 
  9. ↑ Jason Biggs profile at Times Online
  10. ↑ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2012/1109/1224326339931.html
  11. ↑ Jason Biggs gets hitched!
  12. ↑ Gonzalez, Maricela (July 18, 2013). "Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen to be first-time parents". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 18, 2013. 

External links

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