Adam Goldberg

Adam Goldberg
Goldberg in 2023
Born (1970-10-25) October 25, 1970 (age 54)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • screenwriter
Years active1990–present
Spouse
Roxane Daner
(m. 2014)
Children3

Adam Goldberg (born October 25, 1970)[1] is an American actor. Known for his supporting roles in film and television, Goldberg has appeared in films such as Dazed and Confused, Saving Private Ryan, A Beautiful Mind and Zodiac. He has also played leading roles in independent films such as The Hebrew Hammer and 2 Days in Paris. His TV appearances include the shows Law & Order: Criminal Intent, My Name Is Earl, Friends, Entourage, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Unusuals and his role as hitman Grady Numbers in the first season of Fargo. Since 2021 he has starred opposite Queen Latifah on CBS' The Equalizer.

Early life

Goldberg is the son of Donna Gable, a psychologist,[2] and Earl Goldberg, a former owner of Goldberg and Solovy Foods, a wholesale food business.[3][4] His father is Jewish, while his mother is a non-practicing Catholic of German, French, Irish,[5] and a "bit of Mexican" descent.[6][7][8][9]

Career

Film

Goldberg's first major screen role was in the Billy Crystal film Mr. Saturday Night (1992). His second major screen role was as Mike Newhouse in Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused (1993). His career-making role was arguably that of the tough, wise-cracking infantryman Stanley Mellish in Steven Spielberg's 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. While he played lead characters in The Hebrew Hammer, 2 Days in Paris, and (Untitled), Goldberg is mostly known for his character work in film and television.

Notable roles include Jerry, the undead servant to Christopher Walken's Angel Gabriel in the supernatural thriller The Prophecy; Sol in A Beautiful Mind, opposite Russell Crowe; and Denny in Déjà Vu, opposite Denzel Washington. Goldberg has also voice acted in Babe: Pig in the City, Homeward Bound II, and A Monster in Paris.

Goldberg appeared extensively in the Flaming Lips documentary The Fearless Freaks, and had a supporting role in Christmas on Mars, a science fiction film written and directed by Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne. In 1999, he appeared in the Sixpence None The Richer music video "There She Goes".

Goldberg wrote, produced, directed, and edited the features Scotch and Milk, I Love Your Work, and No Way Jose as well as multiple television projects, notably including the philosophical travelogue Running with the Bulls for IFC.

Television

In 1995, Goldberg appeared in a signature wise-cracking role as delivery boy Leo in the television comedy Double Rush. Goldberg then appeared in a three-episode arc in the second season of Friends (1996) as Chandler's crazy roommate Eddie. He appeared some years later in a nine-episode arc in season two of the Friends spinoff show Joey as Jimmy, Joey Tribbiani's best friend from high school. He also appeared as a main character in the short-lived 2005 Fox series Head Cases.

In 1997, he received an exclusive series development deal with ABC.[10]

Goldberg appeared in the short-lived ensemble cop show The Unusuals, playing a New York City detective with brain cancer who refuses treatment because of his dislike of doctors. His character was stated as being "sarcastic" and Goldberg had been described as "one of the better reasons to watch."[11] He subsequently appeared in the short-lived ensemble cop show NYC 22.

In 2014, portrayed Mr. Numbers, one half of the hit man team in the first season of FX's Fargo. This was the second time working with creator Noah Hawley, who had cast Goldberg in 2009's The Unusuals. He had to learn American Sign Language for the role and began production just a few days after wrapping principal photography on his feature, No Way Jose. While shooting Fargo, Goldberg was also editing his feature and much of it was assembled in his hotel room in Calgary.

Goldberg played the role of Dave Marks, a struggling comedian and Jim Gaffigan's best friend, for two seasons on the TV Land sitcom The Jim Gaffigan Show. He shot the pilot during a week off from production on Fargo.

In 2017, Goldberg joined the cast of NBC's Taken as a regular cast member during the show's second season. He portrayed Kilroy, an accomplished computer hacker.

In 2019, Goldberg had a supporting role in the cast of CBS's God Friended Me as technical entrepreneur, Simon Hayes.

In 2020, Goldberg began production on CBS' The Equalizer, a reboot of the original. He played another hacker, this time opposite Queen Latifah.

Other ventures

A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Goldberg composed and arranged the music to the film I Love Your Work with Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips as well as scoring his most recent feature, No Way Jose, and IFC's Running with the Bulls. He also provided a song for The Hebrew Hammer soundtrack.

Goldberg released his first album, Eros and Omissions, under the LANDy moniker. It was released on June 23, 2009. Flaming Lips drummer Steven Drozd, with whom Goldberg collaborated on the score for I Love Your Work, performed on the record as well as members of the band The Black Pine. Earlimart's Aaron Espinoza is credited as having done the final mix as well as having engineered many of the more recent songs.[12] Goldberg has since changed his musical moniker to The Goldberg Sisters, under which he has made three albums, the last two of which he played every instrument save for strings (provided by his wife Roxanne Daner and musician Merritt Lear) and horns (provided by his engineer and co-producer Andrew Lynch).

On June 7, 2011, Goldberg assembled a live band to perform The Goldberg Sisters single "Shush" on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Goldberg is also a photographer, shooting primarily on film and expired Polaroid. His first book was co-published by Hat and Beard Press and contained a limited vinyl version of The Goldberg Sisters' Home: A Nice Place to Visit. Subsequent exhibitions of photography from the book also included live performances of Goldberg Sisters songs by Goldberg and Lynch, utilizing several loop and effects pedals. An early adopter of the now-defunct Vine app, Goldberg was known for incorporating many analog film elements into his six-second "films." He was hired to do forty films for the French cellular company Orange during the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, during which he made a six-second Vine based on each film entered in competition. He is an avid Instagram user; his account consists of much of his photography while also hosting a cinematic narrative of his family life.

Personal life

Goldberg has had three children with his wife, artist and designer Roxanne Daner.[13] Their first child together, a son, was stillborn.[14] Their next son was born shortly after, in November 2014.[15][16][17] Goldberg and Daner married on Halloween in 2014. They had another son in September 2018.[18]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Mr. Saturday Night Eugene Gimbel
1993 Dazed and Confused Mike Newhouse
Son in Law Indian
1995 Higher Learning David Isaacs
The Prophecy Jerry
1996 Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco Pete Voice only
1998 Scotch and Milk Jim
Some Girl Freud
Saving Private Ryan Pvt. Stanley Mellish
Babe: Pig in the City Flealick Voice only
1999 EDtv John
2000 Sunset Strip Marty Shapiro
2001 Waking Life One of Four Men
All Over the Guy Brett Miles Sanford
Fast Sofa Jack Weis
According to Spencer Feldy
A Beautiful Mind Sol
2002 The Salton Sea Kujo
2003 The Hebrew Hammer Mordechai Jefferson Carver
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Tony
2005 The Fearless Freaks Himself Documentary
I Love Your Work Director and writer only
2006 Man About Town Phil Balow
Stay Alive Miller Banks
Keeping Up with the Steins Uncredited
Déjà Vu Dr. Alexander Denny
2007 2 Days in Paris Jack
Zodiac Duffy Jennings
Nancy Drew Arrogant Director Andy
2008 From Within Roy
Christmas on Mars Dr. Scott Zero (A Mars Psychiatrist)
Kate Wakes Jared Short
2009 (Untitled) Adrian Jacobs
Landy's BFF Himself
2010 Miss Nobody Bill Malloy
Norman Mr. Angelo
2011 A Monster in Paris Raoul Voice only
2012 Lost Angeles Deepak
2015 No Way Jose Jose Also director
2016 Rebirth Zack
Between Us Liam
2017 Once Upon a Time in Venice Lou the Jew
2019 Running with the Devil The Snitch
2024 The Exorcism Peter

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1990 Designing Women Student 1 episode
1995 Double Rush Leo Main cast
ER Joshua Shem 1 episode
1996 NYPD Blue Reporter Dave Bloom 1 episode
Space: Above and Beyond Sgt. Louie Fox 1 episode
Friends Eddie Menuek 3 episodes
1996–1997 Relativity Doug Kroll Main cast
2000 The Outer Limits Sid Camden / Chad Warner 1 episode
2000–2001 The $treet Evan Mitchell Main cast
2001 Will & Grace Kevin Wolchek 1 episode
2004 Frankenstein Detective Michael Sloane TV movie
2005 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Victor Garros 1 episode
Head Cases Russell Shultz 2 episodes
2005–2006 Joey James "Jimmy" Costa 9 episodes
2006 My Name Is Earl Philo 1 episode
2007 Medium Bruce Rossiter 1 episode
Entourage Nick Rubenstein 4 episodes
2009 The Unusuals Detective Eric Delahoy Main cast
2009 Numb3rs Chris McNall 1 episode
2011 White Collar Jason Lang 1 episode
2012 NYC 22 Ray "Lazarus" Harper Main role
2013 Animal Practice Himself 1 episode
Franklin & Bash August West 1 episode
The Anna Nicole Story Howard K. Stern TV movie
2014 Fargo Grady Numbers 5 episodes
2015 Maron Jack Ross 1 episode
2015–2016 The Jim Gaffigan Show Dave Marks Main cast
2017 Graves Christopher Sachs Regular cast; 2 episodes
Lore Peter Stumpp Episode: "The Beast Within"
2018 Taken Harden Kilroy Regular cast
2019 God Friended Me Simon Hayes 8 episodes
2021–present The Equalizer Harry Keshegian Regular cast[19]

References

  1. ^ Mike Rose, cleveland com (October 25, 2023). "Famous birthdays list for October 25, 2023 includes celebrities Craig Robinson, Ciara". cleveland. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Patterson, John (September 1, 2007). "Up'n'Adam!". Guardian Unlimited. Archived from the original on September 3, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
  3. ^ Roth, Mathue (June 18, 2009). "Interview: Adam Goldberg and Landy". Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  4. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvFBel3ikhU; stated at 30:10
  5. ^ Tugend, Tom (August 7, 1998). "The Arts". Jewish Journal. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  6. ^ Schou, Solvej (January 8, 2013). "The Hebrew Hammer is back! Adam Goldberg talks about the sequel, facing Hitler (and Mel Gibson?)". Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  7. ^ Sternbergh, Adam (September 12, 2005). "Adam Goldberg Stars in Head Cases on Fox". New York Magazine. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  8. ^ Robert, Daniel (December 12, 2003). "Interviews>Adam Goldberg". SuicideGirls. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  9. ^ "Five Fits with: Actor, Musician, and All-Around Creative Adam Goldberg". September 30, 2022.
  10. ^ "Gone but not forgotten" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. September 29, 1997. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  11. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (April 22, 2009). "NJ.com Unusuals Review". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  12. ^ Thill, Scott (June 25, 2009). "Gear Fetish Energizes Landy's Eros and Omissions Space Pop". Wired. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  13. ^ Yours, Roxanne website Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  14. ^ @TheAdamGoldberg (March 29, 2019). "My first son was stillborn. I've held a dead baby in my hands. It broke my heart. It broke my wife's. That language…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Roxanne Daner (@yoursroxanne) • Instagram photos and videos".
  16. ^ Webber, Stephanie (2014). "Adam Goldberg Welcomes Baby with Girlfriend Roxanne Daner." Us Weekly, Dec. 27, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  17. ^ "Fargo's Adam Goldberg is a Father!" Wetpaint Dec. 29, 2014 Archived August 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  18. ^ "Sonny a Day (@365daysofsonny) • Instagram photos and videos". instagram.com. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 11, 2020). "Adam Goldberg Joins Queen Latifah In 'The Equalizer' CBS Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 22, 2020.