Jeff Garlin

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Jeff Garlin (born June 5, 1962) is an American comic actor best known for his role as Jeff Greene, Larry David's manager on the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Biography

Early life

Garlin was born in and raised there and in South Florida. He graduated from Nova High School in Davie, Florida in 1980. He then studied filmmaking, and began performing stand-up comedy as a student at the University of Miami in the 1980s. He left the university without completing a degree in order to pursue his comedy career.

On Anytime with Bob Kushell, Garlin said that he briefly roomed with Conan O'Brien in Chicago. They had started a petcare service to make ends meet before finding success in showbusiness.

Comic style

Garlin has toured the country as a stand-up, is an alumnus of Chicago's Second City Theatre, and has written and starred in three critically-acclaimed solo shows, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, Uncomplicated, and Concentrated.

Garlin's comic style takes a story-telling approach, exploring his personal foibles and exposing his innermost secrets for all to hear (allowing what the Greeks and Shecky Greene called catharsis.)

Young and Handsome: A Night with Jeff Garlin, showcases him performing to a sold out crowd in Chicago's Second City. Shout! Factory released this DVD special on July 7, 2009. This product was also released as a 10-track CD.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

On television, Garlin co-stars and executive produces the critically acclaimed HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show stars Larry David, the co-creator of Seinfeld. Jeff Garlin co-stars in the show as Larry David's manager.

Regarding the show and his role, Garlin states:

Originally, I approached Larry David with the idea for the show, and my intent was to direct it and not even be in it. He's the one that insisted that I play his manager and be an executive producer. It totally has changed my life, and I'm indebted to him forever, and every time I work on that show, not only am I lucky, I laugh my ass off and I have a great time. And it's probably the most fun I'll ever have as an actor, ever.^[1]

Garlin spent three seasons on NBC's Mad About You in the role of Marvin. In addition to his acting career, Garlin has also directed both Jon Stewart (Unleavened) and Denis Leary (Lock-n-Load) in their respective HBO specials, as well as an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.^[2] Garlin has also had his own HBO half-hour comedy special.

Film and television

Garlin has a variety of television and film appearances to his credit, as an actor and a stand-up, including Dr. Katz, Arrested Development, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Late Show with David Letterman, Tom Goes to the Mayor, The Daily Show, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Garlin appeared with Eddie Murphy in Daddy Day Care and appeared in Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal, starring Julia Roberts and David Duchovny.

His feature directorial debut, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (which he also wrote), premiered to favorable reviews at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. It opened in September 2007. The film co-stars Sarah Silverman and Bonnie Hunt, with supporting appearances by Paul Mazursky, Dan Castellaneta, and Amy Sedaris.

In 2005, Garlin played a small role in Fun with Dick and Jane as a man who falls victim to Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni's crime spree.

In 2006, Garlin also directed This Filthy World, a one-man show performed by director John Waters. Garlin also was a voice actor in WALL-E, an animated film by Pixar that was released June 27, 2008, as the Captain of the Axiom spaceship.

He has become a recurring character on Wizards of Waverly Place as Uncle Kelbo. He is a wizard who uses magic unwisley, but the kids love him.

In 2008, Garlin starred in The Rocker as Stan. He will lend his voice to a character in Disney/Pixar's upcoming film Toy Story 3.

References

External links

• Official Web Site [1]
• Jeff Garlin at the Internet Movie Database
• New York Times Magazine article, June 25, 2006 [2].