B. J. Novak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
B. J. Novak
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Novak at SF Sketch Fest 2008
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Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak
July 31, 1979 Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Harvard University (AB) |
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| Years active | 2001–present |
| Parent(s) | William Novak |
| Relatives | Jesse Novak (brother) |
Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak (born July 31, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for his role as Ryan Howard in the TV show The Office. He also wrote and produced many episodes of the show.
Novak has appeared in several movies, including Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Saving Mr. Banks (2013). In 2022, he directed his first movie, Vengeance, which he also wrote and starred in. Besides acting and writing for TV and movies, Novak has written popular books like The Book with No Pictures.
Contents
Early Life and School
B.J. Novak was born on July 31, 1979, in Newton, Massachusetts. His mom is Linda, and his dad is William Novak, who is a famous author. B.J.'s family is Jewish. His dad helped write books for many well-known people like Nancy Reagan. B.J. has two younger brothers, Lev and Jesse Novak.
For elementary and middle school, B.J. went to Solomon Schechter Day School. He also spent several summers at Camp Ramah in New England.
He went to Newton South High School and graduated in 1997. There, he was classmates with John Krasinski, who later became his co-star on The Office. B.J. helped edit the school newspaper and even wrote a funny play with John.
After high school, B.J. went to Harvard University. He studied English and Spanish literature and was part of the Harvard Lampoon, a humor magazine. He also put on a comedy show called The B.J. Show with another student.
Career Highlights
After college, B.J. Novak moved to Los Angeles to become a comedian. He started performing stand-up comedy in clubs. In 2003, Variety magazine named him one of the "Ten Comedians To Watch."
He also worked as a writer for the TV show Raising Dad. You might have seen him on Premium Blend on Comedy Central or Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
B.J.'s first TV acting role was on MTV's Punk'd in 2003. He helped Ashton Kutcher play pranks on celebrities like Hilary Duff and Usher.
Working on The Office
B.J. Novak is most famous for his work on the TV show The Office. The show's producer, Greg Daniels, saw B.J. perform comedy and wanted to work with him. B.J. was then cast as Ryan Howard. Ryan starts as a temporary worker at Dunder Mifflin, a paper company, and his character has many ups and downs. He also has an on-again, off-again relationship with Kelly Kapoor, played by Mindy Kaling.
B.J. was not just an actor on The Office; he was also a producer and a writer. He wrote 15 episodes, including popular ones like "Diversity Day" and "Local Ad." He was one of the original writers for the show, along with Mindy Kaling and others.
He stayed with The Office for many seasons and became an executive producer. He even directed two episodes. He left the show after the ninth season started but came back for the very last episode. B.J. and the other writers and producers of The Office were nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series five times!
After The Office
After The Office, B.J. Novak continued acting in movies. He had roles in Quentin Tarantino's war film Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Saving Mr. Banks (2013), which was about how the movie Mary Poppins was made. He also appeared in The Founder (2016), a movie about the start of McDonald's.
He also voiced Baker Smurf in The Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs 2 (2013).
On TV, he appeared in shows like The Mindy Project and The Newsroom. He also made guest appearances on Community. In 2021, he created and produced a TV series called The Premise for FX. In 2022, he wrote, directed, and starred in the movie Vengeance.
Writing Books
B.J. Novak is also a successful author. In 2013, he signed a deal to write two books. His first book, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, was published in 2014. It's a collection of short fiction stories.
He also wrote a children's book called The Book With No Pictures, which came out in 2014. This book became a huge hit and spent many weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list. B.J. said he wrote the book because he wanted to show kids "the power of the written word." In 2019, he released a companion book called My Book with No Pictures, where kids can write their own stories.
The List App
In 2015, B.J. Novak launched a mobile app called The List App (later renamed 'li.st'). This app allowed users to create and share lists about anything they liked. It was even nominated for a Webby Award in 2016. However, it was eventually shut down in 2017 because it didn't have enough users.
Personal Life
B.J. Novak is very close friends with Mindy Kaling. They met while working together on The Office. They even dated on and off, much like their characters Ryan and Kelly did on the show. B.J. is the godfather to Mindy Kaling's two children.
B.J. Novak lives in Los Angeles.
Filmography
Here are some of the movies and TV shows B.J. Novak has been in:
Movies
- Unaccompanied Minors (2006)
- Knocked Up (2007)
- Reign Over Me (2007)
- Inglourious Basterds (2009) as Pfc. Smithson Utivich
- The Smurfs (2011) as Baker Smurf (voice)
- The Internship (2013)
- The Smurfs 2 (2013) as Baker Smurf (voice)
- Saving Mr. Banks (2013) as Robert B. Sherman
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) as Alistair Smythe
- The Founder (2016) as Harry J. Sonneborn
- Vengeance (2022) as Ben Manalowitz (also writer and director)
Television Shows
- Punk'd (2003) as Field Agent
- The Office (2005–2013) as Ryan Howard (also writer and director)
- The Mindy Project (2013–2016) as Jamie
- Community (2014)
- The Newsroom (2014) as Lucas Pruit
- Arthur (2015) as MC (voice)
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2016; 2018)
- The Premise (2021) (creator, writer, and director)
- Celebrity Jeopardy! (2023) as Himself
Awards
B.J. Novak has won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for his work on The Office as part of the cast. He was also nominated five times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for The Office.
See also
In Spanish: B. J. Novak para niños
