Jeff Garlin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jeff Garlin
Garlin in 2024
Born	(1962-06-05) June 5, 1962 (age 63) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up television film
Education	University of Miami
Years active	1983–present
Genres	Observational comedy black comedy satire
Spouse	Marla Cahan ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 2020)​
Children	2

Jeffrey Garlin (born June 5, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is famous for playing Murray Goldberg in the TV show The Goldbergs. He also played Jeff Greene on the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. You might also know him as Marvin from Mad About You or Mort Meyers from Arrested Development.

Jeff Garlin has also used his voice in popular animated movies like ParaNorman, WALL-E, and Toy Story 3. He has appeared in other films too, such as Safety Not Guaranteed.

About Jeff Garlin's Early Life

Jeff Garlin was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents are Gene and Carole Garlin. He grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois. His dad owned a plumbing business, and his mom was involved in local theater. Jeff has a younger brother named Michael. He is Jewish and went to Hebrew school.

Jeff says he wanted to be a comedian from when he was eight years old. This was after he saw Jimmy Durante perform in Chicago. He went to Melzer Elementary School in Morton Grove. He loved playing sports at school. However, he had to stop after doctors found he had a heart condition called Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome.

When Jeff was in sixth grade, his family moved to South Florida. He finished high school at Nova High School in Davie, Florida, in 1980. He then went to Broward Community College. After that, he studied film at the University of Miami, where he first started doing stand-up comedy.

Jeff Garlin's Career Journey

Starting in Stand-up Comedy

In 1984, when he was 22, Jeff Garlin moved back to Chicago. He wanted to become a stand-up comedian. He performed with a comedy group called The Second City. He even worked in the box office there with Stephen Colbert.

In the 1980s, Jeff Garlin lived in Wrigleyville, Chicago. For a short time, he was roommates with Conan O'Brien, who was a comedy writer then. Jeff and Conan are still good friends. When Conan was removed as host of The Tonight Show in 2010, Jeff said he would not be a guest on the show again.

Comedians Denis Leary and Jon Stewart hired Jeff Garlin to help them with their comedy specials. He worked as a stage director and helped edit their scripts. He also worked with Larry David in a similar way. Jeff still does stand-up comedy. He says he improvises a lot on stage and feels very relaxed.

His Work in Film and Television

Jeff Garlin has been in many TV shows and movies. He has appeared as an actor and a stand-up comedian. Some of these include Dr. Katz, Arrested Development, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Late Show with David Letterman.

Garlin with his castmates from The Goldbergs

From 1997 to 1999, Jeff was on NBC's Mad About You as the character Marvin. He also co-stars in and helps produce the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. He had a recurring role as Uncle Kelbo in Wizards of Waverly Place.

Jeff Garlin first appeared in a movie, uncredited, in Spring Break (1983). His first credited film role was in Dolly Parton's 1992 comedy Straight Talk.

He has also had small roles in movies like Run Ronnie Run!, After the Sunset, Fat Albert, and Sleepover. He was in Full Frontal (2002) and Daddy Day Care (2003). In 2005, he had a small part in Fun with Dick and Jane.

In 2008, Jeff Garlin played Stan in The Rocker and Ed Lawson in Strange Wilderness. He lent his voice to the Disney/Pixar films Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4, as Buttercup. He played Sid in the 2010 comedy action film The Bounty Hunter, alongside Jennifer Aniston. In 2014, he played Ed Burch in Laggies.

His first movie as a director was I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (2006). He also wrote this film. It received good reviews and starred Sarah Silverman and Bonnie Hunt.

In 2006, Jeff directed This Filthy World, a one-man show by director John Waters. He was a voice actor in WALL-E (2008), playing Captain B. McCrea. Jeff also helped produce the documentary Finding Vivian Maier (2013).

In 2013, Jeff Garlin joined the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs. The show started on September 24, 2013. He played Murray Goldberg, the father of the family. In December 2021, Jeff left the series due to some issues. For the rest of that season, his character still appeared using old footage and computer effects. The character was later written out of the show in its tenth and final season.

In July 2013, Jeff Garlin directed his second film, Dealin' with Idiots. This movie was inspired by his experiences with his sons in Little League. The entire film was made up on the spot (improvised).

In October 2019, Jeff shared that he would have a role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This was the last movie in the Star Wars saga, released on December 20, 2019. He played a character named Junn Gobint.

Writing and Podcasts

In 2010, Jeff Garlin wrote a book called My Footprint: Carrying the Weight of the World. This book is about his efforts to reduce his carbon footprint.

Jeff also hosted a comedy podcast called By the Way, In Conversation with Jeff Garlin. On this podcast, he had unscripted talks with guests instead of formal interviews. The first episode featured his Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star Larry David. These talks were recorded live in Los Angeles. The podcast ended in February 2015.

Other Projects

In March 2018, Jeff Garlin was one of the actors who read for the audiobook A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo.

In August 2020, Jeff was a guest DJ on SiriusXM's Tom Petty Radio.

Jeff Garlin's Influences

Jeff Garlin really likes British comedy. He has said, "Monty Python changed my life." He also loves the original Office, The Mighty Boosh, and The Goon Show. He is a big fan of Ealing comedies. He says Fawlty Towers is probably his favorite thing from England.

Jeff Garlin's Personal Life

Jeff Garlin is a big fan of the Chicago Cubs. Here he is in Wrigleyville before a game in 2016.

Jeff Garlin married Marla Beth Cahan on July 24, 1994. They have two sons. In September 2018, they announced they planned to separate. In March 2020, Jeff said their divorce was almost final. Since early 2021, he has been dating Sari Tracht, an editor.

Jeff Garlin is a big fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Every year on his birthday, he goes to a game with his friend Kevin Cronin, who is the lead singer of REO Speedwagon.

According to his book, Jeff Garlin voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 election.

Jeff practices transcendental meditation twice a day. He says it has helped him with symptoms of ADHD.

For a few years, Jeff Garlin lived with talk-show host Conan O'Brien. Conan has said that sometimes Jeff would wake him up in the middle of the night to do comedy skits.

Jeff Garlin's dog on The Goldbergs TV show actually lives with him in real life.

His Health

In his late 20s, Jeff Garlin had surgery for a heart condition called Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome. This condition causes a fast heartbeat. Jeff said he was one of the first people to have this surgery.

In February 2000, before filming for Curb Your Enthusiasm started, he had a stroke at age 37. In the first episodes of the show's first season, his speech was a bit slurred, but it got better later. Besides this, he has type II diabetes, which he manages with healthy eating and exercise. Jeff has also written and talked about his struggles with food and his weight.

Jeff Garlin's Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Video Games

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

Books by Jeff Garlin

• Garlin, Jeff, and John Ficarra. The MAD Bathroom Companion: The Gushing Fourth Edition. New York: MAD Books, 2004.
• Garlin, Jeff. My Footprint: Carrying the Weight of the World. New York: Gallery Books, 2010; ISBN: 978-1-439-15010-8
  • Republished as: Garlin, Jeff. Curbing It. New York: Gallery Books, 2010; ISBN: 978-1-439-15012-2

See also

In Spanish: Jeff Garlin para niños