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Josh Gad
41st Annie Awards, Josh Gad (crop).jpg
Gad at the 2014 Annie Awards
Born
Joshua Ilan Gad

(1981-02-23) February 23, 1981 (age 44)
Education Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation Actor
Years active 2002–present
Spouse(s)
Ida Darvish
(m. 2008)
Children 2

Josh Gad (born February 23, 1981) is an American actor. He is famous for being the voice of Olaf the snowman in the Frozen movies. He also played Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway show The Book of Mormon.

For his role as Olaf, Josh won two Annie Awards. For The Book of Mormon, he won a Grammy Award. He was also nominated for a Tony Award. He shared these honors with his co-star Andrew Rannells.

Early Life and Education

Josh Gad was born in Hollywood, Florida, on February 23, 1981. His mom is a real estate agent. His dad was born in Afghanistan and moved to Israel. Josh has two older brothers, a stepbrother, and a stepsister. His family has Jewish roots from Afghanistan and Germany. He grew up following the Jewish faith.

He went to the University School of Nova Southeastern University. He graduated in 1999. While there, he won national speech and debate championships. He also won a humor competition.

After high school, Josh went to the Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts. He earned a degree in drama in 2003. He studied with other future Broadway stars like Leslie Odom Jr. and Rory O’Malley. He even based his voice for Olaf on Rory O'Malley. During college, he also studied acting in Australia for a semester.

Acting Career

Starting Out (2002–2008)

Josh Gad started his acting career in 2002. His first movie was Mary and Joe. In 2005, he appeared on TV in the medical show ER. That same year, he joined the Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

From 2007 to 2008, he starred in the TV show Back to You. He played Ryan Church, a news director. In 2008, he had roles in the movies 21 and The Rocker.

Broadway Success and More (2008–2012)

Streamy Awards Photo 1309 (4513298027)
Gad at the 2010 Streamy Awards

After Back to You, Josh became a reporter for The Daily Show in 2009. He made his last appearance there in 2011. In 2009, he also starred in the horror-comedy web series Woke Up Dead.

In 2010, Josh voiced a character in the movie Marmaduke. In 2011, he voiced Mondo in the TV show Good Vibes. That same year, he took on the role of Elder Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. The show opened on March 24, 2011. His last performance was on June 6, 2012.

For his role in The Book of Mormon, Josh was nominated for a Tony Award. He also won a Grammy Award with his co-star Andrew Rannells. In 2012, Josh starred in the movie She Wants Me. He also helped create and star in the TV show 1600 Penn. Both Good Vibes and 1600 Penn lasted only one season. In 2012, he voiced Louis the molehog in Ice Age: Continental Drift.

The Frozen Years (2013–2019)

In 2013, Josh played Andrew in The Internship. He also played Steve Wozniak in the movie Jobs. That same year, he voiced Olaf in Disney's Frozen. He worked again with Robert Lopez, who wrote songs for The Book of Mormon. In 2014, Josh co-starred in Wish I Was Here.

In 2015, Josh starred in The Wedding Ringer and Pixels. In Pixels, he played a video game player who fights old video game characters. Also in 2015, he starred with Billy Crystal in the TV show The Comedians. In 2016, he voiced Chuck in The Angry Birds Movie.

In 2017, Josh voiced Bailey the dog in A Dog's Purpose. He also played LeFou in the live-action movie Beauty and the Beast. He starred alongside Emma Watson. Josh also appeared in the movie Marshall with Chadwick Boseman. He played Hector MacQueen in Murder on the Orient Express.

In 2019, Josh starred in the horror-comedy Little Monsters. He also returned as Bailey in A Dog's Journey. In 2019, he voiced Olaf again in Frozen II and the video game Kingdom Hearts III.

New Projects (2020–Present)

In 2020, Josh returned to TV in two shows. He starred in the HBO science fiction comedy Avenue 5 with Hugh Laurie. He also created, produced, and voiced characters in the Apple TV+ animated musical Central Park.

He starred in the fantasy adventure movie Artemis Fowl in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Josh started a YouTube series called Reunited Apart. He brought together the casts of famous movies like Back to The Future and Lord of the Rings. The show encouraged viewers to support charities.

Josh was going to be part of a Beauty and the Beast TV series for Disney+. He would have played LeFou again. However, this series was put on hold in 2022. He is also set to star in Shrunk, a sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

In 2019, it was announced that Josh would produce a live-action remake of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. There were rumors he might play Quasimodo, but the movie plans were canceled in 2023. Josh was a guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional in 2022.

From September 2023 to January 2024, he starred in Gutenberg! The Musical! with Andrew Rannells. Josh will make his directing debut with a movie about Chris Farley. He also co-wrote a comic book series called The Writer in 2024. This series is inspired by Jewish folklore. Josh will release a picture book called PictureFace Lizzy in late 2024. His Frozen co-star, Kristen Bell, will narrate it. He also announced a memoir called In Gad We Trust for 2025.

Personal Life

Josh Gad met actress Ida Darvish in 2004. They were playing a married couple in a play. They got married in 2008. Josh has said he loves parts of Judaism and celebrates some traditions of his wife's Catholicism. He considers himself spiritual but not strictly religious. They have two daughters.

Josh has spoken openly about his struggle with generalized anxiety disorder. He wants to help reduce the shame around mental health issues. In 2018, he joined the #MyYoungerSelf campaign. This project helps kids understand mental health. Josh and other celebrities share their own struggles and how they found help. His YouTube series Reunited Apart also helped him during the pandemic. It allowed him to focus on something positive and keep his mental health strong.

Acting Credits

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Mary and Joe Angel
2006 Razortooth Jay Wells
2007 Watching the Detectives Mark
2008 21 Miles
The Rocker Matt
2009 Crossing Over Howie
No Heroics Horseforce Television film
Waiting to Die Simon
The Lost Nomads: Get Lost 22 Gigi / Miss Piggy / Jose Sanchez / The Clown / Spatula Lover
Big Guy Rodney Short film
2010 Marmaduke Bandana Dog Voice
2011 Mardi Gras: Spring Break Bump (Bartholomew T. Brown)
2012 She Wants Me Sam Baum
Ice Age: Continental Drift Louis Voice
Thanks for Sharing Neil
2013 Jobs Steve Wozniak
The Internship Headphones
Frozen Olaf Voice
2014 Wish I Was Here Noah Bloom
2015 The Wedding Ringer Doug Harris
Frozen Fever Olaf Voice; short film
Pixels Ludlow Lamonsoff
2016 The Angry Birds Movie Chuck Voice
2017 A Dog's Purpose Bailey / Ellie / Tino / Buddy
Beauty and the Beast LeFou
Marshall Sam Friedman
Murder on the Orient Express Hector MacQueen
Olaf's Frozen Adventure Olaf (voice) Voice; short film
2018 Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. Himself Documentary
2019 Little Monsters Teddy McGiggle
A Dog's Journey Bailey Voice
The Angry Birds Movie 2 Chuck
Frozen II Olaf
2020 Artemis Fowl Mulch Diggums
Once Upon a Snowman Olaf Voice; short film
2021 Ghostbusters: Afterlife Muncher Voice
2023 Strays Gus
Once Upon a Studio Olaf Voice; short film
TBA A Tree Fell in the Woods Not yet released Mitch Post-production
Adulthood Not yet released Noah Post-production
The Angry Birds Movie 3 Not yet released Chuck Voice; in production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2005 ER Sgt. Bruce Larabee Episode: "Here and There"
2007–2008 Back to You Ryan Church Main role
2008 American Dad! Art (voice) Episode: "Pulling Double Booty"
2008, 2009 Numbers Roy McGill 2 episodes
2009 Party Down Jeffrey Ells Episode: "California College Conservative Union Caucus"
2009–2011 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Himself (correspondent) 5 episodes
2010 Bored to Death Warren Episode: "Make It Quick, Fitzgerald!"
2011 The Cleveland Show Droopy Voice; episode: "Our Gang"
Californication Doctor 2 episodes
Gigi: Almost American Gigi 10 episodes; also executive producer
2011, 2020 Modern Family Kenneth Ploufe 2 episodes: "Punkin Chunkin" and "Dead on a Rival"
2011 Good Vibes Mondo (voice) Main role
2012–2013 1600 Penn Skip Gilchrist Main role; also co-creator and executive producer
2012–2015 New Girl Bearclaw 3 episodes: "Katie", "Birthday", "Walk of Shame"
2013 Hollywood Game Night Himself Episode: "America's Got Game Night"
2014 Monsters vs. Aliens Internet Voice; episode: "Bride of the Internet"
2015 The Comedians Josh Main role
Sesame Street Vincent Van Stop Episode: "Bert's Sign Painting Challenge
Phineas and Ferb Wendell Voice; 2 episodes
TripTank Louis Voice; 1 episode
Jeopardy! Himself Celebrity contestant
2016 Lip Sync Battle Himself / Donald Trump Episode: "Josh Gad vs. Kaley Cuoco"
Sofia the First Olaf Voice; episode: "The Secret Library: Olaf and the Tale of Miss Nettle"
LEGO Frozen Northern Lights Voice; special
Talking Dead Himself Guest
2017 Star Wars Rebels LT-319 Voice; episode: "Double Agent Droid"
South Park Marcus Preston / Ms. McGullicutty Voice; 1 episode; Also producer
2018 Bob's Burgers Damon Voice; episode: "Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now"
2019 The Ellen DeGeneres Show Himself Guest host
2020–2022 Avenue 5 Herman Judd Main cast
2020 At Home with Olaf Olaf Main role; voice
2020–2022 Central Park Birdie / Ernst Von Gunten Main cast; voice; also co-creator, writer and executive producer
2020 Home Movie: The Princess Bride Grandson Episode: "Chapter One: As You Wish"
2021 Olaf Presents Olaf Main role; voice
Curb Your Enthusiasm Chiropractor Episode: "Man Fights Tiny Woman"
2022–present Wolf Like Me Gary Main cast
2022 The Boys Himself Episode: "Herogasm"; cameo
The Tiny Chef Show 2 episodes
2023 History of the World, Part II William Shakespeare Episode: "I"
Storybots: Answer Time The Great Bubblini Episode: "Bubbles"
Solar Opposites Pinecone / Rotten Peach / Jesse Guard #2 Voice; episode: "The Earth Rake (beta)"
2024 Dinner Time Live with David Chang Himself Episode: "Holiday Noodle Cook-Off"
2025 Wonder Man Not yet released 0TBA Post-production

Video Games

Year Title Voice roles
2012 MIB: Alien Crisis Emilio Chauncey, Handsome Guest, Khnemu
2013 Frozen: Olaf's Quest Olaf
2015 Disney Infinity 3.0
2017 South Park Phone Destroyer Marcus Preston
2019 Kingdom Hearts III Olaf

Web Series and Podcasts

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Woke Up Dead Matt 21 episodes
2013 Kevin Pollak's Chat Show Himself / Guest Episode: "163"
2019–present Blood Ties Michael Richland Radio drama/podcast
2020 Reunited Apart Host Web series

Theatre

Year Title Role Theatre Notes
2006–07 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee William Barfée Circle in the Square Theatre Broadway Replacement
2011–12 The Book of Mormon Elder Cunningham Eugene O'Neill Theatre Original Broadway Cast
2023–24 Gutenberg! The Musical! Bud Davenport James Earl Jones Theatre Original Broadway Cast

Awards and Nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2011 Tony Award Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical The Book of Mormon Nominated
2012 Grammy Award Best Musical Theater Album Won
2014 Annie Awards Outstanding Voice Acting in a Feature Production Frozen Won
2016 Golden Raspberry Award Worst Supporting Actor Pixels
The Wedding Ringer
Nominated
2020 Annie Awards Outstanding Voice Acting in a Feature Production Frozen II Won
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male Voice from an Animated Movie The Angry Birds Movie 2
Frozen II
Won
2022 Disney Legends Award Honoree
2024 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Gutenberg! The Musical! Nominated

Images for kids

See also

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