Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum plays Ed Okin in the movie.

Intro

Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (born October 22, 1952) is an Academy-Award nominated American actor. He often portrays quirky, intense or eccentric characters, and frequently scientists. He is also known for his distinctive appearance and his unique, staccato delivery of lines. At 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m), he is one of Hollywood's tallest actors and was jokingly described on the sitcom Will & Grace as resembling a "tall, sexy whooping crane". He recently portrayed the title character on the NBC television series Raines which was cancelled after seven episodes.

Early life

Goldblum was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Whitaker, Pennsylvania, to Shirley, a radio moderator, and Harold Goldblum, a doctor. He has a sister, Pamela, as well as two brothers. Both of his parents were interested in showbusiness.[1] His family was Jewish, belonged to an Orthodox synagogue,[2] and were of Eastern European origin,[3] with Goldblum's paternal grandfather having immigrated from Russia.[2] Goldblum moved to New York City at 17 to become an actor. Goldblum worked on the stage and studied acting at the renowned Neighborhood Playhouse under the guidance of acting coach Sanford Meisner. He made his Broadway debut in a production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. He is an excellent jazz piano singer, and declared that should he not act, he would spend his life for music. His film debut was playing a rapist thug in the 1974 Charles Bronson classic Death Wish. He briefly appeared as a protester in the TV Movie Columbo:A Case of Immunity (1975).

Career

Goldblum has had leading roles in films such as The Fly and The Tall Guy. Goldblum's strong supporting roles include those in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Big Chill (1983), Into the Night (1985), Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), Jurassic Park (1993), and Independence Day (1996). He also had strong supporting roles in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and the 1984 cult film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension.

Goldblum was the voice for most of the US Apple commercials, including the ones for the iBook. He also voices some of the US Toyota commercials as well as Procter & Gambles facial cream line. He has recently appeared on Irish TV in commercials for the National Lottery.

Goldblum teaches acting at Playhouse West in North Hollywood, along with Robert Carnegie. It was with several actors from this acting company that he improvised and directed the live action short film, Little Surprises, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1996. According to gossip columnist Caffeinated Clint (as of Sept 2006) Goldblum will not be reprising his role as Ian Malcolm in the upcoming film Jurassic Park IV.

The upcoming film Adam Resurrected is a film adaptation of the Yoram Kaniuk novel about a former circus clown who becomes the ringleader to a group of Holocaust survivors in an asylum after World War II. Goldblum was asked to take on the role of Adam, the story's main character, while visiting Israel for the first time in the summer of 2006.

In September 2006, it was announced that Goldblum was one of the founding members of a new theater company in New York called The Fire Dept. According to press materials, "The Fire Dept is made up of established and emerging writers, directors, actors and designers who have come together to create and produce work that cannot be replicated inside a television box or on a movie screen...The work of The Fire Dept combines the rigor and structure of great narrative storytelling with the vitality of formal experimentation to immerse audiences in a total experience that leaves them awake, alive and transformed." The company will devote energy into developing new live theater works as well as interpreting old favorites.

His guest appearance was on Sesame Street as Bob's long-lost brother Minneapolis(parody of Indiana Jones) where Big Bird's friend Snuffleupagus had a missing golden cabbage.

Personal life

Goldblum has been married twice. He was married to Patricia Gaul from 1980 to 1986. He was later married to Geena Davis, with whom he starred in three films (including the comedy Earth Girls Are Easy) from November 1, 1987 to October 1990. He claims to have maintained a good friendship with her in the ensuing years, saying, "she's a wonderful person and a wonderful actress." He has also been engaged to Laura Dern, with whom he co-starred in Jurassic Park. Goldblum was engaged to Catherine Wreford, a Canadian dancer, as documented in his 2006 mockumentary/documentary Pittsburgh, but is no longer. He has also mentioned, while a guest on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, that he enjoys curling.

Filmography

# Adam Resurrected (2008) (filming) .... Adam Stein

# "Raines" .... Michael Raines / ... (8 episodes, 2007)
- Every Picture Tells a Story (2007) TV Episode .... Detective Michael Raines
- Closure (2007) TV Episode .... Michael Raines
- Inner Child (2007) TV Episode .... Michael Raines
- 5th Step (2007) TV Episode .... Michael Raines
- Stone Dead (2007) TV Episode .... Michael Raines
(3 more)
# Man of the Year (2006) .... Alan Stewart
# Fay Grim (2006) .... Agent Fulbright
# Mini's First Time (2006) .... Mike Rudell
# "Will & Grace" .... Scott Woolley (3 episodes, 2005)
- Dance Cards & Greeting Cards (2005) TV Episode .... Scott Woolley
- Bully Woolley (2005) TV Episode .... Scott Woolley
- Board Games (2005) TV Episode .... Scott Woolley
# "Crank Yankers" .... Professor Fermstein (2 episodes, 2003-2005)
- Episode #3.15 (2005) TV Episode (voice) .... Professor Fermstein
- Episode #2.1 (2003) TV Episode (voice) .... Professor Fermstein
# "Tom Goes to the Mayor" .... Bill Joel (1 episode, 2004)
- Toodle Day (2004) TV Episode (voice) .... Bill Joel
# The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) .... Alistair Hennessey
# Incident at Loch Ness (2004) .... Party Guest
# Spinning Boris (2003) .... George Gorton
# Dallas 362 (2003) .... Bob
# "Friends" .... Leonard Hayes (1 episode, 2003)
- The One with the Mugging (2003) TV Episode .... Leonard Hayes
# War Stories (2003) (TV) .... Ben Dansmore
# Legend of the Lost Tribe (2002) (TV) (voice) .... White Rabbit
... aka Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe (USA)
# Igby Goes Down (2002) .... D.H. Banes
# "King of the Hill" .... Dr. Vayzosa (1 episode, 2002)
- The Substitute Spanish Prisoner (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Dr. Vayzosa
# Cats & Dogs (2001) .... Professor Brody
# Perfume (2001) .... Jamie
... aka Dress to Kill (USA: video title)
# One of the Hollywood Ten (2000) .... Herbert Biberman
... aka Punto de mira (Spain)
# Chain of Fools (2000) .... Zachory Seymour Avnet
# Auggie Rose (2000) .... John Nolan
... aka Beyond Suspicion (USA)

# The Prince of Egypt (1998) (voice) .... Aaron
# "Mr. Show with Bob and David" (1 episode, 1998)
... aka Mr. Show (USA: short title)
- Like Chickens... Delicious Chickens (1998) TV Episode (voice)
# Holy Man (1998) .... Ricky Hayman
# The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) .... Dr. Ian Malcolm
# "Saturday Night Live" .... Host (2 episodes, 1993-1997)
... aka NBC's Saturday Night (USA: first season title)
... aka SNL (USA: informal title)
... aka SNL 25 (USA: alternative title)
... aka Saturday Night (USA: second season title)
... aka Saturday Night Live '80 (USA: sixth season title)
- Jeff Goldblum/En Vogue (1997) TV Episode .... Host
- Jeff Goldblum/Aerosmith (1993) TV Episode .... Host
# Independence Day (1997) (VG) (voice)
# Mad Dog Time (1996) .... Mickey Holliday
... aka Trigger Happy (UK)
# Independence Day (1996) .... David Levinson
... aka ID4 (USA: promotional abbreviation)
# The Great White Hype (1996) .... Mitchell Kane
# "The Simpsons" .... MacArthur Parker (1 episode, 1996)
- A Fish Called Selma (1996) TV Episode (voice) .... MacArthur Parker
# Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland (1996) (VG)
# Powder (1995) .... Donald Ripley
# Nine Months (1995) .... Sean Fletcher
# Hideaway (1995) .... Hatch Harrison
# "Futurequest" (1994) TV Series .... Narrator (unknown episodes)
# Lush Life (1993) (TV) .... Al Gorky
# Jurassic Park (1993) .... Dr. Ian Malcolm
... aka JP (USA: promotional abbreviation)
# Shooting Elizabeth (1992) .... Howard Pigeon
# Fathers & Sons (1992) .... Max
# Deep Cover (1992) .... David Jason
# The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish (1991) .... Pianist
... aka Montre, la croix et la manière, La
... aka Rue Saint-Sulpice (France)
# "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" (1990) TV Series .... Duke Nukem (unknown episodes, 1990)
... aka The New Adventures of Captain Planet (USA: fourth season title)
# "Tonight with Jonathan Ross" (1 episode)
- Episode #1.22 (????) TV Episode
# Mister Frost (1990) .... Mr. Frost
... aka Mr. Frost (USA: closing credits title)
# Framed (1990) (TV) .... Wiley

# Sueño del mono loco, El (1989) .... Dan Gillis
... aka Mono loco, El
... aka Rêve du singe fou, Le (France)
... aka The Mad Monkey
... aka Twisted Obsession
# The Tall Guy (1989) .... Dexter King
# Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) .... Mac
# Vibes (1988) .... Nick Deezy
... aka Vibes: The Secret of the Golden Pyramids (Philippines: English title)
# Beyond Therapy (1987) .... Bruce
# Life Story (1987) (TV) .... Jim Watson
... aka Double Helix
... aka The Race for the Double Helix (USA)
# The Fly (1986) .... Seth Brundle
... aka Mouche, La (Canada: French title)
# "The Ray Bradbury Theater" .... Cogswell (1 episode, 1986)
... aka Monde fantastique de Ray Bradbury, Le (Canada: French title)
... aka Mystery Theatre (UK: rerun title)
... aka Ray Bradbury présente (France)
... aka The Bradbury Trilogy (UK: rerun title)
... aka The Ray Bradbury Theatre (UK)
- The Town Where No One Got Off (1986) TV Episode .... Cogswell
# Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) .... Jack Harrison
# Silverado (1985) .... 'Slick' Calvin Stanhope
# Into the Night (1985/I) .... Ed Okin
# "Faerie Tale Theatre" .... Buck Wolf (1 episode, 1985)
... aka Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre (USA)
- The Three Little Pigs (1985) TV Episode .... Buck Wolf
# The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) .... New Jersey
... aka The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (USA: short title)
# Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter (1984) (TV) .... Ernie Kovacs
# Popular Neurotics (1984) (TV)
# "The New Show" .... Various (1 episode, 1984)
- Episode #1.1 (1984) TV Episode .... Various
# The Right Stuff (1983) .... Recruiter
# The Big Chill (1983) .... Michael Gold
# Rehearsal for Murder (1982) (TV) .... Leo Gibbs
# "Laverne & Shirley" (1 episode, 1982)
... aka Laverne & Shirley & Company (USA: syndication title)
... aka Laverne & Shirley & Friends (USA: syndication title)
- Watch the Fur Fly (1982) TV Episode
# Threshold (1981) .... Aldo Gehring
# The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1980) (TV) .... Ichabod Crane
# "Tenspeed and Brown Shoe" .... Lionel Whitney (13 episodes, 1980)
- This One's Gonna Kill Ya (1980) TV Episode .... Lionel Whitney
- The Millionaire's Life (1980) TV Episode .... Lionel Whitney
- Savage Says: There's No Free Lunch (1980) TV Episode .... Lionel Whitney
- Pilot (1980) TV Episode .... Lionel Whitney
- Diamonds Aren't Forever (1980) TV Episode .... Lionel Whitney
(8 more)

# Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) .... Jack Bellicec
# Thank God It's Friday (1978) .... Tony Di Marco
# Remember My Name (1978) .... Mr. Nudd
# Between the Lines (1977) .... Max Arloft
# Annie Hall (1977) .... Lacey Party Guest
# "Starsky and Hutch" .... Harry Markham (1 episode, 1977)
- Murder on Stage 17 (1977) TV Episode .... Harry Markham
# The Sentinel (1977) .... Jack
# "The Blue Knight" .... Daggett (1 episode, 1976)
- Upward Mobility (1976) TV Episode .... Daggett
# St. Ives (1976) .... Hood #3
# Special Delivery (1976) .... Snake
... aka Dangerous Break
# Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) .... Clyde Baxter
# Columbo: A Case of Immunity (1975) (TV) (uncredited) .... Protester
# Nashville (1975) .... Tricycle Man
# California Split (1974) .... Lloyd Harris
... aka Jackpot!
# Death Wish (1974) .... Freak #1

Sources: Imdb.com, wikipedia.com

Compiled by Strange Conversation Film Journal