Ben Schwartz Biography
Born: September 15, 1981
Date of Birth: September 15, 1981
Born in The Bronx, New York, funny guy Ben Schwartz paved his way into the comedy industry as a page at The Late Show With David Letterman, and then began freelancing jokes for Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" before making his own clips.
After appearing in skits on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2006, he provided the voice of Glenn for the TV comedy series Starveillance in 2007, for three episodes.
In 2006, he won a minor role in the feature film New York City Serenade with Freddie Prinze Jr., Chris Klein and Jamie-Lynn Sigler and also began work on the Danny Glover-led series Bronx World Travelers. He appeared in five episodes.
Next up was the role of Jacky Hamburger in the television movie Happiness Isn't Everything (2009) with Jason Biggs and Richard Dreyfuss. It was a busy year for Ben, with a supporting role in the 2009 feature I Hate Valentine's Day alongside Nia Vardalos and Zoe Kazan, and in the Golden Globe-nominated drama Everybody's Fine with Robert De Niro, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell. He also taped the Funny or Die TV short Terrible Decisions with Ben Schwartz for HBO.
He landed a small part in his first action comedy film in 2010 with The Other Guys, which featured a stacked cast including Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Derek Jeter, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson.
Sharing the screen with Kate Mara, Michael C. Hall, Judy Greer, Sarah Silverman and Rainn Wilson, he also appeared in the 2010 dramedy Peep World.
Working with J.J. Abrams, Ben played a starring role in the single-season series Undercovers in 2010. He played the character Bill Hoyt and acted alongside Gugu Mbatha-Raw. His connection with J.J. would serve him well in the future.
Also in 2010, he began work on a series that many people think solidified his presence in the comedy scene. Sharing the screen with Amy Poehler, he portrayed Jean-Ralphio in 21 episodes of the Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated Parks and Recreation.
Playing Clyde Oberholt in Showtime's Golden Globe-winning House of Lies, Ben starred alongside Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell in the series that paints the world of management consulting in a rather unfavorable light.
In 2013, he won a guest role in an episode of Arrested Development and took supporting roles in two films. He appeared in Turbo with Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Maya Rudolph and Samuel L. Jackson, and Runner Runner with Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie.
Ben stayed in film in 2014 with performances in three films. He worked on Better Living Through Chemistry with Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde and Jane Fonda, and reteamed with Jane in the dramedy This Is Where I Leave You. The film is about four grown siblings who, at the request of their mother, return to their childhood home and live under the same roof for week while grieving the loss of their father. It co-stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver and Rose Byrne. Finally, Ben also appeared in the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy The Interview.
In 2015, Ben took a minor role in the biopic The Walk. The Robert Zemeckis film, which profiles high-wire artist Philippe Petit, starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The same year, he lent his voice to an episode of The Simpsons and reunited with J.J. Abrams as one of the voice consultants for BB-8 in the sci-fi hit Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The other consultant was Bill Hader.
He also starred in the film The Intervention (2016) with Clea DuVall and in Night School (2018), playing Kevin Hart's best friend. In 2019, he lent his voice to the animated film The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, and in 2020, he voiced the role of the titular character in Sonic the Hedgehog.
Ben, who won a Primetime Emmy for cowriting Hugh Jackman's opening song at the 2009 Oscars, has his own website, which he frequently updates, called RejectedJokes.com.
Filmography:
Blue Iguana (2017)
The Intervention (2016)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
The Walk (2015)
The Interview (2014)
This Is Where I Leave You (2014)
Better Living Through Chemistry (2014)
Runner Runner (2013)
Peep World (2010)
The Other Guys (2010)
Everybody's Fine (2009)
I Hate Valentine's Day (2009)
New York City Serenade (2007)