Brian Baumgartner Biography

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Brian Baumgartner has made a mark in the industry over the course of his career. A student at The Westminster Schools, he competed in competitive speech events for drama, reaching the national finals in his senior year. Throughout this time, he also attended Northwestern University’s National High School Institute with a focus on theater and later Southern Methodist University with a major in theater, graduating in 1995.

He served as Artistic Director of Hidden Theater in Minneapolis, receiving multiple awards for his acting. In Los Angeles, he continued his growth by joining and performing at the Guthrie Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Children’s Theater Company, and Theatre de la Jeune Lune.

He got his start in television with guest appearances on shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Arrested Development and Jake in Progress, to name a few. His biggest break in Hollywood came in 2005, when he was cast as Kevin Malone on The Office. Brian shot to fame, especially when he became a cast member with a contract a few seasons in, rather than a day player. He stayed with the show until 2013, when it came to an end. Along with his costars Angela Kinsey and Oscar Nunez, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Broadband Program in Comedy for their work on The Office: The Accountants, a web series spin-off of the original.

During his time on and after The Office, Brian continued to guest star on television shows including Adventure Time, Hot in Cleveland, Criminal Minds, Chicago Fire, The Goldbergs, and more.

His film debut was with the film Herman U.S.A. (2001) playing Roger. From there, he launched a successful film career in the romance, comedy, and drama genres. He has appeared in License to Wed (2007) as Jim, Four Christmases (2008) as Eric, Astronaut: The Last Push (2012) as Bob Jansen, Electric Jesus (2021) as Skip Wick, and more.

Along with acting, Brian is a very talented cook, known for his famous chili. He wrote and published a cook book titled Seriously Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in the World, in which he shared a plethora of recipes that he had tried. His famous chili inspired The Office scene, where Kevin spills a huge pot of his signature chili onto the floor of the office and then makes things worse by trying to scoop it up with clipboards and paperwork.

Brian appears in the upcoming television show The Other Black Girl as Colin, which will be released on Hulu in September 2023.

Fillmography:

Electric Jesus (2021)
My Boyfriend's Meds (2020)
Ordinary World (2016)
Astronaut: The Last Push (2012)
Dirty Girl (2010)
House of Good and Evil (2010)
Into Temptation (2009)
Four Christmases (2008)
License to Wed (2007)
Herman U.S.A. (2001)