Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel (/ˈsiːɡəl/ SEE-gəl; born January 18, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Marshall Eriksen in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother from 2005 to 2014. He began his career with director and producer Judd Apatow on the television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000) and Undeclared (2001–2002) before gaining prominence for his leading roles in various successful comedy films in which he has starred, written, and produced.
Jason Segel | |
|---|---|
Segel in 2017 | |
| Born | Jason Jordan Segel January 18, 1980 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard-Westlake School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
Segel has starred in many comedic films such as Knocked Up (2007), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), I Love You, Man (2009), Bad Teacher (2011), The Five-Year Engagement (2012), This Is 40 (2012), and Sex Tape (2014), as well as family films such as Despicable Me (2010), and The Muppets (2011). For his role as David Foster Wallace in The End of the Tour (2015) he received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He also starred in the dramas Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011), The Discovery (2017), Our Friend (2019), and Windfall (2022). From 2022 to 2023, he played the role of Paul Westhead in the HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
In 2023, he began starring as a therapist in the Apple TV+ series Shrinking, which he also co-created alongside Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein. For his performance, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Early life edit
Segel was born on January 18, 1980, in Santa Monica, California, to Jillian (née Jordan; born 1952) and Alvin Segel, a lawyer.[1][2][3][4] He grew up in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.[5] He has an older brother, Adam,[1][6] and a younger sister, Alison.[7]
Segel's father is Jewish,[8][9][10] whereas his mother is of English, Scottish, Irish, and French descent.[11] He has stated that he was raised Jewish,[12] as well as "a little bit of everything".[13] Segel went to Hebrew school and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony, and also attended St. Matthew's Parish School, a private Episcopal school.[9][14][15]
Following elementary school and middle school, Segel completed his high school studies at Harvard-Westlake School, where his 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) frame helped him as an active member of the 1996 and 1997 CIF state champion boys' basketball team.[16][17] He won a slam dunk contest in high school[18] and he was nicknamed "Dr. Dunk."[19] He was a backup to the team's star center, Jason Collins, who went on to play in the NBA.[16]
Career edit
Segel's first major role was as stoner "freak" Nick Andopolis on the critically acclaimed but short-lived 1999 NBC comedy-drama series Freaks and Geeks. The series revolved around a group of suburban Detroit high school students circa 1980. Segel personally composed a song for his character, Nick, to sing to the lead female character, Lindsay (Linda Cardellini).[20]
Segel had recurring roles on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Neil Jansen and on Undeclared as Eric. He played Marshall Eriksen on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother; he had previously stated he would move on to other projects in 2013 when his contract expired,[21] but was convinced to finish the series after its ninth season in 2014.[22]
Segel made his film debut with Can't Hardly Wait in 1998. His other early feature film appearances include Slackers, SLC Punk!, The Good Humor Man, and Dead Man on Campus. In 2007, he appeared in Knocked Up, directed by Freaks and Geeks producer Judd Apatow. Segel starred in the lead role of 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, a film he wrote and Apatow produced with Shauna Robertson for Universal Pictures. He also starred in I Love You, Man, which was released on March 20, 2009, by DreamWorks.[23]
In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Segel's character writes a "Dracula" musical performed by puppets. He also appeared in the most prominent scene containing full frontal nudity in the film.[24] In an interview,[25] he stated that the Dracula musical with puppets, as well as being broken up with while naked, were real experiences he wrote into the movie. Those cloth creatures were custom-made by the Jim Henson Company, and the experience emboldened Segel to pitch his concept for a Muppets movie.[26] Segel performed a song from the film, "Dracula's Lament", on the 1000th episode of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.[27]
For the 2010 comedy Get Him to the Greek, Segel co-wrote most of the soundtrack's music which was performed by the fictional celebrity singer, Aldous Snow, including Infant Sorrow. He also appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and sang an original song entitled "Wonky Eyed Girl".[28]
In 2010, he voiced Gru's arch-rival Vector in the Universal's CGI animated film, Despicable Me and appeared as "Horatio" in a fantasy comedy film Gulliver's Travels directed by Rob Letterman and very loosely based on Part One of the 18th-century novel of the same name by Jonathan Swift. Segel appeared in Bad Teacher, starring Cameron Diaz, which opened in June 2011. He played gym teacher and thwarted suitor Russell Gettis.[29] Along with Nicholas Stoller, Segel approached Disney in 2007 to write the latest Muppets film. Disney was unsure on how to take the request, as Segel had just done frontal nudity in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but after realizing that he was a fan, the project was approved. Segel stated that he wanted to do the film because the last film in the series to be released in theaters was Muppets from Space in 1999, and he felt that the younger generation was missing out on enjoying one of his childhood favorites.[30]
Segel decided not to star in the sequel to The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted.[31] He filmed The Five-Year Engagement, with Emily Blunt, in spring 2011, in Michigan, and the film was released on April 27, 2012.[32]
In 2013, Segel revealed he was working on a series of young adult novels, based on a story he conceived when he was 21.[33] In the fall of 2014, the first novel of the series Nightmares!, co-written with Kirsten Miller, was released, with the followup coming out the following year.[34][35]
In 2015, Segel received praise[36][37][38] for his portrayal of the late author David Foster Wallace in the independent biographical drama film The End of the Tour. For his performance, he earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Male Lead.[39]
In 2017, Segel and Miller released a new book, Otherworld, the first of a new young adult series. A second book in the series, OtherEarth, was released in 2018, and a third novel, OtherLife, in 2019. Segel created and starred in the American drama television series Dispatches from Elsewhere, which premiered on March 1, 2020, on AMC.
In 2019, Segel starred in Our Friend based on Matthew Teague's 2015 essay "The Friend".[40]
Personal life edit
Segel is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church.[41] He performed a wedding ceremony on The Tonight Show on July 6, 2010, for a couple that solicited his services by placing pictures of him around his hometown and the bar he frequently visited.[42]
Segel dated his Freaks and Geeks co-star Linda Cardellini for several years following the show's cancellation.[43] He dated Michelle Williams from 2012 to 2013.[44] From December 2013 to April 2021, Segel dated photographer Alexis Mixter.[45][46]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Can't Hardly Wait | Matt | |
| 1998 | Dead Man on Campus | Kyle | |
| 1998 | SLC Punk! | Mike | |
| 2002 | Slackers | Sam Schechter | |
| 2003 | 11:14 | Leon (Paramedic #1) | |
| 2003 | Certainly Not a Fairytale | Leo | |
| 2004 | LolliLove | Jason | |
| 2005 | The Good Humor Man | Smelly Bob | |
| 2006 | Bye Bye Benjamin | Theodore Everest | |
| 2006 | Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny | Frat Boy | Deleted scenes |
| 2007 | Knocked Up | Jason | |
| 2008 | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Peter Bretter | Also writer |
| 2009 | I Love You, Man | Sydney Fife | |
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Victor "Vector" Perkins (voice) | |
| 2010 | Gulliver's Travels | Horatio | |
| 2011 | Bad Teacher | Russell Gettis | |
| 2011 | Friends with Benefits | Brice | Uncredited cameo |
| 2011 | Jeff, Who Lives at Home | Jeff Thompkins | |
| 2011 | The Muppets | Gary | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2012 | The Five-Year Engagement | Tom Solomon | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2012 | This Is 40 | Jason | |
| 2013 | This Is the End | Himself | Uncredited cameo |
| 2014 | Sex Tape | Jay Hargrove | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2015 | The End of the Tour | David Foster Wallace | |
| 2017 | The Discovery | Will Harbor | |
| 2018 | Come Sunday | Henry | |
| 2019 | Our Friend[47] | Dane Faucheux | |
| 2022 | The Sky Is Everywhere[48] | Big Walker | |
| 2022 | Windfall[49] | Nobody | Also story writer and producer |
| 2023 | Mooned[50] | Victor "Vector" Perkins (voice) | Short film |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | Freaks and Geeks | Nick Andopolis | Main role; 18 episodes |
| 2001 | North Hollywood | Unaired pilot[51] | |
| 2001–2002 | Undeclared | Eric | 7 episodes |
| 2004 | Harry Green and Eugene | Eugene Green | Unaired pilot[52] |
| 2004–2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Neil Jansen | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | Alias | Sam Hauser | Episode: "The Road Home" |
| 2005–2014 | How I Met Your Mother | Marshall Eriksen | Main role; 208 episodes |
| 2009 | Family Guy | Marshall Eriksen (voice) | Episode: "Peter's Progress" |
| 2011 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Jason Segel/Florence and the Machine" |
| 2020 | Dispatches from Elsewhere | Peter | 10 episodes; also creator, writer, director, and executive producer |
| 2020 | Home Movie: The Princess Bride[53] | Fezzik | Episode: "Chapter Two: The Shrieking Eels" |
| 2022–2023 | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Paul Westhead | 12 episodes |
| 2023–present | Shrinking[54] | Jimmy Laird | Main role; also creator, writer, and executive producer |
Awards and nominations edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Jason Segel". TV Guide. from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ Mills, Nancy (July 8, 2010). "'Despicable Me' star Jason Segel really gets into his roles". USA Today. from the original on July 11, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ^ "Now Trending: Jason Segel reveals he made his mother cry with full-frontal nudity scene". The Globe and Mail. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ^ "Jason Segel – Latest news, videos, and information". today.com. from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- ^ Iley, Chrissy (February 4, 2012). "So Jason Segel, are you a man or a Muppet". The Guardian. UK. from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ "Jason Segel Explains the Mysteries of Guydom". Fresh Air. October 16, 2009. from the original on June 18, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ Abele, Robert (April 13, 2008). "This breakup really broke up Jason Segel". Los Angeles Times. from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ Tobin, Andrew (July 30, 2015). "Actor Jason Segel opens up about childhood as Jewish outsider". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ^ a b Pfefferman, Naomi (March 15, 2012). "Segel's starry-eyed man-child amuses and moves us". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "Jason Segel: The Best Man For The Job". NPR. March 23, 2009. from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ^ "Turning nasty was no stretch for Sarah Marshall's Jason Segel". The Sydney Morning Herald. September 2, 2010. from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ^ Bloom, Nate (March 31, 2009). "Interfaith Celebrities: Jason Segel on the Benefits of Not Fitting In". InterfaithFamily.com. from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (April 24, 2012). "Jason Segel on the universe—and 'The Five Year Engagement'". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ Elkin, Michael (March 19, 2009). "Who Loves Ya, Man?". Jewish Exponent. from the original on March 31, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- ^ Andrew Tobin, "Actor Jason Segel opens up about childhood as Jewish outsider" August 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, July 30, 2015
|...attending Christian school during the day and Hebrew school at night. "At Christian school you're the Jewish kid, and at Hebrew school you're the Christian kid. I think that's the nature of groups," he said. "And so everyone wants to compartmentalize people. And I think I decided at that point, like OK, its me versus the world, kind of." - ^ a b Sondheimer, Eric (October 30, 1996). "Fastbreak to Silver Screen". Los Angeles Daily News. from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- ^ "Jason Segel Biography" June 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Buddy TV. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ^ "Jason Collins on Jason Segel's Secret Dunking Past". May 2, 2013. from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
- ^ Miller, Julie (June 13, 2014). "Jason Segel's High-School Nickname Was "Dr. Dunk"". Vanity Fair. from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
- ^ "gbdesigns.com". "The William S. Paley Television Festival: A Dedication to 'Freaks and Geeks'". from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
- ^ "Jason Segel to quit 'How I Met Your Mother'". timeslive.co.za. August 1, 2012. from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- ^ Finke, Nikki (December 21, 2012). "EXCLUSIVE: 'How I Met Your Mother' To Return For Season 9; Cast Deals Closed Today After Jason Segel Turnaround; Show Was Given Up For Dead Until 11th Hour". Deadline. from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- ^ Vilkomerson, Sara (March 10, 2009). A Romantic Comedy About Two Straight Men: John Hamburg's I Love You, Man May be the First Dude Flick With a Heart March 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (HTML). The New York Observer, LLC. Retrieved on March 11, 2009
- ^ "Jason Segel Goes Full-Frontal In "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"". The Huffington Post. April 25, 2008. from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- ^ Opie and Anthony, 104.1 WBCN in Boston
- ^ Fleming, Michael (March 12, 2008). "Segel and Stoller take on Muppets". Variety. from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- ^ Evans, Anderson (December 16, 2009). "Jason Segel Performs Puppet Opera on 1000th Episode of The Late, Late Show". Gawker. from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ Craig Ferguson has Jason Segel serenade his "Wonky Eyed Girl". YouTube. from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla, "When the Teacher Gets High Marks in the Raunchy and the Profane" December 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ^ Jay Leno. . NBC.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ Angela Dawson/Front Row Features. "'Home' boy: Jason Segel 'was just born hilarious'". Knoxville.com. from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "'Five-Year Engagement': 7 Things You Didn't Know About Jason Segel and Emily Blunt". The Hollywood Reporter. April 23, 2012. from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ . 3 News NZ. April 8, 2013. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- ^ Jason Segel Sells Three-Book Children's Series December 8, 2019, at the Wayback Machine hollywoodreport.com, April 23, 2013
- ^ Children's Audiobooks – Jason Segel Reads "Nightmares!" August 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, New York Times, November 21, 2014.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (January 24, 2015). "The End of the Tour". Rogerebert.com. from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ Nashawaty, Chris (July 29, 2015). "The End of the Tour". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ Lawson, Richard (January 25, 2015). "'The End of the Tour Is a Deeply Affecting Tribute to a Cherished Writer, and a Huge Breakthrough for Jason Segel". Vanity Fair. from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ McNary, Dave (November 24, 2015). "'Carol', 'Spotlight', 'Beasts of No Nation' Lead Spirit Awards Nominations". Independent Spirit Awards. Variety. from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Sydney, Bucksbaum. "How Our Friend made Jason Segel a better friend". EW. from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Ordained Minister Jason Segel Marries Couple on 'Tonight Show' (VIDEO)". Aoltv.com. from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ Karpel, Ari (December 10, 2010). "Kevin Smith, Kathy Griffin and Jason Segel Officiate at Weddings". The New York Times. from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ "they have 1 child. This breakup really broke up Jason Segel". Los Angeles Times. April 13, 2008. from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ^ "Inside Michelle Williams' Love Life Since Heath Ledger: From Jason Segal to Her New Husband". People. from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ @gonzoaesthetic (December 21, 2017). "Instagram post about Segal's and Mixter's relationship" – via Instagram.
- ^ "Jason Segel & Girlfriend Alexis Mixter Split After 8 Years Together: 'I Will Never Stop Loving You'". People. April 29, 2021. from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ O'Malley, Sheila. "Our Friend movie review & film summary (2021) | Roger Ebert". rogerebert.com. from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (September 23, 2020). "Cherry Jones And Jason Segel Join Apple And A24 Pic 'The Sky Is Everywhere'". Deadline. from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
- ^ Weintraub, Steve (March 23, 2022). "Jason Segel on 'Windfall,' What His Character Represents, and Why Making the Movie Was Like Film Camp". Collider. from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
- ^ Eclarinal, Aeron Mer (November 20, 2023). "Despicable Me Studio Announces Surprise New Spin-off Releasing Next Month". The Direct. from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ "- YouTube". YouTube. from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ "dangerousuniverse.com". 2004–2005 Television Pilots (Incomplete at Best). from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
- ^ Starner, Nina (June 26, 2020). "Quibi just announced a Princess Bride remake you never expected to see". Looper.com. from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ "Shrinking: Apple TV+ Orders New Comedy Series Starring Jason Segel". October 14, 2021.
- ^ "RAZZIES Celebrate 35 Years of Worst Achievements in Film with Inclusive Nominees List ...and New "Redeemer" Award". Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. from the original on January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- ^ "Winners & Nominees". Golden Globes. from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
External links edit
- Jason Segel at IMDb
- Jason Segel on National Public Radio in 2009
- Jason Segel at Library of Congress, with 24 library catalog records
- on Freaks and Geeks official website (archived 2005-10-17)
- on How I Met Your Mother official website (archived 2009-01-26)
- (archived 2008-04-20)