B.J. Novak

B.J. Novak

Born 1979-07-31 (age 46) Newton, Massachusetts, USA
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Biography

Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak (born July 31, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, author, and producer. He gained traction as a comedian during the early 2000s before becoming a field agent for the MTV reality prank show Punk'd (2003).

Novak had his breakout with a leading role as Ryan Howard on seasons 1–8 of the NBC mockumentary sitcom The Office (2005–2013). His acting, writing and producing for the show earned him two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Writers Guild of America Award, alongside five nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

In the late 2000s, Novak had supporting roles in the films Reign Over Me (2007) and Inglourious Basterds (2009). In the 2010s, he portrayed musician Robert B. Sherman in Saving Mr. Banks (2013) and Marvel Comics character Alistair Smythe in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). He had a starring role as Harry J. Sonneborn in the biographical film The Founder (2016) and voiced Baker Smurf in The Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs 2 (2013). In television, he had a recurring role as Lucas Pruit on the HBO series The Newsroom (2014).

In the 2020s, Novak made his film directorial debut with Vengeance (2022), which he also produced and starred in. He created and wrote the FX on Hulu anthology series The Premise (2021). In addition to his film and television career, Novak authored the books One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories (2014) and The Book with No Pictures (2014).

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Known For

The Devil Wears Prada 2
The Devil Wears Prada 2

2026

as Jay Ravitz

Inglourious Basterds
Inglourious Basterds

2009

as PFC. Smithson Utivich

The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man 2

2014

as Allistar Smythe

The Dictator
The Dictator

2012

as (uncredited)

The Smurfs
The Smurfs

2011

as Baker Smurf (voice)

The Founder
The Founder

2016

as Harry J. Sonneborn

The Smurfs 2
The Smurfs 2

2013

as Baker Smurf (voice)

Knocked Up
Knocked Up

2007

as Young Doctor

Vengeance
Vengeance

2022

as Ben Manalowitz

Reign Over Me
Reign Over Me

2007

as Mr. Fallon

Saving Mr. Banks
Saving Mr. Banks

2013

as Robert Sherman

Unaccompanied Minors
Unaccompanied Minors

2006

as Desk Attendant

The Office Retrospective
The Bitter Buddha
The Bitter Buddha

2012

as Self

Comedy Warriors: Healing Through Humor
The Internship
The Internship

2013

as Male Interviewer