B. J. Novak
Actor · Director · TV star
47 years (Jul 31, 1979)Newton, Massachusetts, USA
An American actor, comedian and writer from Newton, Massachusetts, B.J. Novak is best known as a creator and star of the US version of 'The Office', playing Ryan Howard. On film he appeared as the Nazi soldier Private Utivich in Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds' (2009) and in 'The Founder' (2016). He later wrote, directed and starred in the satire 'Vengeance' (2022). A dry, cerebral comic voice, he works across acting, writing and directing with a wit rooted in his television comedy background.
B. J. Novak
Actor · Director · TV star
An American actor, comedian and writer from Newton, Massachusetts, B.J. Novak is best known as a creator and star of the US version of 'The Office', playing Ryan Howard. On film he appeared as the Nazi soldier Private Utivich in Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds' (2009) and in 'The Founder' (2016). He later wrote, directed and starred in the satire 'Vengeance' (2022). A dry, cerebral comic voice, he works across acting, writing and directing with a wit rooted in his television comedy background.
Movies: 13 titles
Plays Jay
The Devil Wears Prada 2
2026
Plays PFC. Smithson Utivich
Inglourious Basterds
2009
Plays Allistar Smythe
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
2014
Plays Harry J. Sonneborn
The Founder
2016
Plays Young Doctor
Knocked Up
2007
Plays Baker Smurf (voice)
The Smurfs
2011
Plays Baker Smurf (voice)
The Smurfs 2
2013
Director
Plays Ben Manalowitz
Vengeance
2022
Plays Mr. Fallon
Reign Over Me
2007
Plays Robert Sherman
Saving Mr. Banks
2013
Plays Desk Attendant
Unaccompanied Minors
2006
Plays Male Interviewer
The Internship
2013
TV Shows: 9 titles
Director
Plays Ryan Howard
The Office
2005
Director
Plays Self - Host
The Premise
2021
Director
Plays Jamie
The Mindy Project
2012
Plays Lucas Pruit
The Newsroom
2012
Plays Six-Thirty (voice)
Lessons in Chemistry
2023
Plays B.J. Novak
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
2015
Plays Count Rugen
Home Movie: The Princess Bride
2020
Plays Mr. Egypt
Community
2009
Plays Hiram Lubinski
Poker Face
2023
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Full Filmography
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Jay
2026
Poker Face
Hiram Lubinski
2025Season 2
Lessons in Chemistry
Six-Thirty (voice)
2023Season 1
Vengeance
Ben Manalowitz
2022
The Premise
Self - Host · 5 episodes
2021–
Home Movie: The Princess Bride
Count Rugen
2020Season 1
The Founder
Harry J. Sonneborn
2016
The Mindy Project
Jamie
2016Season 5
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
B.J. Novak
2015Season 1
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is B. J. Novak and where are they from?
B. J. Novak is 47 years old, born on July 31, 1979 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA.
What are the most famous roles of B. J. Novak?
B. J. Novak is best known for roles in Inglourious Basterds, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Dictator.
How many movies has B. J. Novak been in?
Over a 20-year career (since 2006), B. J. Novak has appeared in 13 movies and 8 TV shows.
What was B. J. Novak's first movie?
The career of B. J. Novak began with Farce of the Penguins (2006).
What is B. J. Novak's most recent movie or series?
B. J. Novak's most recent release is The Devil Wears Prada 2, which premiered on April 29, 2026.
What TV shows has B. J. Novak appeared in?
On television, B. J. Novak has appeared in The Office, Community, The Newsroom, Poker Face.
B. J. Novak
1979-07-31 · Newton, Massachusetts, USA
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).B.J. Novak, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.