Biography:

---

Adam Charles Goldberg (born October 25, 1970) is an American actor, director, and producer. He typically plays the quintessential 'young New York Jew' in many movies and TV programs of the 1990s and 2000s; including the title role of the self-parodying 'Jewsploitation' movie The Hebrew Hammer.

Early life:

Goldberg was born in Santa Monica, California and was raised near Hollywood, the son of Donna (née Goebel)[1] and Earl Goldberg. His father is Jewish and his mother is a Roman Catholic of Irish, French, and German descent. He was raised in the Jewish faith and attended Hebrew school, although he refused to have a bar mitzvah, stating that it would have been disrespectful to Judaism, as it would not have been a sincere gesture on his part. After seeing a school drama class Shakespeare production, Goldberg became fascinated with show business and began studying acting at various workshops in his early teens. He was active in campus theatrical productions during his years attending Sarah Lawrence College.

Career:

Goldberg's first major screen role occurred in 1992's Billy Crystal film Mr. Saturday Night. His career-making role was arguably that of the tough, wise-cracking infantryman Mellish in Steven Spielberg's 1998 blockbuster Saving Private Ryan. While having capably played lead characters, as in the short-lived 2005 FOX series Head Cases and Hebrew Hammer, Goldberg has mostly been cast in strong supporting roles.

Memorable roles include Jerry, the miserable undead servant to Christopher Walken's Gabriel character in the supernatural thriller, The Prophecy and the borderline-psychotic Eddie Menuek on the sitcom, Friends. Goldberg has also worked alongside preeminent voice artists like Dan Castellaneta and Charlie Adler, lending his voice to Babe: Pig in the City and cartoons like the Fox cult favorite, Eek! The Cat. Goldberg often portrays "stereotypically Jewish" characters (most notably in Dazed and Confused, The Hebrew Hammer and in the series Entourage).

Goldberg appeared extensively in the Flaming Lips documentary, The Fearless Freaks, and will have a supporting role in the upcoming film Christmas on Mars, a film written and directed by Coyne. Goldberg plays the "Mars Psychiatrist". He also appears in episodes of Entourage, playing the son of a wealthy movie producer.

Goldberg wrote, produced, directed and edited the features Scotch and Milk and I Love Your Work, as well as various television projects, notably including the philosophical travelogue, Running with the Bulls for IFC. A talented guitarist and songwriter, Goldberg composed and arranged the music to I Love Your Work and Running with the Bulls and provided a song for the Hebrew Hammer soundtrack. He is known to travel with a cheap acoustic guitar, as can be seen in ...Bulls. Having released rock and jazz albums, including the critically-lauded Changes with respected Latin jazz percussionist Phil Maturano, Adam Goldberg, the actor, has proven himself a serious and dedicated musician (not to be confused with the Boston based singer/songwriter of the same name).

Personal life:

Goldberg dated actress Christina Ricci until early 2006. Ricci told W magazine in mid 2006 they were back together, saying "...I love him and I feel like we were meant for each other." but the two have since broken up. Two new Goldberg film projects (Zodiac and Two Days in Paris) are being prepared for early 2007 releases. His physical appearance and often role as a geeky jewish person often make people mistake him for Julian Waksal. He has been discussing with director Jonathan Kesselman the possibility of producing a Hebrew Hammer sequel tentatively known as Hebrew Hammer 2: Hammer vs. Hitler.

Filmography:

Actor:

Director/Editor:

Print

Tell friend

Top

---