B.J. Novak

Actor, Producer, Writer

Birthdate: July 31, 1979 (47 Years Old)

Birthplace: Newton, Massachusetts, USA

J. Novak (birthname: Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak) is a veteran TV writer and director, essayist, book author, and most recently, feature film director. He appeared in 166 episodes, wrote 15 episodes, and directed nine episodes of the U.S. (NBC) version of The Office, starring Steve Carell.

Novak was also a writer-actor-director on the hit comedy series, The Mindy Project, for which he received a Writers Guild of America Award for Best New Series—something he also received for The Office.

Novak has had small supporting roles in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up (2007), with Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl; Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009), with Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, and Michael Fassbender; voice roles in The Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs 2 (2013); Shawn Levy’s The Internship (2013), with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn; The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), with Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Jamie Foxx; and John Lee Hancock’s biopic, The Founder (2016), with Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, and John Carroll Lynch.

Novak had a somewhat larger role, as Mary Poppins co-composer, Robert B. Sherman, in John Lee Hancock’s Disney biopic, Saving Mr. Banks (2013), with Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, and Colin Farrell.

More recently, Novak has turned to feature filmmaking. He is the star-writer-director of the Blumhouse-produced black comedy, Vengeance (2022), with Boyd Holbrook, Issa Rae, and Ashton Kutcher, which premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and was theatrically distributed by Focus Features.

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Personal Life
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B.J. Novak Photos and Videos

Personal life

Born in Newton, Massachusetts, and raised by mother Linda and father and author William Novak. Novak has two siblings, younger brothers Lev and TV composer Jesse Novak. He was schooled at Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston, and Newton South High School in his hometown. Majoring in English and Spanish literature at Harvard University, Novak was also a member of The Harvard Lampoon and produced the variety comedy act, The B.J. Show. He has been in an on-again, off-again relationship with comedy actor-writer Mindy Kaling, with whom he was a co-writer on The Office (2005-2013) and co-writer and co-cast member on The Mindy Project (2013-2016). Novak’s height is 5’ 8½”.

Known For

Vengeance

Ben Manalowitz (2022)

The Office

Ryan Howard (2005)

Inglourious Basterds

Pfc. Smithson Utivich (2009)

Saving Mr. Banks

Robert Sherman (2013)

Awards

Five-time Nominee, Best Comedy Series, Emmy Awards (2007-2011); Two-time Winner, Best Comedy Series Ensemble, Screen Actors Guild Awards (2007-2008); Five-time Nominee, Best Comedy Series Ensemble, Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009-2013); Winner, Best Comedy Series, Writers Guild of America Awards (2007); Six-time Nominee, Best New Series/Best Episodic Comedy/Best Comedy Series, Writers Guild of America (2006, 2008-2011, 2013).

Primetime Emmy

Primetime Emmy

Primetime Emmy Awards

Actor

Actor

Screen Actors Guild Awards

Primetime Emmy

Primetime Emmy

Primetime Emmy Awards

B.J. Novak Movies

Actor

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Previous (7)

2026 |
The Devil Wears Prada 2
The Devil Wears Prada 2
2026
Comedy, Drama
Andy Sachs reunites with Miranda Priestly as they navigate their careers amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing.
More Info
asJay
2022 |
Vengeance
Vengeance
2022
Comedy, Music, Mystery
A writer from New York City attempts to solve the murder of a girl he hooked up with and travels down south to investigate the circumstances of her death and discover what happened to her.
More Info Watch Now
asBen Manalowitz
2017 |
The Founder
The Founder
2017
Biography, Drama
The story of Ray Kroc, a salesman who turned two brothers' innovative fast food eatery, McDonald's, into the biggest restaurant business in the world, with a combination of ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness.
More Info Watch Now
asHarry J. Sonneborn
2014 |
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
2014
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When New York is put under siege by Oscorp, it is up to Spider-Man to save the city he swore to protect as well as his loved ones.
Watch Now
asAlistair Smythe
2013 |
Saving Mr. Banks
Saving Mr. Banks
2013
Biography, Comedy, Drama
P. L. Travers, a London author who is financially broke, visits Los Angeles to meet Walt Disney, who is keen to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the cinema. However, his methods do not meet her approval.
More Info Watch Now
asRobert Sherman
2009 |
Inglourious Basterds
Inglourious Basterds
2009
Adventure, Drama, War
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.
More Info Watch Now
asPfc. Smithson Utivich
-- |
as Robert Sherman

Director

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Previous (1)

2022 |
Vengeance
Vengeance
2022
Comedy, Music, Mystery
A writer from New York City attempts to solve the murder of a girl he hooked up with and travels down south to investigate the circumstances of her death and discover what happened to her.
More Info Watch Now

Writer

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Previous (1)

2022 |
Vengeance
Vengeance
2022
Comedy, Music, Mystery
A writer from New York City attempts to solve the murder of a girl he hooked up with and travels down south to investigate the circumstances of her death and discover what happened to her.
More Info Watch Now

Facts About B.J. Novak

Harvard Man: B.J. Novak wrote a graduate thesis at Harvard analyzing films based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Author: Novak is the author of three books, including his story collection, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, his 2014 book The Book with No Pictures, and the follow-up 2019 book, My Book with No Pictures. He is also the author of several essays which have appeared in The Harvard Lampoon, Playboy magazine, Nautilus, and The New Yorker.

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