Thomas Middleditch
Thomas Middleditch | |
---|---|
Middleditch at SXSW 2016 | |
Born |
Nelson, British Columbia, Canada | March 10, 1982
Nationality | Canadian |
Occupation | Actor, comedian, screenwriter |
Known for |
Silicon Valley, Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero |
Spouse(s) | Mollie Gates (m. 2015)[1] |
Thomas Middleditch (born March 10, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and television writer, known for his role as Richard Hendricks in the HBO series Silicon Valley, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2016.[2][3]
Early life
Middleditch was born and raised in Nelson, British Columbia.[4] His parents are British.[5] He was put into a play in grade eight that he said "changed everything" for him. He went from an indoorsy kid who was bullied, to becoming the funny, popular kid in high school, even being voted Valedictorian.[4] He discovered improv in grade school from performing with Theatresports.[4]
He briefly attended the University of Victoria before dropping out and moving to Toronto where he auditioned for and enrolled in George Brown College, but never attended classes.[4] He instead opted to make sketches on his own, and worked at a New Balance selling shoes for an income.[4]
He relocated to Chicago where he took classes at The Second City and iO Theater, while also performing regularly.[4] Due to immigration issues, he worked various cash jobs until Charna Halpern sponsored him to get his work visa.[4]
While performing on a Second City cruise, he got an audition for Saturday Night Live.[4] Though he did not get cast, the routine he used in his audition landed him a network holding deal and he moved to New York City.[4]
Career
Early work
While living in NYC, Middleditch began acting in commercials. In 2007 a sketch video for Chicken McNuggets he made with Fernando Sosa in Chicago was purchased by McDonalds and used as a commercial.[4][6]
He appeared in the 2009 romantic comedy Splinterheads as lead role of Justin Frost.[7]
On March 25, 2010, he joined a CBS pilot Hitched, written by Josh Schwartz and directed by Rob Greenberg.[8]
On May 5, 2011 Middleditch made his first appearance in Jake and Amir, in the episode "Jake and Amir: Doobs".[9] He has made several returns to the web series including on November 17, 2011 for "Jake and Amir: Doobs Part 2",[10] on November 20, 2012 for "Jake and Amir: Doobs Part 3",[11] on March 5, 2013 for "Jake and Amir: Movie Date",[12] on March 12, 2013 for "Jake and Amir: Movie Date Part 2", and lastly on March 17, 2015 for "Jake And Amir Finale Part 5: The Auditions".
On May 31, 2011, Middleditch joined the cast of the Paramount Pictures' comedy film Fun Size, directed by Josh Schwartz.[13] On August 8, 2011, he joined Road to Nardo,[14] a film that would have been Scot Armstrong's directorial debut. On December 12, 2011, he joined Jay Roach's The Campaign, starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis.[15] In autumn of the same year, he pitched a cartoon called Worst Friends Forever to MTV, but it never made it to air.[16][17]
On July 23, 2012, Middleditch joined the cast of the comedy film Someone Marry Barry, directed and written by Rob Pearlstein and produced by Barry Josephson.[18] On August 23, 2012, he had a role on The Office's final season episode "The Farm".[19]
He had a role in the 2013 comedy fantasy film The Brass Teapot, directed by Ramaa Mosley,[20] and played a police officer in the 2013 CBS Films coming-of-age comedy Toy's House, later re-titled The Kings of Summer.[21]
Silicon Valley
On January 30, 2013, Middleditch joined HBO's comedy pilot Silicon Valley playing Richard Hendricks.[22] The show has received wide critical acclaim since its premiere.
He has said that the pilot was written with him specifically in mind as the lead (the character was originally named Thomas Pickering; the latter being his mother's maiden name).[4] This was a result of a "random" audio sketch he once made for a stand-up routine which he would later animate himself and pitched to several people, including Mike Judge's production partners John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky, who would later create the show.[4]
For his work on the show, Middleditch has garnered two Satellite Awards nominations and two Critics' Choice Television Award nominations. The show won the award for Best Comedy Series at the 5th Critics' Choice Television Awards and at the 20th Satellite Awards.[23][24] Every Season has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, and the show also received its first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Comedy Series, which it lost to Transparent. In 2016, Middleditch earned his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in the show.[25]
Other work
On April 23, 2013, he was added to the cast of the comedy film Search Party, a directorial debut of Scot Armstrong.[26]
Middleditch made a small cameo appearance in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street as a bow tie wearing broker who is fired for cleaning his fish bowl during office hours.[27]
He has played as a hipster thief in the episode "Sunday Funday" on the show You're The Worst.
On The Pete Holmes Show, he has played Nightcrawler and Gambit from the X-Men and Vega and Ken from Street Fighter II.
On October 16, 2013 it was announced that the Disney XD-produced animated series Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero would star Middleditch as the titular multiverse-hopping hero. The series premiered in late 2014.[28] In 2015, he co-starred in the films The Final Girls and The Bronze.[29][30] Also in 2015, he began streaming himself playing video games on the website Twitch.[31]
On January 21, 2014, Middleditch was added to the cast of DreamWorks Animation's animated feature Captain Underpants, based on Dav Pilkey's book Captain Underpants.[32]
Personal life
Middleditch and his wife, costume designer Mollie Gates have been together since 2012, and became engaged in June 2015.[1] They were married on August 22, 2015 in Middleditch's hometown.
Middleditch has described his own upbringing as agnostic. He believed in a "classic Christian religion" at a young age, but is now an atheist.[33]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | The Rebound | Maverick | |
2009 | Splinterheads | Justin Frost | |
2010 | The Other Guys | Art Exhibition Curator | |
2010 | Night Home | James | Short film |
2011 | Certainty | Game Guy | |
2011 | Michel Jean-Michel: Overexposed | Michel Jean-Michel | Short film |
2012 | Being Flynn | Richard | |
2012 | The Campaign | Travis | |
2012 | The Brass Teapot | Gilad | |
2012 | Fun Size | Manuel Fuzzy | |
2013 | The Kings of Summer | Rookie Cop | |
2013 | The Wolf of Wall Street | Stratton Broker in a Bowtie | |
2014 | Someone Marry Barry | Kurt | |
2014 | Search Party | Daniel "Nardo" Narducci | |
2015 | SMILF | Dan | Short film |
2015 | The Bronze | Ben Lawfort | |
2015 | The Final Girls | Duncan | |
2016 | Joshy | Josh | |
2016 | Henchmen | Lester (voice) | Filming |
2016 | Going Under | In post-production | |
2016 | Sunspring | H | |
2017 | Replicas | Filming | |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Robotomy | Additional voices | Episode: "Bling Thing" |
2011 | Ugly Americans | Episode: "Wet Hot Demonic Summer" | |
2011 | Beavis and Butt-Head | 7 episodes | |
2011 | The League | Julian | Episode: "The Light of Genesis" |
2011 | Fact Checkers Unit | Kerry | Episode: "Fly Like a Buttress" |
2013 | Newsreaders | Micah Berkley | Episode: "Auto Erotic" |
2013 | The Office | Jeb Schrute | Episode: "The Farm" |
2013 | Key and Peele | Monsieur Thénardier | Episode: "Les Mis" |
2013 | Trophy Wife | Nurse Terry | Episode: "Lice and Beary White" |
2013 | The Pete Holmes Show | Gambit/Nightcrawler/Vega | 2 Episodes: "Ike Barinholtz" & "Conan O'Brien" |
2014 | TripTank | Warlock / Caller | Voice; episode: "TripTank 2025" |
2014 | You're the Worst | Hipster Ringleader | Episode: "Sunday Funday" |
2014–present | Silicon Valley | Richard Hendricks | Nominated – Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series (2014, 2015) Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2014, 2015) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (2016) |
2014–present | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Penn Zero | Voice; Writer (episode: "Ultrahyperball") |
2015 | Scheer-RL | Jeff Timons | Episode: "98 Degrees" |
2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself / Tim Landers | 2 episodes |
2015–2016 | Drunk History | Sam Zemurray / William Willis | 2 episodes |
Web
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Memoirs of a Manchild | Danny Nanners | 3 episodes; also writer and producer |
2010 | UCB Comedy Originals | Unknown | Episode: "Macbook Pro Unboxing" |
2010 | The Back Room | Die Antwoord | Episode: "Steve Agee" |
2010–13 | CollegeHumor Originals | Various characters | 20 episodes |
2011 | Funny or Die | Woodshed Guy | Episode: "2.8" |
2011 | Matumbo Goldberg | Lenny | 5 episodes |
2011–15 | Jake and Amir | Penis "Doobs" Dubligné | 6 episodes |
2012 | Bravest Warriors | Professor Fartsparkles | Voice; episode: "Time Slime" |
2013 | The Funtime Gang | Randy the Racoon | Episode: "Pilot" |
2013 | The Morning After | Dave | Unknown episodes |
2016 | Sunspring | H | Short film written by a neural network |
2016 | HarmonQuest | *ildo Bogpelt | Episode 4: "The Doorest of Fores" |
References
- 1 2 WEBBER, STEPHANIE (June 6, 2015). "Silicon Valley's Thomas Middleditch Engaged to Girlfriend Mollie Gates: "They're Both Very Happy"". usmagazine.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ↑ "Silicon Valley | Homepage". HBO. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
- ↑ Johnson, Zack (14 July 2016). "2016 Emmy Nominations: Complete List of Nominees". E! Online. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "BA #085: Thomas Middleditch". the Box Angeles podcast. June 29, 2015.
- ↑ Theapiary.org
- ↑ "McNuggets McNuggets...What?". AdAge. July 27, 2007.
- ↑ Debruge, Peter (5 November 2009). "Review: 'Splinterheads'". variety.com. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (25 March 2010). "Two CBS pilots add cast members". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ Jake and Amir (5 May 2011). "Jake and Amir: Doobs". CollegeHumor. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ Jake and Amir (17 November 2011). "Jake and Amir: Doobs Part 2". CollegeHumor. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ Jake and Amir (20 November 2012). "Jake and Amir: Doobs Part 3 (with Thomas Middleditch)". CollegeHumor. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ Jake and Amir (5 March 2013). "Jake and Amir: Movie Date (w/Ben Schwartz and Thomas Middleditch)". CollegeHumor. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ "Johnny Knoxville, Unique Blend of Cast Join 'Fun Size' Comedy". bloody-disgusting.com. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (8 August 2011). "Middleditch takes 'Road to Nardo'". variety.com. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (12 December 2011). "Middleditch in Warners' team of 'Rivals'". variety.com. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ Michael Schneider (2011-11-11). "Exclusive: MTV Developing Another Animated Series with Beavis and Butt-head Producers". TV Guide. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
- ↑ Making It #61: Thomas Middleditch, 58:25 to 59:09: "not in my hands anymore"
- ↑ Kit, Borys (23 July 2012). "Tyler Labine, Damon Wayans Jr., Lucy Punch Starring in Comedy 'Someone Marry Barry'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (23 August 2012). "Thomas Middleditch Cast As Dwight's Brother On 'The Office' Spinoff". deadline.com. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ Debruge, Peter (2 April 2013). "Film Review: 'The Brass Teapot'". variety.com. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ Cunningham, Todd (22 January 2013). "'Toy's House' Goes to CBS Films". thewrap.com. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (30 January 2013). "T.J. Miller, Thomas Middleditch Cast In Mike Judge's HBO Comedy Pilot 'Silicon Valley'". deadline.com. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (May 31, 2015). "Critics' Choice Television Awards: HBO, Better Call Saul, Taraji P. Henson and Amy Schumer Among Big Winners". TVLine. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Satellite Awards (2015)". International Press Academy. IPA. December 2, 2015. pressacademy.com. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ↑ Johnson, Zack (14 July 2016). "2016 Emmy Nominations: Complete List of Nominees". E! Online. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (23 April 2013). "'Search Party' Finds Its Stars, Begins Shooting Next Week". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ The Wolf of Wall Street. YouTube.
- ↑ Deadline.com
- ↑ Christine. "'Final Girls' premieres during L.A. Film Festival - On Location Vacations". On Location Vacations.
- ↑ "Sebastian Stan can't out-fox Thomas Middleditch on The Bronze red carpet". HitFix. 22 January 2015.
- ↑ "Twitch". Twitch.
- ↑ Abramovitch, Seth (21 January 2014). "Ed Helms, Kevin Hart Slip Into DreamWorks Animation's 'Captain Underpants'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ↑ "Thomas Middleditch". Totally Laime (Podcast). 11 January 2013. 56 minutes in. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thomas Middleditch. |