B.J. Novak

B.J. Novak (also credited as BJ Novak and Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak) is an American screen artist born on July 31, 1979, in Newton, Massachusetts. He first drew attention in the early 2000s through stand-up comedy and on-camera work, including appearances as a field agent on MTV’s prank series Punk’d.

Novak became a household name as Ryan Howard on NBC’s The Office, where he also contributed behind the scenes as a writer and producer. His multi-hyphenate work on the acclaimed mockumentary comedy was recognized with major industry honors, including Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Writers Guild of America Award, along with multiple Emmy-nominated seasons for the series.

Beyond television, Novak has built a varied film résumé, with roles in Reign Over Me (Mr. Fallon), Inglourious Basterds (PFC Smithson Utivich), Saving Mr. Banks (Robert Sherman), and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Alistair Smythe). He also voiced Baker Smurf in The Smurfs franchise and portrayed Harry J. Sonneborn in The Founder.

In the 2020s, Novak expanded his creative footprint by creating the anthology series The Premise and making his feature directorial debut with Vengeance, which he also produced and starred in. He is also an author, with books including One More Thing and The Book with No Pictures.