Seth Benjamin Green (
''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor, producer, and writer. Green's film debut came with a role in the
comedy-drama film ''
The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting roles in comedy films throughout the 1980s, including ''
Can't Buy Me Love'' (1987) and ''
My Stepmother Is an Alien'' (1988).
During the 1990s and 2000s, Green began starring in comedy films such as ''
Can't Hardly Wait'' (1998), ''
Rat Race
A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely.
The term is ...
'', ''
America's Sweethearts'' (both 2001), ''
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'', and ''
Without a Paddle
''Without a Paddle'' is a 2004 American adventure comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Jay Leggett and Mitch Rouse, and based on a story by Harris Goldberg, Tom Nursall, and Fred Wolf. The film stars Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, D ...
'' (both 2004), and became known for his portrayal of Scott Evil,
Dr. Evil's son, in the ''
Austin Powers
''Austin Powers'' is a series of American spy action comedy films: '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997), '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999) and '' Austin Powers in Goldmember'' (2002). The films were produced ...
'' film series (1997–2002). Also during this time, he began taking more serious roles in action films, including ''
Knockaround Guys'' (2001) and ''
The Italian Job'' (2003). He has provided the voice for
Howard the Duck in a number of
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...
films and series, most notably in ''
Guardians of the Galaxy'' (2014) and ''
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ' ...
'' (2017). In 2019, he wrote, directed, and starred in the comedy-drama film ''
Changeland''.
Green's first lead role on television was on the
ABC sitcom ''
Good & Evil'' in 1991, for which he won a
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
. Green later gained attention for his supporting roles as
Oz, a teenage guitarist and the boyfriend of
Willow Rosenberg, on the fantasy television series ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2000), and as the voice of
Chris Griffin on the
Fox adult animated sitcom ''
Family Guy'' (1999–present). He also voiced
Leonardo
Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard.
People
Notable people with the name include:
* Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Italian Renaissance scientist ...
in the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
animated series ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (2014–2017) and
Joker in the ''
Mass Effect'' video game series (2007–2012). Green created, directs, writes, and produces the adult animated comedy series ''
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The write ...
'' and its spinoffs (2005–present), which have earned him three
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
and five
Annie Awards
The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally des ...
.
Early life
Seth Benjamin Gesshel-Green was born in
Overbrook Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Barbara (Gesshel) and Herbert Green. He has one sister, Kaela. Green later legally changed his name to Seth Benjamin Green.
He was raised
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and had a
Bar Mitzvah ceremony. His ancestors were from Russia, Poland, and Scotland. Green started acting at the age of 7.
His early comic influences included
Monty Python, ''
Blackadder'', ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'',
Richard Pryor,
Bill Cosby, ''
Porky's'', and ''
Caddyshack''.
Career
Early work
Green's first movie roles were in the 1984 films ''Billions for Boris'' and ''
The Hotel New Hampshire''; the second film cast him alongside
Jodie Foster and
Rob Lowe. He appeared in the 1987 film ''
Can't Buy Me Love'', playing
Patrick Dempsey's character's little brother, Chuckie Miller. He starred in
Woody Allen
Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
's ''
Radio Days'' (1987) as Joe (a 1930s–1940s boy based on Allen) and appeared in ''
Big Business
Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...
'' (1988) and, in the same year, ''
My Stepmother Is an Alien'', which also starred ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' co-star
Alyson Hannigan.
In 1984, Green portrayed
Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer in the Jell-O Gelatin Pops commercials featuring ''
The Little Rascals
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
''. In 1991, Green rose to fame in a
Rally's "Cha Ching" commercial,
which earned him an appearance at a
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
game. Green was given a key to
in honor of his role in the popular commercial.
Green appeared in the horror TV series ''
It'' (as
Richie Tozier
Richard "Richie" Tozier is a fictional character created by Stephen King and one of the main characters of his 1986 novel '' It''. The character is a member of "The Losers Club" and is seen to be the comic relief of the group; however, his loudmo ...
, age 12) and
''Ticks'', all three ''
Austin Powers
''Austin Powers'' is a series of American spy action comedy films: '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997), '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999) and '' Austin Powers in Goldmember'' (2002). The films were produced ...
'' movies (as Dr. Evil's son, Scott), and ''
Enemy of the State'' and ''
The Italian Job'' (as a computer specialist in both). He was also in the films ''
Can't Hardly Wait'', ''
Rat Race
A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely.
The term is ...
'', ''
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'', ''
Without a Paddle
''Without a Paddle'' is a 2004 American adventure comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Jay Leggett and Mitch Rouse, and based on a story by Harris Goldberg, Tom Nursall, and Fred Wolf. The film stars Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, D ...
'' (alongside ''
Matthew Lillard''), ''
Idle Hands
''Idle Hands'' is a 1999 American teen black comedy horror film directed by Rodman Flender, written by Terri Hughes and Ron Milbauer, and starring Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Elden Henson, Jessica Alba, and Vivica A. Fox. The main plot follows ...
'', ''
Party Monster'', ''
Airborne
Airborne or Airborn may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis
* ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film
* ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...
'', and ''
Old Dogs''. Green also had a role in the series ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer''.
In 1994, he starred alongside
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel series '' Kids I ...
in the short-lived series ''
The Byrds of Paradise
''The Byrds of Paradise'' is an American drama television series that ran on ABC from March 3 to June 23, 1994, during the 1993–94 season. One of the few series executive produced by Steven Bochco that he did not help create, the hour-long dram ...
''. He worked with Hewitt again in 1998's ''
Can't Hardly Wait''. Green is not related to
Bruce Seth Green, who directed some episodes of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. On occasion, some sources confuse the two and have credited Seth as the director. As an actor in the series, he was close to co-star Alyson Hannigan because they were lovers in the show. He played
Daniel "Oz" Osbourne
Daniel "Oz" Osbourne is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The character is portrayed by Seth Green. Green also portrays the character in one episode of the spin-off series ''Ang ...
, a calm, mild-mannered member of the band
Dingoes Ate My Baby who gets turned into a werewolf. He is very popular among fans of the series. Green has starred on Fox's ''
Greg the Bunny
''Greg the Bunny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on Fox in 2002. It starred Seth Green and a hand puppet named Greg the Bunny, originally invented by the team of Sean S. Baker, Spencer Chinoy and Dan Milano. Milano and ...
'' and guest-starred on ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
'', ''
That '70s Show'', ''
Will & Grace'', ''
MADtv'', ''
Reno 911!'', ''
Entourage'', ''
Grey's Anatomy'', ''
The Wonder Years'', ''
Heroes'', ''
The Facts of Life'', ''
The Drew Carey Show'', and ''
My Name Is Earl''.
''Family Guy''
Green provides the voice of Chris for the
animated television sitcom ''
Family Guy''. Green primarily voices
Chris Griffin, the teenage son, who is overweight, unintelligent and, in many respects, a younger version of
his father, and Neil Goldman, a neighbor of the Griffins. Green did an impression of the
Buffalo Bill character from the thriller film ''
The Silence of the Lambs'' during his audition. Green has stated that his main inspiration for Chris' voice came from envisioning how "Buffalo Bill" would sound if he were speaking through a PA system at a
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...
.
''Howard the Duck''
Green provides the voice of
Howard the Duck for the live-action
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...
(MCU) films ''
Guardians of the Galaxy'' (2014) and
''Vol. 2'' (2017) and the
Disney+
Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
animated series
''What If...?'', as well as the
Disney XD animated series
''Guardians of the Galaxy'' (2015–19) and
''Ultimate Spider-Man'' (2016).
Developing the character with
James Gunn, Green did an impression of
Danny DeVito, "being sort of a gruff and cynical sarcastic character
hodoesn't know what the Earth species of duck even is and doesn't think of himself that way and is offended by that generalization."
Later work
Green is a co-creator, co-producer, writer, director, and most frequent voice of the Emmy-winning stop-motion sketch parody comedy TV series ''
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The write ...
'', for which he does many voices and has appeared in animated form. Green is friends with the band
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hur ...
, making a cameo in their music video, "
This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race". He also appeared in
"Weird Al" Yankovic's "
White & Nerdy
"White & Nerdy" is the second single from "Weird Al" Yankovic's album ''Straight Outta Lynwood'', which was released on September 26, 2006. It parodies the song "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone. The song both satirizes and celebrates ...
" music video. He made two appearances on ''
The Soup'' in 2007 and 2008, using his first appearance to lampoon Internet celebrity
Chris Crocker
Cara Cunningham (formerly Chris Crocker; born December 7, 1987), is an American transgender Internet personality, songwriter, recording artist, YouTuber, and former pornographic film actor. , Cunningham's videos had received a combined 50 m ...
. He voiced the character
Jeff "Joker" Moreau, pilot of the ''
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
''-SR starship series in the video games ''
Mass Effect'', ''
Mass Effect 2'', and ''
Mass Effect 3''. He is a producer of ''
The 1 Second Film'' and appears in the "making of" documentary that accompanies its feature-length credits. Green is also the co-creator (with Hugh Sterbakov) of the comic ''
Freshmen'', published by
Top Cow Productions.
Green, along with ''Robot Chicken'' co-producer
Breckin Meyer, appeared in the NBC show ''
Heroes'' during the 2008–09 season. In January 2009, Green worked with
David Faustino
David Anthony Faustino (; born March 3, 1974) is an American actor and radio personality primarily known for his role as Bud Bundy on the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children''. He has also voiced animated characters for Nickelodeon, includi ...
(Bud Bundy from ''
Married... with Children'') for an episode of Faustino's show ''
Star-ving'' – Faustino is often mistaken for Green. Later in the same year, he worked with one of his idols,
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
in
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
''
Old Dogs'', which also starred
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes '' Carrie'' ( ...
. On July 13,
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
's official website announced Green as the special guest host for the July 13 episode of ''
WWE Raw
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show f ...
'', and on that night, Green competed in the
main event
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
, a six-man
tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
match, which his team won by
disqualification. He was also in attendance for WWE's biggest event of the year,
WrestleMania XXVI on March 28, 2010. Green guest-starred in the third season of the acclaimed sitcom ''
Husbands''.
Green became the new voice of
Leonardo
Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard.
People
Notable people with the name include:
* Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Italian Renaissance scientist ...
in ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' beginning in its third season (following
Jason Biggs' departure from the role).
In 2019, he wrote and released his first movie named ''
Changeland'', starring
Brenda Song and
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to prom ...
. The movie was released on June 7, 2019.
In 2022, Green voiced
Thunderbolt in season three of ''
Stargirl'' where the character was previously voiced by
Jim Gaffigan.
Personal life
After getting engaged on New Year's Eve in 2009, Green married actress
Clare Grant
Clare Camille Johnson (born August 23, 1979), known professionally as Clare Grant, is an American actress, model and producer. She co-founded Team Unicorn, which has produced several web series and music video parodies including " Geek and Gamer ...
on May 1, 2010, in Northern California.
They worked together on ''
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The write ...
'', ''
Warren the Ape
''Warren the Ape'' is an MTV reality show parody which ran from June 14 to August 30, 2010 and aired at 10:30 p.m. The series is a spin-off of the IFC and Fox TV show '' Greg the Bunny'', and follows the titular character's life as he trie ...
'', ''
Changeland'', ''
Holidays'', ''
Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', ''
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
''Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'' is an American animated television series based on the superhero character by Marvel Comics. The series premiered on August 11, 2013, on Disney XD as part of the ''Marvel Universe'' block, and ended on June 2 ...
'', and her ''Saber'' and "
Geek and Gamer Girls Song" viral videos.
In 2000, Green stated, "God is, to me, pretty much an idea. God is, to me, pretty much a myth created over time to deny the idea that we're all responsible for our own actions." In 2013, he said that he had "a deep belief in the divinity of the Universe, and I had no ability to really comprehend the scope or magnitude of all the things that I don't understand".
Filmography
Film
Television
Web
Video games
Theme park attractions
Awards and nominations
See also
*
List of recurring ''That '70s Show'' characters
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Seth
1974 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male child actors
American male comedians
American male television actors
American male video game actors
American male voice actors
American television directors
American parodists
Living people
Male actors from Philadelphia
Male motion capture actors
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Jewish American male actors
21st-century American Jews