Eddie Kaye Thomas (born Edward Kovelsky; October 31, 1980)
is an American actor.
In film, Thomas rose to prominence for his lead role as Paul Finch in the
''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012). He had a supporting role as Andy Rosenberg in the
''Harold & Kumar'' film series (2004–2011). Thomas' other supporting film roles include ''
The Rage: Carrie 2'' (1999), ''
Black and White
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
'' (1999), ''
Dirty Love'' (2005), ''
Blind Dating
''Blind Dating'' (also known as ''Blind Guy Driving'') is a 2006 American romantic comedy film directed by James Keach and starring Chris Pine, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Anjali Jay, Jane Seymour, and Jayma Mays. The film was produced by David Sha ...
'' (2006), and ''
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
''Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Alexis Dziena, Ari Graynor, Aaron Yoo and Jay Baruchel. Written by Lorene Scafaria and base ...
'' (2008).
In television, Thomas has had main roles on
The WB
The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...
sitcoms as Russell on ''
Brutally Normal
''Brutally Normal'' is an American sitcom television series that starred Eddie Kaye Thomas from '' American Pie'' and Mike Damus from '' Teen Angel''. It aired on The WB. The series premiered on January 24, 2000 with two back-to-back episodes lat ...
'' (2000) ''
Off Centre
''Off Centre'' is an American sitcom that aired on The WB network from October 14, 2001, to October 31, 2002. Created by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, and Danny Zuker, the series was heavily promoted as "from the guys who brought you '' American Pi ...
'' (2001–2002), Jeff Woodcock on the first two seasons of the
Fox
Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush").
Twelve species ...
sitcom ''
'Til Death
''Til Death'' is an American sitcom that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from September 7, 2006, to June 20, 2010. The series was created by husband and wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, who were also the writers and executive pr ...
'' (2006–2008), David Kaplan on the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
comedy-drama series ''
How to Make It in America'' (2010–2011), and Tobias "Toby" Curtis on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
drama series ''
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
'' (2014–2018). He had a recurring role as Adam on the Amazon Prime series ''
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' (2023). Since 2005, he has provided the voice of Barry Robinson on the Fox and
TBS animated sitcom ''
American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...
''.
Early and personal life
Thomas was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. He is Jewish.
In a 2020 interview promoting ''
American Pie'' co-star
Jason Biggs
Jason Matthew Biggs (born May 12, 1978) is an American actor. The accolades he has received include a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award, alongside nominations for a Daytime Emmy Awards, Daytime Emmy Award and a Satellite Award ...
' show ''
Outmatched
''Outmatched'' is an American multi-camera television sitcom created by Lon Zimmet for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired from January 23 to March 26, 2020. In May 2020, Fox canceled the series after one season.
Premise
The series follows a ...
,'' Biggs said that Eddie Kaye Thomas is a stage name. His real name is Edward Kovelsky.
Thomas stated on a podcast that he is married with three children; and that he and his wife became parents in 2018 right after ''
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
'' was cancelled.
Career
Thomas began his acting career as a stage actor at age seven, appearing in ''Four Baboons Adoring the Sun'' in 1992, and ''
The Diary of Anne Frank
''The Diary of a Young Girl'', commonly referred to as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of t ...
'', opposite
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag{{efn, Some Hebrew sources claim that her birth name was "Neta-Lee Hershleg" ({{langx, he, נטע-לי הרשלג) and later, her first name was Americanized to "Natalie". {{Cite news , last=Shamir , first=Oron , date=August ...
in 1997. He graduated from New York's Professional Children's High School already a veteran of the Broadway stage.
Thomas made his onscreen debut in an episode of the ABC Soap Opera ''
One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...
'', and later starred in an episode of ''
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' is a children's horror anthology television series created by D. J. MacHale and Ned Kandel. The original series aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from August 15, 1992 to February 3, 1996, and also o ...
'' about a possessed camera that destroys everything it shoots, entitled ''The Tale of the Curious Camera''. He also appeared on ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...
'' twice in 1996, playing different characters each time. On the Thanksgiving 1998 edition of ''
Late Night with Conan O’Brien
''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...
'' Thomas played Ricky, Conan and Andy's son home from college for the holidays.
Thomas become well-known for his role as Paul Finch in ''
American Pie'' (1999), appearing in all four theatrical films of the ''
American Pie franchise '' (1999–2012). His screen work also includes the independent movie called ''Illtown'', ''
The Rage: Carrie 2'', and
James Toback
James Lee Toback (, born November 23, 1944) is an American screenwriter and film director. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1991 for ''Bugsy''. He has directed films including '' The Pick-up Artist'', ''Two Gi ...
's controversial motion picture ''
Black and White
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
'' in which Thomas co-starred with
Robert Downey, Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965), also known as RDJ, is an American actor. One of the highest-grossing actors of all time, his films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide. In 2008, Downey was named by ''Time ...
and
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in Jared Leto filmography, a variety of roles, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Jared Leto, numerous accolade ...
. Thomas also played the title role in Canadian shock-comic
Tom Green
Michael Thomas Green (born July 30, 1971) is a Canadian and American comedian, show host, actor, filmmaker, podcaster, and rapper. After pursuing stand-up comedy and music as a young adult, Green created and hosted '' The Tom Green Show'', whi ...
's ''
Freddy Got Fingered
''Freddy Got Fingered'' is a 2001 black comedy film directed by Tom Green in his feature film directorial debut and written by Bickel and Derek Harvie. The film stars Green alongside Rip Torn, Marisa Coughlan, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Julie Ha ...
'', and the stereotypical Jewish character Rosenberg in ''
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
''Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' (released in some international markets as ''Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies'') is a 2004 American Buddy film, buddy stoner film, stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner, written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayd ...
'' (2004) and ''
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
''Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay'' is a 2008 American buddy stoner comedy film written and directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. The sequel to '' Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' (2004), is the second installment in th ...
'' (2008) opposite
David Krumholtz
David Krumholtz (born May 15, 1978) is an American actor. Krumholtz is best known for portraying Bernard in ''The Santa Clause'' franchise (1994–present), Michael Eckman in '' 10 Things I Hate About You'' (1999), Goldstein in the '' Harold & K ...
.
From 2001 to 2002, Thomas starred in the television series ''
Off Centre
''Off Centre'' is an American sitcom that aired on The WB network from October 14, 2001, to October 31, 2002. Created by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, and Danny Zuker, the series was heavily promoted as "from the guys who brought you '' American Pi ...
'' with
John Cho
John Cho (born Cho Yo-Han; June 16, 1972) is an American actor known for his roles as Harold Lee in the '' Harold & Kumar'' films, and Hikaru Sulu in the ''Star Trek'' rebooted film series as well as '' Better Luck Tomorrow'', '' Columbus'', a ...
. He returned to the small screen in the sitcom ''
'Til Death
''Til Death'' is an American sitcom that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from September 7, 2006, to June 20, 2010. The series was created by husband and wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, who were also the writers and executive pr ...
'' for the first two seasons (2006 and 2007). His character was removed from the show for budget reasons but still appeared in season 3. Due to the
writers' strike a few season 2 episodes were shown starting Wednesday, October 8, 2008. He has also appeared in the ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' episode "
No More Bets".
Thomas appeared in commercials for
Blockbuster Video
Blockbuster may refer to:
Corporations
* Blockbuster (retailer), a former video rental chain
* Blockbuster (Bend, Oregon), remaining store
Arts and entertainment
* Blockbuster (entertainment) a very successful movie
* Blockbuster (DC Comics ...
,
Snickers
Snickers (stylized in all caps) is a chocolate bar consisting of nougat topped with Caramel#Candy, caramel and peanuts, all encased in milk chocolate. The bars are made by the American company Mars Inc. The annual global sales of Snickers is ...
and
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
. He also appeared in
311's music video for "
Flowing".
He has continued to do stage work, appearing off Broadway in 2006, and has voiced Barry Robinson on ''
American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...
'' since 2005.
From 2010 to 2011, he appeared as David Kaplan in
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
comedy-drama
Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
television series ''
How to Make It in America''.
In 2014, he appeared as Mark in DirecTV's First Original Comedy ''Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight''.
In the same year, Thomas was a member of the principal cast of the TV series ''
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
'' on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
as
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
trained
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...
and genius
behaviourist
Behaviorism is a systematic approach to understand the behavior of humans and other animals. It assumes that behavior is either a reflex elicited by the pairing of certain antecedent (behavioral psychology), antecedent stimuli in the environmen ...
, Dr. Tobias M Curtis. The series was cancelled after completing four seasons (93 episodes) in May 2018. In 2018, he joined the cast of
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
''
Shattered Memories'', also known by the name ''Last Night''.
In 2020, he reunited with his ''
American Pie'' co-stars
Alyson Hannigan
Allison Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974), known professionally as Alyson Hannigan, is an American actress and television presenter. She began her film career with supporting roles in the comedy films '' Impure Thoughts'' (1986) and '' My Step ...
and Jason Biggs in the
Fox
Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush").
Twelve species ...
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Outmatched
''Outmatched'' is an American multi-camera television sitcom created by Lon Zimmet for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired from January 23 to March 26, 2020. In May 2020, Fox canceled the series after one season.
Premise
The series follows a ...
''.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Eddie Kaye
1980 births
Male actors from New York City
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Jewish American male actors
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American Jews