Joshua Thomas Radnor (born July 29, 1974) is an American actor, filmmaker, author, and musician. He is best known for portraying

Ted Mosby Theodore Evelyn Mosby is a fictional character and the protagonist in the American sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Josh Radnor. He serves as the show's narrator from the future, voiced by Bob Saget, as he tells his children ...

on the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

–winning

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 ...

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 ...

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

'' (2005–2014). He made his writing and directorial debut with the 2010 comedy drama film '' Happythankyoumoreplease'', for which he won the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

Audience Award and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. In 2012, he wrote, directed and starred in his second film, ''

Liberal Arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

'', which premiered at the

2012 Sundance Film Festival The 2012 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 until January 29, 2012 in Park City, Utah. 64 short films were selected for the festival from 7,675 submissions, including 27 international shorts from 3,592 submissions. Non-competitio ...

. In 2014, Radnor portrayed Isaac in the Broadway play ''

Disgraced ''Disgraced'' (2012) is the first stage play by playwright, novelist, and screenwriter Ayad Akhtar. It premiered in Chicago and has had Off-Broadway and Off West End engagements. The play, which won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, opened on ...

'', which was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Play The Tony Award for Best Play (formally, an Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non-musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first year ...

. He then starred as Dr. Jedediah Foster on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

drama series '' Mercy Street'', Lou Mazzuchelli in the musical series '' Rise'', and as Lonny Flash in ''Hunters''. In 2024, he returned to theater acting in the

Itamar Moses Itamar Moses (born 1977) is an American playwright, author, producer and television writer. He gained acclaim for writing the book for the Broadway musical '' The Band's Visit'' (2017) receiving the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. He w ...

play '' The Ally'' at

The Public Theater The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: ...

Early life and education

Radnor was born in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, to a Jewish family, the son of Carol Radnor (), a high school counselor, and Alan Radnor, a medical malpractice lawyer. Radnor has two sisters. He grew up in

Bexley, Ohio Bexley is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,928 at the 2020 census. The city is a suburban enclave of Columbus, situated on the banks of Alum Creek east of Columbus's Near East Side. It was founded in 1908 ...

, a suburb of Columbus, and was raised in

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...

. He attended the Orthodox

Jewish day school A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide children of Jews, Jewish parents with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full-time basis. The term "day school" is used to differentiat ...

Columbus Torah Academy before going to Bexley High School and then

Kenyon College Kenyon College ( ) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private instituti ...

, where his school's theater department presented him with the

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

Award and during which he spent a semester (Spring 1995) training at the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in

Waterford, Connecticut Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Southeastern Connecticut ...

. He graduated from Kenyon with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in drama in 1996. Radnor received his

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

degree in acting from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

's graduate acting program at the

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

in 1999. Radnor participated in an Israel experience program in Tzfat with Livnot U'Lehibanot in 1997.

Career

Radnor was cast as the lead in

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 ...

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 ...

''. However, the role was re-cast with Eddie Kaye Thomas before the first episode aired. In 2002, he made his Broadway debut in the stage version of ''

The Graduate ''The Graduate'' is a 1967 American independent romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novella by Charles Webb. It stars Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddoc ...

'', succeeding

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 ...

, opposite

Kathleen Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. Known for her distinctive deep husky voice, she is the recipient of two Golden Globes, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy, and two Tony Awards. After debuting ...

and

Alicia Silverstone Alicia Silverstone ( ; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller ''The Crush (1993 film), The Crush'' (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further pro ...

. In 2004, Radnor starred in ''The Paris Letter'' alongside his future ''How I Met Your Mother'' co-star

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...

. From 2005 to 2014, Radnor starred as

in the

'', his biggest role to date. The series ran for nine seasons and revolved around friends living 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 ...

and finding love. He acted alongside

Cobie Smulders Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS series ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in th ...

, Jason Segel, and

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 ...

. In July 2008, he starred opposite

Jennifer Westfeldt Jennifer Westfeldt (born February 2, 1970) is an American actress, director, screenwriter, and producer. She is best known for co-writing, co-producing, and starring in the 2002 indie film '' Kissing Jessica Stein'', for which she received an I ...

in the premiere of the play ''Finks'', written by Joe Gilford and directed by Charlie Stratton for New York Stage and Film. Radnor made his directorial debut with the film '' Happythankyoumoreplease'', where he was both the writer and star of the 2010 comedy-drama. His second directorial effort, ''

'', starring himself and Elizabeth Olsen, premiered at the

on January 22, 2012. Radnor appeared in the Broadway production of ''

'', which opened October 23, 2014, at the Lyceum Theatre. He is set to direct the sci-fi thriller film ''The Leaves''. From 2016 to 2017 he played Dr. Jedediah Foster in the historical medical drama '' Mercy Street'' on

. In October 2016, Radnor also confirmed he is in a band, Radnor and Lee, with Australian musician

Ben Lee Benjamin Michael Lee (born 11 September 1978) is an Australian musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but he focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He app ...

. Radnor and Lee had known each other for "twelve or thirteen years after meeting on the set of ''

''" eventually writing songs together. Their debut album, ''Radnor & Lee'' was released on November 10, 2017, "receiving widespread praise across the board, and cementing the duo as an accomplished pair of artists," stated

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

. On February 19, 2020,

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

announced Radnor and Lee's sophomore album, ''Golden State'', out on Flower Moon Records, and premiered the first single "Outside In." American Songwriter later premiered the video for the album's 2nd single, "Simple Harmony." Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the album's release date was pushed back to June 2020. Radnor's debut solo EP, ''One More Then I'll Let You Go,'' was released on April 16, 2021, on Flower Moon Records.

premiered the first single, "The High Road," March 10, 2021, calling it a "gently lilting ballad about the breakdown of a friendship on which he sings... which features deep textures of piano, acoustic guitar, organ, and snapping fingers." The EP's 2nd single, "You Feel New," premiered on March 31, 2021, with features in

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

and

Paste Magazine ''Paste'' is an American monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publi ...

. From 2020 to 2023 he starred as Lonny Flash

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

series, '' Hunters'' acting alongside Logan Lerman and

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...

. He voiced Durpleton in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

animated series '' Centaurworld'' (2021). He took a recurring role as Adam one of the protagonists friends, in the FX on Hulu limited series '' Fleishman Is in Trouble'' (2022). He acted alongside

Jesse Eisenberg Jesse Adam Eisenberg ( ; born October 5, 1983) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. Recognized for playing smart but awkward characters in both comedies and dramas, his accolades include a British Academy Film Award and nominati ...

, Lizzy Caplan, and

Adam Brody Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor. His breakout role was as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007). For his performance as Noah in the Netflix romantic comedy series '' Nobody Wants T ...

. The series went on to receive a nomination for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series represents excellence in the category of limited series that are two or more episodes, with a total running time of at least 150 minutes. Criteria The program must tell a compl ...

. In 2024 Radnor returned to theatre starring in the

play '' The Ally'' directed by Lila Neugebauer at The Public Theatre.

Personal life

In 2008, Radnor told the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', "I do Transcendental Meditation, and part of the reason I chose my house is that I thought it would be a great place to meditate." Radnor is an avid

Cloud Cult Cloud Cult is an experimental music, experimental indie rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, led by singer-songwriter Craig Minowa. The name originated from the ancient prophecies of indigenous North Amer ...

fan. He collaborated with the band to make the film ''The Seeker'' in 2016. Radnor explained, "What's true for me about a lot of music, but especially true for Cloud Cult's music, is that it stirs up the thing that's already in you and calls it out. If this film is able to do that, I'll sleep well at night." Radnor married clinical psychologist Jordana J. Jacobs on January 6, 2024.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Theatre

Awards and nominations

Discography

Radnor and Lee

* ''Radnor and Lee'' (2017, Gold Village Entertainment) * ''Golden State'' (2020, Flower Moon Records)

Solo

* ''One More Then I'll Let You Go'' (2021, Flower Moon Records) * ''Eulogy, Vol. 1'' (2023, Optimal Grip) * ''Eulogy, Vol. II'' (2024, Optimal Grip)

Additional appearances

* Paty Cantú & Josh Radnor – "Mirame" (2020, Universal Music Mexico)

References

External links

* * *
Josh Radnor Bio at CBS – How I Met Your Mother
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radnor, Josh 1974 births Living people 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters Film directors from Ohio American film producers American male film actors American male screenwriters American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors Bexley High School alumni Jewish American male actors Jewish American musicians Jewish American screenwriters Kenyon College alumni Sundance Film Festival award winners Male actors from Columbus, Ohio Musicians from Ohio People from Bexley, Ohio People from Greater Columbus, Ohio Radnor and Lee members Screenwriters from Ohio Tisch School of the Arts alumni