Max Greenfield (born September 4, 1979) is an American actor. He appeared in recurring roles in ''
Veronica Mars
''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...
'' and ''
Ugly Betty
''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian ...
''. He co-starred as
Schmidt 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 (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
sitcom ''
New Girl
''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Television for Fox that originally aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around a kooky teacher, Jessica Day (Zooey ...
'', for which he received nominations at the
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 ...
, the
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
, and the
Critics' Choice Television Awards. Since 2018, Greenfield has portrayed Dave Johnson in the
CBS sitcom ''
The Neighborhood''.
He voiced Roger in the
''Ice Age'' franchise, and numerous characters in the shows ''
Bob's Burgers
''Bob's Burgers'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard that premiered on Fox on January 9, 2011. The show centers on the Belcher family—parents Bob and Linda and their three children, Tina, Gene, and Louise—who ...
'', ''
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 writer ...
'' and ''
BoJack Horseman
''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animated black comedy-drama streaming television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in ...
''.
Early life
Greenfield was born and raised in
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2019, its population rose to an estimated 11,027. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a ...
. He is
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 ''
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 serve ...
''-themed
Bar Mitzvah. He graduated from
Dobbs Ferry High School in 1998. At DFHS, Greenfield played wide receiver for the football team.
Career
Greenfield began pursuing an acting career in 1998 after he graduated from high school. He landed guest appearances on dramas such as ''
Boston Public
''Boston Public'' is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school in the Boston Public Scho ...
'', ''
Gilmore Girls
''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham ( Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel ( Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flag ...
'' and ''
The O.C.
''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. "O.C." is an initialis ...
'' Greenfield scored his first lead role on the short-lived series ''
Modern Men'' as one of three bachelors who hire a
life coach
Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...
to help them understand women. Greenfield had more success in supporting roles on ''
Veronica Mars
''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...
'' (reprising the role in the
film adaptation in 2014) and ''
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''. In 2007 he landed a recurring role on ''
Ugly Betty
''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian ...
''. He made other guest-starring appearances on the remake of ''
Melrose Place
''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...
'', the short-lived ''
No Ordinary Family'', and ''
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
''.
He created, produced, and starred in the comedy series ''The Gentlemen's League'' for the
Audience Network in 2010, which followed the real-life fantasy football league he ran with actor
Jerry Ferrara
Jerry Charles Ferrara (born November 25, 1979) is an American actor known for his role as Turtle on the HBO comedy series '' Entourage'', and starred on the Starz drama series '' Power'' as Joe Proctor.
Life and career
Ferrara was born in Broo ...
.
Greenfield had his feature film debut in the film ''Cross Bronx''. Greenfield had a featured role in ''
When Do We Eat?'', as an Internet tycoon who, after losing his fortune, becomes a
Hasidic Jew.
In 2011, Greenfield began playing the role of Schmidt in the sitcom ''
New Girl
''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Television for Fox that originally aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around a kooky teacher, Jessica Day (Zooey ...
''. The role earned him nominations for both a
and a
.
In 2015, Greenfield starred in a series of
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food
Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold ...
commercials promoting their Sirloin Third Pound Burgers.
In 2018, Greenfield was cast in the lead role of Dave Johnson in the CBS comedy ''
The Neighborhood''. He took over the role from
Josh Lawson, who played the character in the pilot episode. On November 8, 2018, it was announced that Greenfield is set to reprise his role as Leo D'Amato in the 8-episode
revival series of ''
Veronica Mars
''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...
''. In the same year, Greenfield was cast in the recurring role of the Denouement brothers on the third season of the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
comedy drama series ''
A Series of Unfortunate Events''.
Philanthropy
Max Greenfield has worked with
Young Storytellers Foundation on numerous occasions, stating that his own kids have inspired him to help children find self-confidence and creativity.
Personal life
He has been married to casting director Tess Sanchez since 2008. They have two children, a daughter Lilly and a son Ozzie.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenfield, Max
1979 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Jewish American male actors
Male actors from New York (state)
People from Dobbs Ferry, New York
21st-century American Jews