Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic
leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...
, five
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. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
, a
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
, and an
Independent Spirit Award
The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...
.
Originally a
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...
in Vancouver, Rogen moved to Los Angeles for a part in
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian known for his work in comedy films. Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he wrote, produced, and directed his films ''The 4 ...
's series ''
Freaks and Geeks
''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show is set in a suburban high school near ...
'' in 1999, and was later cast on Apatow's sitcom ''
Undeclared'' in 2001, which also hired him as a writer. Rogen landed a job as a staff writer on the final season of ''
Da Ali G Show
''Da Ali G Show'' is a British satirical sketch comedy television series created by and starring British comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen. In the series, Baron Cohen plays three unorthodox journalists: faux-streetwise poseur Ali G, Kazakh ...
'' (2004), for which the writing team was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. Apatow subsequently guided him toward a film career.
His first movie appearance was a minor role in ''
Donnie Darko
''Donnie Darko'' is a 2001 American Science fiction film, science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly (filmmaker), Richard Kelly in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut, and produced by Flower ...
'' (2001), and he had a supporting part in Apatow's directorial debut, ''
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by Judd Apatow (in his feature directorial debut), who produced the film with Clayton Townsend and Shauna Robertson. It features Steve Carell as the titular 40-y ...
'' (2005), which he co-produced. He had leading roles in Apatow's comedies ''
Knocked Up
''Knocked Up'' is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel and Martin Starr. It follows ...
'' (2007) and ''
Funny People'' (2009). Rogen and his writing partner,
Evan Goldberg
Evan D. Goldberg (born September 15, 1982) is a Canadian screenwriter, film producer and director. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on a variety of films, including '' Superbad'', '' Pineapple Express'', '' This Is the En ...
, co-wrote the films ''
Superbad'' (2007), ''
Pineapple Express'' (2008), ''
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell (director), James Jewell.
Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas i ...
'' (2011) and ''
This Is the End'' (2013), and directed ''This Is the End'' and ''
The Interview'' (2014), all of which starred Rogen. He had further comedic roles in ''
Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (2008), ''
Neighbors'' (2014),
its 2016 sequel, ''
The Disaster Artist
''The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made'' is a 2013 non-fiction book written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell, in which the former details the troubled development and production of the panned 2003 cult ...
'' (2017), and ''
Long Shot
In photography, filmmaking and video production, a wide shot (sometimes referred to as a full shot or long shot) is a shot that typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surro ...
'' (2019). He has played dramatic roles in ''
50/50'' (2011), ''
Take This Waltz'' (2011), ''
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, inventor, and investor best known for co-founding the technology company Apple Inc. Jobs was also the founder of NeXT and chairman and majority shareholder o ...
'' (2015) and ''
The Fabelmans'' (2022). He also starred in the
FX on Hulu miniseries ''
Pam & Tommy'' (2022) for which he received
Primetime Emmy and
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations.
Rogen has co-developed the
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
television series ''
Preacher
A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...
'' (2016–2019), on which he also served as writer, executive producer and director. He has also executive produced the
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
superhero series ''
The Boys'' from 2019, and ''
Invincible'' from 2021. He is currently starring in the critically acclaimed
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...
satirical comedy series
''The Studio'' (2025), which he created, wrote, and directed alongside Goldberg. Rogen is also known for his voice roles in the animated films ''
Shrek the Third'' (2007), ''
Horton Hears a Who!
''Horton Hears a Who!'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss. It was published in 1954 by Random House. This book tells the story of Horton the Elephant and his adventures saving Who ...
'' (2008), the ''
Kung Fu Panda
''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that started in 2008 with the release of the animated film '' Kung Fu Panda'' produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily v ...
'' series, ''
The Spiderwick Chronicles
''The Spiderwick Chronicles'' is a series of children's fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. They chronicle the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into the Spider ...
'' (2008), ''
Monsters vs. Aliens
''Monsters vs. Aliens'' is a 2009 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman from a screenplay written by Let ...
'' (2009), ''
Sausage Party'' (2016; which he also co-wrote and produced), ''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Produced by Walt Disney ...
'' (2019), ''
The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' (2023), ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'' (2023; which he also co-wrote and produced) and ''
Mufasa: The Lion King'' (2024).
Early life
Seth Aaron Rogen was born on April 15, 1982, in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, into a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family of Ukrainian and Russian origin.
His mother, Sandy Belogus, is a
social worker
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
, and his American father, Mark Rogen, worked for
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
s and as an assistant director of the
Workmen's Circle
The Workers Circle or Der Arbeter Ring (), formerly The Workmen's Circle, is an American Jews, Jewish nonprofit organization that promotes social and economic justice, Jewish community and education, including Yiddish studies, and Ashkenazi Jews, ...
Jewish fraternal organization.
Rogen is a dual citizen of Canada and America who once said "I definitely associate with being Canadian much more than being American" due his upbringing in the former. He has described his parents, who met on kibbutz
Beit Alfa
Beit Alfa (; also Beit Alpha, Bet Alpha and Bet Alfa) is a kibbutz in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel, founded in 1922 by immigrants from Poland. Located at the base of the Gilboa (ridge), Gilboa ridge, it falls under ...
in
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, as "radical Jewish socialists."
Rogen has an older sister named Danya.
He attended
Vancouver Talmud Torah Elementary School and
Point Grey Secondary School, incorporating many of his classmates into his writing, and took up kyokushin
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
for 10 years. He was also known for the
stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...
he performed at Camp Miriam, a
Habonim Dror
Habonim Dror (, "the builders–freedom") is a Jewish Labor Zionist youth movement formed in 1982 through the merger of two earlier movements: Habonim and Dror.
Habonim (, "the builders") was established in 1929 in the United Kingdom and later e ...
camp.
As a child, Rogen did not want to pursue any career other than comedy, stating, "As soon as I realized you could be funny as a job, that was the job I wanted."
He got his start in show business at age 12 after enrolling in a comedy workshop taught by Mark Pooley.
His early comedy routines involved jokes about his
bar mitzvah
A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...
, his grandparents and his camp counsellors.
As a teenager, he would perform stand-up comedy routines at places like bar mitzvahs and small parties, later shifting to bars.
A
mohel
A ( , Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazi pronunciation , plural: , , "circumciser") is a Jewish man trained in the practice of , the "covenant of male circumcision". A woman who is trained in the practice is referred to as a ''mohelet'' (plural: ''mo ...
paid him to write jokes.
At the age of 13, he co-wrote a rough draft of ''
Superbad'' with childhood friend
Evan Goldberg
Evan D. Goldberg (born September 15, 1982) is a Canadian screenwriter, film producer and director. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on a variety of films, including '' Superbad'', '' Pineapple Express'', '' This Is the En ...
, whom he had met at bar mitzvah classes.
Based on their teenage experiences,
Rogen and Goldberg spent the rest of their time in high school polishing the script. They initially worried that ''
American Pie'' (1999) had beaten them to the idea for the movie, but they decided that the film "'managed to totally avoid all honest interaction between characters,' which is what we're going for."
His mother was supportive of his comic endeavours and would often drive him to stand-up gigs at the
comedy club
A comedy club is a venue where a variety of comedic acts perform to a live audience. Although the term usually refers to establishments that feature stand-up comedy, stand-up comedians, it can also feature other forms of comedy such as improvisati ...
Yuk Yuk's.
With his
deadpan
Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of Comedy, comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant t ...
humour, he placed second in the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest at 16 years old.
Also when Rogen was 16, his father lost his job and his mother quit hers, forcing them to put their house up for sale and relocate to a significantly smaller apartment. Around this time, he landed a role on
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian known for his work in comedy films. Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he wrote, produced, and directed his films ''The 4 ...
's television show ''
Freaks and Geeks
''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show is set in a suburban high school near ...
'' after attending a local
casting call
In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra to land the role of a character in a script, screenpla ...
.
Rogen dropped out of high school, began working for Apatow
and relocated with his family to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Rogen paid the bills and had become the main wage earner at just 16.
Career
1999–2006: Early work and friendship with Judd Apatow
Rogen's acting debut was as
Ken Miller, a cynical, acerbic "freak" in ''Freaks and Geeks'', an eventual
cult hit series first released in 1999.
Revolving around a group of teenagers' lives, ''Freaks and Geeks'' first aired in 1999. Although well reviewed, the show was
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's lowest-viewed program and was cancelled after one season due to poor ratings.
Impressed with Rogen's improvisational skills,
Apatow then chose him as the lead in another of his shows, ''
Undeclared''. Rogen was originally set to play a fairly popular college freshman, but the network did not think he was leading man material. Apatow opted not to go along with the show.
Rogen also served as a staff writer to the short-lived production.
Following the show's cancellation in 2002, Rogen did not get many auditions, which was not upsetting to him, as he always thought he would achieve better success as a writer.
He was soon part of Apatow's "frat pack," a close-knit group that included
Steve Carell and
Paul Rudd.
Of the awkwardness of a grown man spending so much time with a teenaged Rogen, Apatow said, "I'm such a comedy fan that, even though he's 16, I know I'm hanging out with one of the guys who's going to be one of the great comics."
To simulate their creativity, Apatow gave Rogen and Goldberg unusual writing tasks, such as turning an idea of his into a movie in 10 days, and coming up with 100 one-page film ideas.
Regarding Apatow's professional effect on him, Rogen said in 2009, "Obviously, I can't stress how important Judd's been to my career."
Rogen had roles in ''
Donnie Darko
''Donnie Darko'' is a 2001 American Science fiction film, science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly (filmmaker), Richard Kelly in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut, and produced by Flower ...
'' (2001) and ''
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' (2004).
A big career point for him was becoming a staff writer for
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen ( ; born 13 October 1971) is an English comedian, actor and performance artist. Known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral General Haf ...
's last season of ''
Da Ali G Show'' in 2004.
Along with the show's other writers, Rogen received a
Primetime Emmy Award
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. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
nomination.
He became familiar to audiences as one of the main character's co-workers in Apatow's well-reviewed
buddy comedy directorial debut feature ''
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by Judd Apatow (in his feature directorial debut), who produced the film with Clayton Townsend and Shauna Robertson. It features Steve Carell as the titular 40-y ...
'' (2005), which Rogen also co-produced, and in which he improvised all his dialogue.
"
ogenhadn't done any screen work that indicated he could carry as memorable and convincing a performance as he does with the character Cal,"
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's John Constantine wrote.
''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' reviewer Wesley Morris wrote that Rogen, along with co-stars Rudd and
Romany Malco, were each hilarious in their own right. The ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...
'' Roger Moore believed that Rogen "had his moments" in the film, whereas Moira Macdonald of ''
The Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...
'' said the actor was "droopily deadpan". Rogen followed this with a small role in ''
You, Me and Dupree'' (2006), a critically panned comedy featuring
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and two Independent Spirit Awards alongside nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, ...
,
Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Born to singer Bill Hudson (singer), Bill Hudson and actress Goldie Hawn, Hudson made her film debut in the 1998 drama ''Desert Blue'', which was followed by supporting ...
and
Owen Wilson
Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has frequently worked with filmmaker Wes Anderson, with whom he has shared writing and acting credits on the films '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), and ''T ...
.
2007–2009: Breakthrough as a leading man

Rogen's breakthrough came when
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to:
* Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate
** Universal Pictures, an American film studio
** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex
* Various theme parks operat ...
green-lit him for the lead in yet another Apatow production, ''
Knocked Up
''Knocked Up'' is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel and Martin Starr. It follows ...
'' (2007), a
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
that follows the repercussions of a drunken
one-night stand
A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...
between his slacker character and
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and model. She portrayed Izzie Stevens, Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role that b ...
's just-promoted
media personality that results in an unintended pregnancy. On completing ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'', Apatow had approached Rogen about potential starring roles, but the actor suggested many high-concept science fiction ideas. After Apatow insisted that he would work better in real-life situations, the two agreed on the accidental pregnancy concept of this production.
Rogen called shooting sex scenes with Heigl "nerve-wracking" and was grateful for the supporting cast for shifting some of the film's focus away from him.
Made on a $30 million budget and released on June 1, ''Knocked Up'' was a critical and commercial hit, garnering an approval rating of 90% on
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
and grossing $219 million. Rogen also received favourable reviews. Later that year, he played a supporting part as an irresponsible police officer in ''Superbad'', which he wrote with his writing partner, Evan Goldberg, and was co-produced by Apatow.
Michael Cera
Michael Austin Cera ( ; ; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor. Over his career he has received nominations for a British Academy Film Award, three Critics' Choice Movie Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award.
Cera beca ...
and
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill (born Jonah Hill Feldstein; December 20, 1983) is an American actor. List of awards and nominations received by Jonah Hill, The accolades he has received include nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, BAFTA ...
originate the main roles, two teenage best friends whose party plans go wrong, based on them.
Critics outsiders the film and its writing, finding it very authentic, and it topped the U.S. box office for two weeks. Rogen then made a vocal
cameo appearance
A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
in the animated film ''
Shrek the Third'', also released in 2007, and hosted ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' in October 2007.
Rogen's projects in 2008 included
Jimmy Hayward
James Hayward (born September 17, 1970) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter and animator. He has written screenplays for Columbia Pictures, Columbia, 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros., Warner Brothers.
Biography
A ...
's ''
Horton Hears a Who!
''Horton Hears a Who!'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss. It was published in 1954 by Random House. This book tells the story of Horton the Elephant and his adventures saving Who ...
'', an
animated film
Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
based on the
Dr. Seuss book
A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...
, where Rogen voiced Morton the Mouse, and the fantasy film ''
The Spiderwick Chronicles
''The Spiderwick Chronicles'' is a series of children's fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. They chronicle the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into the Spider ...
'', where he voiced a
hobgoblin
A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his '' A Midsummer Nigh ...
. He additionally co-wrote ''
Drillbit Taylor'', also produced by Apatow and starring
Owen Wilson
Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has frequently worked with filmmaker Wes Anderson, with whom he has shared writing and acting credits on the films '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), and ''T ...
as the homeless titular character. He based the screenplay on a 70-page
scriptment done by
John Hughes. The movie was panned by critics who thought its plot—a grown man becoming three kids' bodyguard and beating up their bullies—had no focus and was too drawn-out. "If ''Superbad'' were remade as a gimmicky
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
movie, it would probably look something like ''Drillbit Taylor''," Josh Bell wrote in the ''
Las Vegas Weekly''. Rogen voiced another animated movie, ''
Kung Fu Panda
''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that started in 2008 with the release of the animated film '' Kung Fu Panda'' produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily v ...
'', with
Jack Black
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
and
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...
. It did exceptionally well in theatres, making more than $630 million. He made a cameo appearance in the comedy ''
Step Brothers'', released in July. Rogen, Goldberg and Apatow were behind the
stoner action comedy
The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...
''
Pineapple Express'' directed by
David Gordon Green at
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
. Apatow produced it while Rogen and Goldberg wrote the script.
Rogen was chosen to play the film's
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
, a 25-year-old who accidentally witnesses a murder while delivering a
subpoena
A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...
.
James Franco
James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007), ''Milk (2008 American film), Milk'' (200 ...
was cast as his
hippie
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
pot dealer with whom he becomes a fugitive. When asked about its inspiration, Rogen said "I write what I know". ''Pineapple Express'' was released to theatres in August and made $101 million against its $27 million production budget. Critics lauded it, appreciating the performances and humor.
In April 2008, ''
Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' reported Rogen and Goldberg would write an episode for the animated television series ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
''. He also voiced a character in the episode, titled "
Homer the Whopper
"Homer the Whopper" is the twenty-first season premiere of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 27, 2009.
In the episode, Comic Book Guy creates a ...
," which opened the
21st season.
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...
's
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
''
Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' rounded out 2008 for the actor. He and
Elizabeth Banks portrayed the title roles of two Pennsylvania roommates who try to make some extra cash by making an
adult film
Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings ...
together. After having difficulty trying to secure an
R rating, Rogen commented to MTV, "It's a really filthy movie," but complained, "It's really crazy to me that ''
Hostel
A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...
'' is fine, with people gouging their eyes out and shit like that ... but you can't show two people having sex – that's too much." The picture was distributed on Halloween by
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the larg ...
and disappointed at the box office. Along with
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Reese Witherspoon, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Aw ...
, he voiced a character in the animated
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
''
Monsters vs. Aliens
''Monsters vs. Aliens'' is a 2009 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman from a screenplay written by Let ...
'' (2009), which did well commercially, with a total of $381.5 million. He then starred in the
Jody Hill–directed mall cop comedy ''
Observe and Report'', in which he portrayed
bipolar mall security guard Ronnie Barnhart. The film opened in theatres on April 10. Critics noted a departure in Rogen's acting style from playing laid-back roles to playing a more sadistic character; Wesley Morris from ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' opined that "Often with Rogen, his vulnerability makes his coarseness safe... Ronnie is something altogether new for Rogen. Vulnerability never arrives. He's shameless."
Later in 2009, Rogen starred in Apatow's third directorial feature, ''
Funny People'', with
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
. Rogen played a young, inexperienced comic while Sandler played a mentor of sorts to his character; the film had more dramatic elements in it than Apatow's previous efforts. ''Funny People'' was a commercial failure, coming up short of earning back its $75 million budget. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with a consensus that it had "considerable emotional depth."
Rogen hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' again in 2009, where the music video for the
Lonely Island song "
Like a Boss," in which he starred, premiered.
2010–2014: Venture into directing and controversy
After years of development, a feature film adaptation of ''
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell (director), James Jewell.
Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas i ...
'' was handled by Rogen and Goldberg, with a theatrical release in January 2011. Rogen chose to do a re-imagining of the
title character
The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...
.
He was executive producer of the movie and also cast himself as the main character. Rogen later admitted to having been overwhelmed by handling its $120 million budget. "It's insane. But it's not so much the specific amount of money that's stressful, it's all the things that go along with making a movie of that size." The actor also went on a strict weight-loss diet to play the slim crime fighter.
''The Green Hornet'' was a critical disappointment; Adam Graham of the ''
Detroit News
''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on February ...
'' called it "a big, sloppy, loud, grating mess of a movie," and the ''
Arizona Republic
''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain.
History
Early years
The newspap ...
''s Bill Goodykoontz found its story to have fallen apart. Nonetheless, it still opened at No. 1 at the box office, making $33 million in its opening weekend before going on to gross more than $225 million. In 2011, Rogen and Evan Goldberg founded the production company
Point Grey Pictures, named after Point Grey Secondary School, which they both attended.

Rogen provided the voice and
motion capture
Motion capture (sometimes referred as mocap or mo-cap, for short) is the process of recording high-resolution motion (physics), movement of objects or people into a computer system. It is used in Military science, military, entertainment, sports ...
for the titular character, a
grey alien, in the science fiction comedy ''
Paul
Paul may refer to:
People
* Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people
* Paul (surname), a list of people
* Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament
* Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
'' (2011). The film also starred
Simon Pegg
Simon John Pegg (; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. He and Wright co-wrote the ...
and
Nick Frost
Nicholas John Frost (born 28 March 1972) is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He has appeared in the '' Three Flavours Cornetto'' trilogy of films, consisting of '' Shaun of the Dead'' (2004), ''Hot Fuzz'' (2007), and '' The World's ...
as a pair of geeks who help Paul escape from
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
agents. He reprised his voice role in ''
Kung Fu Panda 2'', as well as produced and took a supporting role in
Jonathan Levine's ''
50/50''. The
dramedy
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 ...
about cancer was based on an autobiographical script by screenwriter
Will Reiser and was released in September 2011. The drama ''
Take This Waltz'', his fourth film of 2011, featured Rogen as a man whose wife (played by
Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to:
* Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar
* Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child
* Michelle Williams (actr ...
) explores a new relationship with another man. From 2011 to 2015, Rogen played Dirty Randy, a librarian and
pornographer, in the sitcom ''
The League
''The League'' is an American television sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football l ...
'', in addition to writing two episodes. Rogen hosted the
27th Independent Spirit Awards in February 2012, and the
road movie
A road movie is a film genre, genre of film in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the the ...
''
The Guilt Trip'', co-starring
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
, was released in cinemas that December. The film was about an inventor (Rogen) who invites his mother (Streisand) on a road trip, as he attempts to sell his new product while also reuniting her with a lost love.
In 2013, Rogen and his screenwriting collaborator, Evan Goldberg, made their directorial debut with ''
This Is the End'', a comedy featuring Rogen,
Jay Baruchel,
James Franco
James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007), ''Milk (2008 American film), Milk'' (200 ...
,
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill (born Jonah Hill Feldstein; December 20, 1983) is an American actor. List of awards and nominations received by Jonah Hill, The accolades he has received include nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, BAFTA ...
,
Craig Robinson and
Danny McBride
Daniel Richard McBride (born December 29, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. Known for his unique acting and writing style, the accolades he has received include nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and four Sat ...
playing fictional versions of themselves facing a global apocalypse. The film received positive reviews and was No. 2 at the box office on its opening weekend. Rogen recurred on the revived
fourth season of the comedy series ''
Arrested Development
''Arrested Development'' is an American satire, satirical television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. It follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family and is presented in a Serial (radio and television), serialized format, inco ...
'' in May 2013, playing a young
George Bluth Sr. (played by
Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank ...
) in several flashback scenes. He co-wrote the foreword for the 2014 book ''
Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation'' by Blake J. Harris. and was reported be working on an adaptation with Goldberg.
Rogen hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' for a third time in 2014. That May, Rogen starred in ''
Neighbors'' with
Rose Byrne
Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994)
, and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She gained her first leading film role in ...
and
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. Efron began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence as a teen idol for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' film ...
, which was directed by
Nicholas Stoller
Nicholas Stoller (born March 19, 1976) is a British-American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the comedy films ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'' (2008), its spin-off/sequel ''Get Him to the Greek'' (2010), ''The Five-Year Engagement'' (2012) ...
. In the film, Rogen and Byrne play a couple that comes into conflict with a fraternity, led by Efron's character, living next door. The film became Rogen's highest-grossing non-animated film, having grossed over $270 million globally. Rogen and Evan Goldberg co-directed and co-wrote the story for the action comedy ''
The Interview'', starring Rogen and James Franco as a pair of journalists who are recruited by the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
to assassinate
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
n leader
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...
after setting up an interview with him. In June 2014, North Korea threatened a "merciless" retaliation on the United States if it did not ban ''The Interview'', labelling the movie "an act of war" and a "wanton act of terror," and Rogen himself a "gangster filmmaker." In December, Sony Pictures announced that it was cancelling the release of the movie after a
cyber attack on the studio, allegedly tied to North Korea and threats made subsequently by Kim Jong-un.
As a result of criticism of this decision, Sony subsequently made the film available online and it allowed a theatrical release on December 25, 2014,
drawing mixed opinions from film critics. Scott Foundas of ''
Variety'' found the film to be "about as funny as a communist food shortage, and just as protracted," while ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' critic
Robbie Collin opined that it was "a raucous, abrasive, snort-out-loud satire with mischief in its heart and methane in its gut." It grossed $11.3 million in theatres, but had strong online sales and rentals. Also in 2014, Rogen made cameo appearances in the comedy ''
22 Jump Street
''22 Jump Street'' is a 2014 American adult buddy cop action comedy film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Jonah Hill, Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman and produced by and starring Hill and Channing T ...
'' as the double of Jonah Hill's character and in James Franco's drama ''
The Sound and the Fury
''The Sound and the Fury'' is a novel by the American author William Faulkner. It employs several narrative styles, including stream of consciousness. Published in 1929, ''The Sound and the Fury'' was Faulkner's fourth novel, and was not immedi ...
'' as a
telegrapher. During the time, Rogen and Goldberg, through their Point Grey Pictures company, had set up a joint venture with major client
Good Universe to set up mainstream comedy films.
2015–present: Career expansion
Rogen portrayed
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...
co-founder
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary Wozniak (; born August 11, 1950), also known by his nickname Woz, is an American technology entrepreneur, electrical engineer, computer programmer, philanthropist, and inventor. In 1976, he co-founded Apple Inc., Apple Computer with ...
in the
Danny Boyle
Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...
–directed ''
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, inventor, and investor best known for co-founding the technology company Apple Inc. Jobs was also the founder of NeXT and chairman and majority shareholder o ...
'' biopic (2015), based on a screenplay by
Aaron Sorkin. His performance in the film was widely praised, and he was commended by Wozniak himself for doing an "excellent job." In November 2015, Rogen starred alongside
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and
Anthony Mackie in the Christmas-themed comedy ''
The Night Before'' as three best friends who annually reunite to celebrate
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
. In 2016, he reprised his voice role as Master Mantis in ''
Kung Fu Panda 3'' and as Mac Radner in the ''Neighbors'' sequel ''
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising''. Along with Goldberg and
Sam Catlin, Rogen developed the television series ''
Preacher
A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...
'' for
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...
, which premiered on
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
in May 2016. The show is based on the comic book series
of the same name that was created by
Garth Ennis and
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon (22 March 1962 – 22 October 2016) was a British comic book artist, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on ''Hellblazer'', ''Preacher (comics), Preacher'' and ''The Punisher''.
Early life
Dillon was born in London i ...
and follows a small-town preacher named
Jesse Custer
The Reverend Jesse Custer is the fictional protagonist of the comic book series ''Preacher (comics), Preacher'', created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon (with a large percentage of the original cover art painted by Glenn Fabry), and ...
(played by
Dominic Cooper) who possesses a superpower that allows him to command others to do as he says. His last release of 2016 was the animated comedy ''
Sausage Party'', which, in addition to voicing the lead character Frank – a sausage that tries to escape his fate in a supermarket – he co-wrote and produced. ''Sausage Party'' became the most commercially successful R-rated animated film of all time, overtaking ''
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'' (1999).
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
critic Lindsey Bahr wrote of the film: "There is no one out there making comedies quite like Rogen and Goldberg. They are putting their definitive stamp on the modern American comedy one decency-smashing double entendre at a time."
Along with Evan Goldberg, Rogen directed and executive produced the science fiction comedy series ''
Future Man
Roy Wilfred Wooten (born October 13, 1957), also known as RoyEl, best known by his stage name Future Man (also written Futureman and known to fans as Futche), is an American musician, inventor and composer.
He is best known as a member of jazz ...
'', starring
Josh Hutcherson, which premiered on the streaming service
Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
in November 2017. The same year, Rogen and Goldberg also co-directed a short commercial film for
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
, titled ''Bananas Town'', and Rogen portrayed Sandy Schklair, the
script supervisor
A script supervisor (also called continuity supervisor or script) is a member of a film crew who oversees the continuity of the motion picture including dialogue and action during a scene. The script supervisor may also be called upon to ensure wa ...
for ''The Room'' director and star
Tommy Wiseau (played by James Franco), in the Franco-directed film ''
The Disaster Artist
''The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made'' is a 2013 non-fiction book written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell, in which the former details the troubled development and production of the panned 2003 cult ...
'', based on
the book of the same name, which chronicles the making of the 2003 film ''
The Room
''The Room'' is a 2003 American independent romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Tommy Wiseau, who also stars in the film alongside Juliette Danielle and Greg Sestero. Set in San Francisco, the film is centered around a ...
''. Rogen, as the founder of Hilarity for Charity, an organization that raises funds for
Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
research and support, hosts an annual fundraising comedy event named after the organization.
The sixth event was broadcast through the streaming service
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 ...
in April 2018.
In July 2018, it was announced that Rogen was to voice public service announcements in his native Vancouver's
TransLink transit system and Toronto's
Toronto Transit Commission
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the primary public transport agency in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operating the majority of the city's transit bus, bus and rail services. It is the oldest and largest of the urban transit service providers ...
. Rogen co-starred alongside
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. List of Kristen Bell performances, Her work includes both film and television, and List of awards and nominations received by Kristen Bell, h ...
and
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained fame for his role as the psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984–1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993–2004, and again F ...
as the love interest of Bell's character in the 2018 comedy-drama ''
Like Father'', directed by Rogen's wife,
Lauren Miller Lauren Miller may refer to:
* Lauren Miller Rogen
Lauren Anne Miller Rogen ( Miller; born July 24, 1982) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and director. She has appeared in the films '' Superbad'' (2007), '' Zack and Miri Make a P ...
. In 2019, Rogen starred opposite
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 201 ...
in the romantic comedy ''
Long Shot
In photography, filmmaking and video production, a wide shot (sometimes referred to as a full shot or long shot) is a shot that typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surro ...
'', as an unemployed journalist who re-connects with his childhood love interest and babysitter (Theron), who has become a major political figure.
Rogen co-starred in the 2019
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...
of the animated musical film ''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Produced by Walt Disney ...
'' (1994), voicing the warthog
Pumbaa, who rescues the film's protagonist
Simba
Simba is a fictional character in Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's ''The Lion King (franchise), The Lion King ''franchise. First appearing as a cub in ''The Lion King'' (1994), the character flees his homeland when his father, Mufasa, is ...
with his friend Timon, voiced by
Donald Glover
Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his musical stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick ...
and
Billy Eichner
Billy Eichner ( ; born September 18, 1978) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and television show host. He is the star, executive producer, and creator of Funny or Die's '' Billy on the Street'', a comedy game show that aired on truT ...
, respectively. He sang three songs in the film, which were included on the
soundtrack release.
Rogen said that, "
an actor, I don't think I'm right for every role — there are a lot of roles I don't think I'm right for even in movies I'm making — but Pumbaa was one I knew I could do well." It had a middling reception from critics, and became one of the highest-grossing films of all time with earnings of more than $1.663 billion. Rogen and Eichner received praise for their chemistry. In 2019, Rogen also produced the comedy ''
Good Boys'', starring
Jacob Tremblay for
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
, and the television shows ''
The Boys'' and ''
Black Monday'', directing the pilot for the latter show with Goldberg. In 2021, he voiced Allen the Alien in the animated series ''
Invincible'', in which he also serves as producer. Rogen filmed scenes for the James Franco film ''
Zeroville'' in 2014, which was not released until 2019.
In 2020, it was announced that Rogen would serve as a producer for the animated film, ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'' (2023). In addition to producing, he co-wrote it, and provided the voice of
Bebop
Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...
. Rogen's first book, ''Yearbook'', was published in May 2021.
''Yearbook'' is a memoir that features a collection of essays spanning from Rogen's adolescence to his experiences in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
.
In September 2021,
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles.
The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
announced in a
Nintendo Direct
Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentations or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began ...
presentation that Rogen would be voicing
Donkey Kong
is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. It follows the adventures of Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong, a large, powerful gorilla, and other members of the List of Don ...
in the 2023 animated film ''
The Super Mario Bros. Movie'', with a spin-off film focused around the character planned, as well. In 2023, it was announced that Rogen will serve as an executive producer, and appear as a guest judge, in the upcoming Canadian reality competition series ''
The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down''. Also in 2023, Rogen was cast alongside
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ismail Ansari ( ; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He played Tom Haverford on the NBC series '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and created and starred in the Netflix series ''Master of None'' (2 ...
and
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor and musician. The recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four decades, he is known for his leading roles in action films, his amiable public imag ...
in Ansari's film directorial debut, ''
Good Fortune''. The project began filming in January 2024, with
Keke Palmer posting on her
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
page that she had joined Rogen as part of the cast that same month.
Political views and activism
Politically, Rogen describes himself as "
left wing".
Rogen has been active in raising awareness of
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
. The disease runs in his wife's family and has affected his mother-in-law for several years. "I think until you see it firsthand, it's kind of hard to conceive of how brutal it is," Rogen said to
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
. "Until I saw it, you just don't get kind of how heartbreaking it can be."
During the interview, he talked about how he tries to be emotionally supportive and around as much as he can for Miller's mother. Both he and Miller spoke to
Larry King
Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...
for ''A Larry King Special, Unthinkable: The Alzheimer's Epidemic'', which aired in April 2011.
Rogen testified about the disease and his charity before the
United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services on February 26, 2014. Rogen started the Hilarity for Charity movement to inspire change and raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease among the
Millennial Generation
Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ...
. Rogen and his wife also initiated the Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Grant Program with Home Instead Senior Care to provide free at-home care to senior citizens. On February 25, 2016, Rogen and Miller were honoured with the unite2gether accolade from
unite4:humanity for their work promoting awareness and raising money for
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
research through Hilarity for Charity.
Rogen appeared in a
Bud Light
Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016.
The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in oth ...
commercial celebrating
LGBT Pride Month and the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
ruling that granted same-sex couples the right to marry. Rogen is a member of
Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity (Lambda Delta chapter) at the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...
. He was initiated in April 2017 after his fourth visit to the campus for his Hilarity for Charity movement. Rogen is also a member of
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML ) is a social welfare organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the reform of marijuana laws in the United States regarding both Medical cannabis in the United St ...
and an open
marijuana
Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
user. Rogen and his longtime friend and collaborator Evan Goldberg launched the cannabis company ''
Houseplant
A houseplant, also known as a pot plant, potted plant, or indoor plant, is an ornamental plant cultivated indoors. for aesthetic or practical purposes. These plants are commonly found in House, homes, Office, offices, and various indoor spaces, w ...
'' in Canada in 2019.
In June 2018, Rogen was invited by
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
to speak at a seminar for awareness of
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
hosted by Romney in
Park City, Utah
Park City is a city in Utah, United States. Most of the city is within Summit County, Utah, Summit County, with some portions extending into Wasatch County, Utah, Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is sou ...
.
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Paul Ryan
Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member of the ...
, was in attendance, asking Rogen for a photo after Ryan's children engaged Rogen in conversation. Rogen refused, stating in an interview with
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
, "I look over and his kids are standing right there expectantly, clearly fans of mine, and I said, 'No way, man!'" and telling Ryan, "Furthermore, I hate what you're doing to the country at this moment, and I'm counting the days until you no longer have one iota of the power that you currently have."
On July 3, 2018, Rogen criticized
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
and its CEO
Jack Dorsey
Jack Patrick Dorsey (born November 19, 1976) is an American businessperson, who is a co-founder of Twitter, Inc. and its CEO during 2007–2008 and 2015–2021, as well as co-founder, principal executive officer and chairman of Block, Inc. (deve ...
, claiming he had a "bizarre need to verify
white supremacists". ''
Variety'' reported that he was "directly in touch" with Dorsey over the issue. Several media outlets, including ''
Fortune
Fortune may refer to:
General
* Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck
* Luck
* Wealth
* Fate
* Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling
* Fortune, in a fortune cookie
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Fortune'' (19 ...
'', speculated that Rogen was referring to
alt-right
The alt-right (abbreviated from alternative right) is a Far-right politics, far-right, White nationalism, white nationalist movement. A largely Internet activism, online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late ...
figure
Jason Kessler
Jason Eric Kessler (born September 22, 1983) is an American neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist. Kessler organized the Unite the Right rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 11–12, 2017, and the Unite ...
, and the
Proud Boys
The Proud Boys is an American far-right politics, far-right, Neo-fascism, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence.Far-right: * * Fascist: * * * * * Men only: * * * Political violence and militancy: ...
in particular.
Rogen is a supporter of the
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
movement.
On the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...
, Rogen said in 2020 that he had been "fed a huge amount of lies about Israel" growing up, commenting: "They never tell you that – 'Oh, by the way, there were people there.' They make it seem like it was just like sitting there, like the fucking door's open." He mentioned his belief that antisemitism has remained pervasive and prevalent, but also spoke to the importance of a strong Jewish diaspora: "You don't keep something you're trying to preserve all in one place."
Rogen later elaborated: "I think that it's a tricky conversation to have in jest. And that's something that perhaps I now look at and say, 'Oh, now that we joked about that, perhaps we could clarify some things so people don't run around thinking that I think Israel shouldn't exist anymore.' And I'm sensitive to Jewish people being hurt, as a Jewish person. And I'm sensitive to Jewish people thinking I'm not a proud Jewish person, which I am. Truthfully, I think my pride in being Jewish and how deeply I identify as a Jewish person perhaps made me feel like I was able to say things without as much context as perhaps I should give them – you know what I'm saying? And I am sensitive to Jews thinking that I , and that there are a lot of Jewish people who are alive who wouldn't be without Israel. And my parents met in Israel; I've been to Israel several times."
During the 2025 ceremony of the
Breakthrough Prize, Rogen, who was presenting a physics prize alongside
Edward Norton
Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. After graduating from Yale College in 1991 with a degree in history, he worked for a few months in Japan before moving to New York City ...
, attracted attention with some unscripted jokes regarding the
science policy of the second Donald Trump administration. They appeared to target some figures of the
tech oligarchy linked to the Breakthrough Prize. He stated that "it’s amazing that others in this room underwrote electing a man who, in the last week, single-handedly destroyed all of American science", and: "it’s amazing how much good science you can destroy with $320 million and
RFK Jr, very fast". The comments were edited out from the
Youtube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
broadcast, which aired a week later.
Personal life
Rogen began dating writer and actress
Lauren Miller Lauren Miller may refer to:
* Lauren Miller Rogen
Lauren Anne Miller Rogen ( Miller; born July 24, 1982) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and director. She has appeared in the films '' Superbad'' (2007), '' Zack and Miri Make a P ...
in 2004. They met while he was working on ''
Da Ali G Show
''Da Ali G Show'' is a British satirical sketch comedy television series created by and starring British comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen. In the series, Baron Cohen plays three unorthodox journalists: faux-streetwise poseur Ali G, Kazakh ...
''.
They became engaged on September 29, 2010 and married on October 2, 2011 in
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 488,863. Its seat of government and largest city is Santa Rosa.
Sonoma County comprises the Santa Rosa-Petaluma ...
.
Miller has had minor onscreen roles in a few of Rogen's films. They have stated they do not plan to have children.
Rogen created a
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
brand in the city of
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Ontario, with his friend
Evan Goldberg
Evan D. Goldberg (born September 15, 1982) is a Canadian screenwriter, film producer and director. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on a variety of films, including '' Superbad'', '' Pineapple Express'', '' This Is the En ...
. After attending
pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
classes with his wife in 2017, he began making
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...
s. He cites artist
Kenneth Price as an inspiration.
In January 2021, Rogen revealed on Twitter that he has mild
Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome (TS), or simply Tourette's, is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. Common tics are blinkin ...
, which runs in his family.
Written works
*
See also
*
List of celebrities who own cannabis businesses
References
External links
*
*
*
Hilarity for CharitySeth Rogen's Foundation for Alzheimer's
Seth Rogen appearances on C-SPAN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogen, Seth
1982 births
Living people
21st-century Canadian comedians
21st-century Canadian male actors
21st-century Canadian male writers
21st-century Canadian screenwriters
Alzheimer's disease activists
Canadian cannabis activists
Canadian ceramists
Canadian Comedy Award winners
Canadian comedy writers
Canadian health activists
Canadian male comedians
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male screenwriters
Canadian male television actors
Canadian male television writers
Canadian television writers
Canadian male voice actors
Canadian people of Russian-Jewish descent
Canadian people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Canadian philanthropists
Canadian podcasters
Canadian stand-up comedians
Canadian television producers
Comedians from Vancouver
Film directors from Vancouver
Film producers from British Columbia
Jewish male comedians
Jewish Canadian comedians
Jewish Canadian male actors
Jewish Canadian screenwriters
Male actors from Vancouver
Male motion capture actors
People with multiple citizenship
People with Tourette syndrome
Screenwriters from British Columbia
Writers from Vancouver