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Ed Helms

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Ed Helms
Ed Helms Obvious Child Premiere 2014 (cropped).jpg
Helms at the premiere of Obvious Child in 2014
Born
Edward Parker Helms

(1974-01-24) January 24, 1974 (age 47)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
EducationOberlin College (BA)
OccupationActor, comedian, singer, musician
Years active2002–present
Children1

Edward Parker Helms[1] (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, singer, and musician. He has played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sitcom The Office (2006–2013), a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show, and starred as Stuart Price in The Hangover trilogy. He provided the voice of The Once-ler in Illumination’s The Lorax and the titular character in DreamWorks Animation's Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. In 2021, he starred in the comedy series Rutherford Falls.

Early life and education

Helms was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He is of English, Irish, German, Dutch, and French descent. Helms had open-heart surgery at age 13 to correct a severe congenital heart defect, which he described as supravalvular aortic and pulmonic stenosis.[2][3] According to Helms, his surgery lasted nine hours, and he was kept in an intensive care unit for one week after.[4]

He attended Interlochen Center for the Arts as a youth and graduated from The Westminster Schools one year after The Office castmate Brian Baumgartner in 1992.[5] Helms entered Oberlin College as a geology major but ended up graduating in 1996 with his Bachelor of Arts in film theory and technology. He spent a semester as an exchange student at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.[6][7][4]

Helms is the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Knox College, where he delivered the 2013 Commencement.[8] In May 2014, Helms gave the convocation speech at Cornell University, alma mater of Andy Bernard, the character he portrayed for seven seasons on The Office.[9][10] In May 2015, Helms gave the commencement speech at the University of Virginia.[11]

Career

Early work

After graduating from Oberlin, Helms began his comedy and acting career as a writer and performer with New York City sketch comedy bands, and studied improvisation with the Upright Citizens Brigade troupe.[12] Helms concurrently worked as a trainee film editor at Crew Cuts, a post-production facility in New York City. While doing so, he recorded some rough voiceover scratch tracks that eventually led to paying voiceover work, which in turn led to finding a talent agent.[13]

Television

Helms in Dublin, Ireland in 2009

Helms was performing comedy in New York City when, as he recalled in a 2005 interview, "The Daily Show had a sort of open audition with a casting company that I had dealt with. I read for the part, and got it".[14] In his April 2002 to mid-2006 tenure on the satirical news program, Helms contributed "field reports" in addition to hosting various segments of the show, such as "Digital Watch", "Ad Nauseam", and "Mark Your Calendar". He has also contributed to the "This Week in God" segment. His 2005 segment "Battle of the Bulge", which focused on the wearing of Speedo bathing suits on the beaches of Cape May, New Jersey, and his "Mass. Hysteria" segment, in which he reported criticism of Massachusetts when it became the first state to legalize gay marriage, are regarded by TV Guide as his signature segments on the program.[15]

Helms left the show in 2006, but occasionally returned for brief appearances over the next two years. On July 21, 2008 he returned for Obama Quest – a segment covering Senator Barack Obama's trip to Iraq. He also occasionally narrated the "Prescott Group" educational films on sister series The Colbert Report. In late July 2006, NBC announced that Helms was added to the cast of the mockumentary The Office, alongside fellow The Daily Show correspondent Steve Carell, in a recurring role as Andy Bernard, a nostalgic Cornell graduate who is obsessed with a cappella music. Helms was a series regular starting with the 3rd season.[16] "He had so much in common with this character we wanted to create," recalled Paul Lieberstein, a writer for the show who also plays Toby Flenderson, the human resources representative at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. "I can't remember when they started merging."[17] Helms returned to The Daily Show on December 5, 2006, stating he had been gone because he was "undercover at a paper company in Scranton", an allusion to his stint on The Office. In February 2007, NBC announced that Helms had been promoted to series regular, and in February 2010 Helms was added to the show's opening credits. Helms quickly became a solidifying part of the cast, and eventually came to be one of the show's producers. In June 2009, on a radio interview with National Public Radio, Helms said that like his character, Andy Bernard, he is obsessed with a cappella music.

Helms has also appeared on such television shows as The Mindy Project, Wilfred, NTSF:SD:SUV, Tanner on Tanner, Childrens Hospital, Arrested Development and Cheap Seats, and in various Comedy Central specials. He was the celebrity guest on the August 3, 2015 survival skills reality show Running Wild with Bear Grylls, coming to grips with his fear of heights on the Colorado Mountains.[18] He has done commercial voiceover work in campaigns for Burger King, Doritos, Hotels.com, Sharp Aquos and Advair asthma medication, and he voices Neil the Angel, a character on Cartoon Network's Weighty Decisions series. Helms plays guitar, banjo, piano, as well as a sitar, in some of his entertainment performances.

In August 2014, it was announced that Helms will star in Alejandro González Iñárritu's new Starz television drama series The One Percent, with Hilary Swank and Ed Harris,[19] though he was later replaced by Greg Kinnear.[20] Helms was also slated to serve as an executive producer on the upcoming television series adaptation of the web series Jake and Amir, whose pilot was later rejected by TBS.[21] He also co-created the Peacock sitcom Rutherford Falls with Sierra Teller Ornelas and Michael Schur.

Film

Helms starred in the 2011 film Cedar Rapids and co-starred in the blockbuster The Hangover film trilogy as Stuart Price. He had minor roles, including Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story, Meet Dave, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, I'll Believe You, Evan Almighty, Semi-Pro and, with Office co-star Jenna Fischer, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. In 2009, Helms appeared in The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, directed by Neal Brennan and starring Jeremy Piven, and in 2012, he voiced the Once-ler in The Lorax. He played the lead role, Rusty Griswold, in the 2015 film Vacation, a sequel/spin-off of the National Lampoon's Vacation series.[22] The movie began shooting in September 2014 in Helms' native Atlanta, with Christina Applegate playing Rusty's wife Debbie Griswold.[23] In 2015, Helms starred in Jessie Nelson's movie, Love the Coopers.[24] In 2017, he starred in The Clapper (film) as Eddie Krumble, a paid audience member for infomercials and experiences a whirlwind of unwanted overnight fame after a late-night talk show host publicizes his frequent infomercial appearances.

Helms voiced the title role in the DreamWorks animated film Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017).[25] He starred in the Paramount Pictures Naked Gun reboot.[26] Helms played Joe Gargan in the 2018 film Chappaquiddick.

Other work

Helms is also in a bluegrass band called The Lonesome Trio with his friends Ian Riggs and Jacob Tilove. They formed the band when they were at Oberlin College and still get together to play a few shows every year. They recorded an eponymous album in summer 2013 shortly after appearing on the Bluegrass Situation stage at the Bonnaroo festival, which Helms curated.[27][28] Helms is a self-confessed "bluegrass nerd" and founded the annual LA Bluegrass Situation festival.[29] Helms plays banjo, guitar and piano.[30] He and Amy Reitnouer co-founded a music blog also titled The Bluegrass Situation. It summarizes its mission as "Creating and covering content across every level of the international scene, ranging from timeless traditional bluegrass, blues, and old-time to contemporary singer/songwriter, Americana, folk, and everything rootsy beyond and in between."[31] On April 22, 2020, The Bluegrass Situation debuted "The Whiskey Sour Happy Hour," a weekly music and comedy program benefitting the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund and Direct Relief.

Helms features in the video for Mumford and Sons' song "Hopeless Wanderer".[32] In 2015, he had a cameo appearance in the band's music video for the song "The Wolf".[33] Helms launched his own production company, Pacific Electric Picture Company, in 2013. The company has a two-year development deal with Universal Television.[34]

In 2013, Helms co-wrote, produced and starred in the Yahoo! Screen web series Tiny Commando. In his production, a former Navy SEAL is accidentally shrunken in a military experiment to four inches in height. Subsequently, he's deployed to places where his unique size allows him to infiltrate strategically.[35]

Helms is a board member at RepresentUs,[36] a non-profit organization seeking to pass anti-corruption laws in the United States.

Personal life

Helms is married and has one daughter.[37]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2004 Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story Bunker McLaughlin
2006 Everyone's Hero Hobo Louie Voice
Night at the Museum Dentist Scene deleted
2007 Evan Almighty Ark Reporter / Ed Carson
I'll Believe You Leon
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Stage Manager
2008 Semi-Pro Turtleneck Reporter
Confessions of a Shopaholic Garret E. Barton Uncredited
Meet Dave Number 2
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay Interpreter
Lower Learning Maurice Bunting
2009 The Smell of Success Chet Pigford
The Hangover Stuart Price
Monsters vs. Aliens News Reporter Voice
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Larry Daley's Assistant Uncredited
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard Paxton Harding
2011 Cedar Rapids Tim Lippe Also executive producer
The Hangover Part II Stuart Price
Jeff, Who Lives at Home Pat
High Road Barry Uncredited
2012 The Lorax The Once-ler Voice
2013 We're the Millers Brad Gurdlinger
The Hangover Part III Stuart Price
2014 Someone Marry Barry Ben
They Came Together Eggbert
Stretch Karl-with-a-K
2015 Vacation Russell "Rusty" Griswold
Love the Coopers Hank Cooper
2016 Kevin Hart: What Now? Bartender
2017 The Clapper Eddie Krumble Also producer
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Principal Benjamin Krupp / Captain Underpants Voice
Mune: Guardian of the Moon Spleen Voice
I Do... Until I Don't Noah Brewing
Chappaquiddick Joseph Gargan
Father Figures Peter Reynolds
2018 A Futile and Stupid Gesture Tom Snyder Also executive producer
Tag Hogan "Hoagie" Malloy
2019 Corporate Animals Brandon Also producer
Penguins[38] Narrator (voice)
2020 Coffee & Kareem Officer James Coffee
2021 Together Together Matt

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2002–2009 The Daily Show Correspondent 207 episodes
2004 Cheap Seats Bradley Wallace 2 episodes
2004, 2013 Arrested Development James Carr 3 episodes
2005 Sunday Pants Neil the Angel (voice) "Weighty Decisions" segments
2006 The Colbert Report Narrator – The On Notice Board: A Wonder of the Modern Age Episode: "Linda Hirshman"
2006 Samurai Love God Samurai Love God (voice) Miniseries
2006–2013 The Office Andy Bernard Main cast (season 3–9): 163 episodes
2008 Upright Citizens Brigade Guest Monologist Uncredited
2008 American Dad! Mr. Buckley (voice) Episode: "Stanny Slickers II: The Legend of Ollie's Gold"
2008 Wainy Days Doctor Episode: "Angel"
2008–2010 Childrens Hospital Doctor / TV Announcer 5 episodes
2009 Family Guy Al Gore (voice) Episode: "FOX-y Lady"
2010 Funny or Die Presents Cast (Holdup) 4 episodes
2011 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Ed Helms/Paul Simon"
2011 Wilfred Daryl Episode: "Acceptance"
2011 NTSF:SD:SUV:: Eddie 2 episodes
2012 The Mindy Project Dennis 2 episodes
2012 Ugly Americans Dennis Episode: "Mark Loves Dick"
2012 Comedy Bang! Bang! Himself Episode: "Ed Helms Wears A Grey Shirt & Brown Boots"
2013 Kroll Show Sex in the City Dude Episode: "San Diego Diet"
2013 Saturday Night Live Ted Pelms Uncredited
Episode: "Zach Galifianakis/Of Monsters and Men"
2014 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Jack Danger Episode: "USPIS"
2015–2020 BoJack Horseman Kyle (voice) 3 episodes
2015 Jake and Amir Mickey Episode: "The Auditions"
2015 The Muppets Himself Episode: "Pig Out"
2015 Running Wild with Bear Grylls Himself Episode: "Ed Helms"
2016 Drunk History William McMasters Episode: "Scoundrels"
2017 Angie Tribeca Dr. Clive Mister Episode: "Germs of Endearment"
2017 The Fake News with Ted Nelms Ted Nelms TV special; also creator, writer, and executive producer[39]
2020 Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun Ed Helms Also executive producer
2021 Rutherford Falls Nathan Rutherford

Music videos

Year Title Artist
2013 "Hopeless Wanderer" Mumford & Sons
"Clouds" (Celebrity Music Video) Zach Sobiech[40]
2015 "The Wolf" Mumford & Sons
2016 "Don't Wanna Know" Maroon 5
2017 "Wanna Do Day"[41] Lisa Loeb

References

  1. ^ Hangover Part III Set Visit : Ed Helms – Moviehole Archived April 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Moviehole.net. Retrieved on February 10, 2014.
  2. ^ 5 Facts About Me: Ed Helms – Ed Helms. People.com. Retrieved on February 10, 2014.
  3. ^ Goldman, Andrew. (May 27, 2011) Hangover 2 Star Ed Helms Interview. ELLE. Retrieved on February 10, 2014.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Ed Helms on Having Heart Surgery as a Kid on YouTube Published on May 16, 2017 Jimmy Kimmel Live!
  5. ^ http://www.interlochen.org/high-performing-alumni
  6. ^ Phipps, Keith (June 3, 2009). "Ed Helms". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  7. ^ "Ed Helms: Biography". TVGuide.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  8. ^ "Knox College Announces 2013 Honorary Degrees". Knox.edu. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  9. ^ Kingkade, Tyler (May 27, 2014) "Ed Helms Tells Cornell Graduates To 'Keep Creating Good Old Days'". The Huffington Post.
  10. ^ "2014 Senior Convocation featuring Ed Helms, TV's 'Andy Bernard'". Cornell University. May 24, 2014.
  11. ^ Prakash, Neha (May 17, 2015). "Ed Helms eviscerates 'Rolling Stone' in UVA commencement address". Mashable. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  12. ^ "The Office Cast Biographies – Ed Helms". NBC.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  13. ^ Sternbergh, Adam (September 14, 2008). "The Jerk: Daily Show alum and The Office star Ed Helms on the highs (and lows) of being obnoxious". New York. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  14. ^ "Ed Helms on Politics, The Media and The Daily Show". TheComical.com. 2005. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008.
  15. ^ Rudolph, Ileane (July 27, 2015). "Alumni Association: A roundup of The Daily Show's coolest Graduates". TV Guide. pp 21-22.
  16. ^ Snierson, Dan (June 28, 2006). "Ed Helms joins the cast of The Office". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  17. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (March 11, 2012). "Ambitious, but in a Polite Sort of Way". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  18. ^ Elizabeth, Stormy. "Running Wild with Bear Grylls Recap 8/3/15: Season 2 Episode 4 "Ed Helms"". celebdirtylaundry.com. Celeb Dirty Laundry. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  19. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (August 12, 2014). "Starz Orders Drama ‘One Percent’ to Star Ed Helms, Hilary Swank". Variety.
  20. ^ Sharf, Zack (March 3, 2017). "Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu and Emmanuel Lubezki's 10-Episode Television Series Dropped By Starz". Indiewire. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  21. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 18, 2013). "'Jake & Amir' Web Series Heading To TBS With Ed Helms Producing". Deadline Hollywood.
  22. ^ "Ed Helms to Play Rusty Griswold in New Vacation". ComingSoon.
  23. ^ Brett, Jennifer (September 19, 2014). "Photos from the Atlanta set of 'Vacation' starring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate". AJC.com.
  24. ^ Martin, Steve; Keaton, Diane; Goodman, John; Helms, Ed (November 13, 2015), Love the Coopers, retrieved May 11, 2017
  25. ^ Abramovitch, Seth (January 21, 2014). "Ed Helms, Kevin Hart Slip Into DreamWorks Animation's 'Captain Underpants'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  26. ^ McNary, Dave (December 13, 2013). "Ed Helms Firing Up ‘The Naked Gun’ Reboot for Paramount". Variety.
  27. ^ Ed Helms' Bluegrass Situation Superjam with special guests. lineup.bonnaroo.com
  28. ^ The Lonesome Trio. Facebook (April 21, 2013). Retrieved on February 10, 2014.
  29. ^ Bluegrass Situation festival: Banjo, comedy unite Steve Martin, Ed Helms – Los Angeles Times. Articles.latimes.com (April 26, 2011). Retrieved on February 10, 2014.
  30. ^ Bienstock, Richard (April 22, 2013). "Better Off Ed: Ed Helms of 'The Hangover' and 'The Office' Talks Guitars, Banjos and Bluegrass". Guitar Aficionado. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  31. ^ "Roots Culture Redefined". The Bluegrass Situation. July 30, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  32. ^ "Mumford and Sons release hilarious Hopeless Wanderer video". Music Blogged. August 4, 2013. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  33. ^ "Watch Mumford & Sons Take Over Bonnaroo in 'The Wolf' Video". Rolling Stone. July 30, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  34. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (September 16, 2013) "Ed Helms Launches Production Company, Inks Overall Deal With Universal TV". The Hollywood Reporter.
  35. ^ Rothman, Lily (September 17, 2013). "Ed Helms’ Three Favorite Web Series". Time.
  36. ^ "Unbreaking America: Drowning in Student Debt". RepresentUs' YouTube Channel. February 2, 2021.
  37. ^ Anna Faris (January 9, 2018). "Ed Helms". Anna Faris is Unqualified (Podcast). Simplecast. Retrieved July 11, 2020. Helms: "I've been married a couple years, and she's fabulous, and she enjoys a lot more anonymity than I do."
  38. ^ Kylie Hemmert (February 26, 2019). "Penguins: Ed Helms to Narrate Disneynature's Feature Film". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  39. ^ Schneider, Michael (December 8, 2017). "Ed Helms Returns to Comedy Central With a Mission: Making 'Fake News' Fake Again". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  40. ^ "30 Celebrities Lip-Sync Hearthelt Song By Dying Teen". Business Insider. May 9, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  41. ^ "Official Lisa Loeb Channel". YouTube. Retrieved April 9, 2017.

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