Biography
Who is H. Jon Benjamin?
Early life and real name
H. Jon Benjamin was born on May 23, 1966, in Worcester, Massachusetts. His given first name is Harry, but his family always called him by his middle name, Jon. For many years during his youth, he did not even realize that Harry was his legal first name. He grew up in a Jewish family, with a father named Howard who worked as the CEO of an electric company and a mother named Shirley who was a former ballet dancer.
After finishing his childhood, he attended Worcester Academy, where he graduated in 1984. He continued his education at Connecticut College, graduating in 1988. Early in his professional path, he started working in the Boston comedy scene. He formed a comedy duo with Sam Seder and joined Cross Comedy, a group led by David Cross. During the first seven years of his career, he focused mostly on group collaborations rather than independent work.
Voice acting and television success
H. Jon Benjamin built a career defined by extensive voice work in adult animated series. He gained major recognition as the voice of Sterling Archer in the FX series Archer, which began airing in 2010. He is also the voice of Bob Belcher on the long-running animated comedy Bob's Burgers. His television credits include roles in Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, Home Movies, O'Grady, and Family Guy, where he played the character Carl.
His work extends into live-action television and film as well. He starred in the Comedy Central series Jon Benjamin Has a Van and appeared in Wet Hot American Summer. In 2014, he received the male comedy performer of the year award at Vulture's TV Awards for his contributions to both Bob's Burgers and Archer. He has also appeared in various commercials, including spots for Arby's and Progressive Insurance.
Other projects and career milestones
Beyond his primary acting roles, he has pursued various creative projects. In 2015, he released a jazz album titled Well, I Should Have..., despite having no formal training as a musician. He collaborated with David Cross on several projects, including the show Freak Show and the live-action pilot Paid Programming. He also wrote a comedic autobiography titled Failure is an Option: An Attempted Memoir, which was published in 2018.
He has contributed to many other programs as a guest or recurring voice actor. These include appearances on Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Venture Bros., and WordGirl. He also provided the voice for Saddam Hussein in the podcast Blowback. His diverse career reflects a shift away from traditional stand-up comedy toward experimental and character-based performance styles.
Personal life
H. Jon Benjamin resides in Brooklyn with his longtime partner, Amy Beth Silver, who works as a set decorator. The couple has one son together. Outside of his professional work, he has an interest in ornithology. He has also been active in political commentary, endorsing Bernie Sanders for president in 2020 and narrating videos regarding health care proposals.
Birthday and age
H. Jon Benjamin was born on May 23, 1966, which makes H. 60 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. H. shares the date with 22 other famous people.
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