Elliott Gould

Elliott Gould, born Elliott Goldstein on August 29, 1938, is an American actor whose career spans stage, film, and television. He achieved widespread recognition during the late 1960s and 1970s, establishing himself as a prominent screen star. He is well known for his iconic performances in major feature films as well as long-running recurring roles on television.

Raised in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, Gould was born to Lucille, a seller of artificial flowers to beauty shops, and Bernard Goldstein, a buyer in the garment industry. His family is of Russian-Jewish, Polish-Jewish, and Lithuanian-Jewish descent. He prepared for his performing career by graduating from the Professional Children's School.

Gould began acting on Broadway in the late 1950s, making his professional debut in the musical Rumple in 1957. He followed this with small roles in successful stage productions such as Say, Darling and Irma La Douce. In 1962, he secured a starring role in I Can Get It for You Wholesale. He made his feature film debut playing a mute character in Quick, Let's Get Married, filmed in 1964, before appearing in the 1968 musical comedy The Night They Raided Minsky's.

His breakthrough performance arrived in the 1969 comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice as Ted Henderson, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He achieved further prominence starring as Captain Trapper John McIntyre in Robert Altman's 1970 movie M*A*S*H, receiving nominations for both a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award. Gould continued his collaboration with Altman in prominent projects including The Long Goodbye, playing detective Philip Marlowe, and California Split.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Gould performed in a wide array of feature films. His screen credits from this era include Getting Straight, Little Murders, The Touch, A Bridge Too Far, Capricorn One, and The Silent Partner. During the 1980s, he increasingly transitioned toward television work, starring in the medical sitcom E/R and participating in various guest roles and television movies.

In subsequent decades, Gould maintained a continuous screen presence in supporting film roles. He received critical praise for his performance in the 1991 drama Bugsy and later appeared in the feature American History X. Starting in 2001, he played the wealthy former casino owner Reuben Tishkoff in Steven Soderbergh's heist film Ocean's Eleven, subsequently reprising the character in additional installments of the franchise in 2004, 2007, and 2018.

On television, Gould gained widespread recognition among modern audiences for playing Jack Geller on the sitcom Friends from 1994 to 2004, appearing in twenty total episodes. He later took on a recurring role as Ezra Goldman in the series Ray Donovan between 2013 and 2016. Additionally, he hosted Saturday Night Live six times between 1976 and 1980, making him a member of the show's Five Timers' Club.