Jeff Goldblum

Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum is an American actor and musician born on October 22, 1952. He is best known for starring in major blockbusters and film franchises, notably playing Dr. Ian Malcolm in the Jurassic Park franchise and David Levinson in Independence Day and its sequel. His other blockbuster roles include the Grandmaster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: Ragnarok and the Wizard of Oz in Wicked and Wicked: For Good. Beyond commercial franchises, Goldblum has maintained a long career across feature films, independent projects, stage productions, television series, and musical performances.

Goldblum was raised in West Homestead, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, by Jewish parents Shirley Jane, a radio broadcaster and business owner, and Harold Leonard Goldblum, a physician and World War II Army major. His ancestry roots trace to the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires. His childhood interest in jazz music was influenced by his brother Rick, whose early death strengthened Goldblum's determination and career focus. At age seventeen, Goldblum moved to New York City to pursue acting, studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse under Sanford Meisner and making his Broadway debut in the musical Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Goldblum made his film debut in Death Wish in 1974, followed by early roles in California Split, Nashville, and Annie Hall. He achieved wider attention through performances in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Big Chill, and The Fly. During the 1980s and 1990s, he starred in films such as Into the Night, Earth Girls Are Easy, Deep Cover, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park. He also directed the live-action short film Little Surprises, which received an Academy Award nomination in 1996.

Goldblum is a frequent collaborator of director Wes Anderson, appearing in feature films including The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, and Asteroid City. His independent film credits include Igby Goes Down and Adam Resurrected. Outside of film acting, he spent years voicing major American advertising campaigns for Apple, Toyota, and Procter & Gamble, taught acting at Playhouse West in North Hollywood, and co-founded the New York theater company The Fire Dept in 2006.

On television, Goldblum played Detective Zack Nichols on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for a guest role on Will & Grace. He later hosted his own series, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, from 2019 to 2022. As a jazz pianist, Goldblum performs with the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. After signing with Decca Records, the group released their debut album The Capitol Studios Sessions in 2018, followed by I Shouldn't Be Telling You This, Plays Well with Others, and Night Blooms.

Goldblum resides in Hollywood Hills with his wife, former Olympic rhythmic gymnast Emilie Livingston, whom he married in 2014, and their two sons. He was previously married to actresses Patricia Gaul and Geena Davis. In 2018, a temporary statue of Goldblum was erected near London's Tower Bridge to mark twenty-five years since the release of Jurassic Park, and he was the subject of a published biography in 2021.