# Brett Goldstein

Brett Goldstein (born 17 July 1980) is an English actor, comedian, writer, producer, and podcaster. Known for his role as Roy Kent in the Apple TV+ sports comedy series Ted Lasso, he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for each of the first two seasons. He is also the co-creator of the comedy series Shrinking (2023).

## Early life and education

Goldstein was born on 17 July 1980 in the Sutton suburb of London, to a British Jewish family. He was educated at Sevenoaks School. After secondary school he attended the University of Warwick, where he graduated with a degree in film studies.
Soon afterwards, he briefly relocated to Marbella, Spain, to work at a strip club which his father purchased during a "midlife crisis". He then moved to New York City to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, until 2003. While there, he began writing scripts that he later took to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He turned his Marbella experience into a stand-up comedy routine, Brett Goldstein Grew Up in a Strip Club (2011).

## Career

Goldstein began acting in short films and had his first feature film role in the self-written thriller Wish You Were Here (2005), which was remade as Slave (2009). In 2009, he made his television debut in two episodes of ITV's long-running police drama The Bill. From 2012 to 2016, he appeared in several comedy series, such as BBC One's Uncle, E4's Drifters and Channel 4's Derek. He also played American TV legend David Hasselhoff's personal trainer, Danny, in Dave's mockumentary series Hoff the Record (2015–2016).
In 2013, Goldstein wrote and played the leading role of a Peckham postman-turned-superhero in the low-budget romantic comedy SuperBob (2015). At the end of filming, comedian Catherine Tate, who starred in the film as his character's boss at the Ministry of Defence, invited him to co-write and guest star in the BBC One sitcom Catherine Tate's Nan (2014–2015), a spin-off of The Catherine Tate Show about her popular sweary old-lady character Joanie Taylor. The two continued to collaborate, with Goldstein joining Tate on her first ever live tour in 2016 and co-writing the feature film The Nan Movie (2022) and a 2021 Comic Relief sketch starring Daniel Craig as James Bond.
In 2016, he won the BIFA for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Brendan in the comedy film Adult Life Skills, starring Jodie Whittaker as the lead character. Two years later, he again appeared alongside Whittaker in the BBC's long-running science fiction drama Doctor Who, in an episode called "The Tsuranga Conundrum" (2018). Later that year, in July 2018, he began his career as a podcaster with Films to Be Buried With, a comedy podcast featuring guests talking about films that have been important in their lives. Goldstein has also written and performed four solo stand-up shows.
TV producer Bill Lawrence hired Goldstein as a writer for the 2020 Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso, starring Jason Sudeikis. His writing on the show led to his being cast as the character of aging footballer Roy Kent. Rolling Stone's Emily Zemler stated that Goldstein "felt such a kinship with this stoic tough guy, in fact, that he emailed a self-taped audition of five scenes to the production team. In the email, he told the team, "If this is awkward, or this is shit, pretend you never got this email, and I promise I will never ask you about it." The tapes, which included the 'If I don't hear silence I'm gonna start punching dicks' scene from the pilot, ended up scoring him the role. The rest is history." He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series two consecutive years (2021 and 2022), for his work on the show.
Together with Black Mirror writer Will Bridges, Goldstein created and wrote the six-part science fiction anthology series Soulmates for AMC, based on their short film For Life (2013). The series premiered in October 2020 and starred Sarah Snook, Malin Akerman, Betsy Brandt and Charlie Heaton. In 2022, he signed a multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. Television. Later that year, Goldstein appeared as Hercules in the mid-credits scene of Thor: Love and Thunder and is expected to play the character in future Marvel Cinematic Universe properties.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | The Rope | Man | Short film |
| 2005 | Wish You Were Here | Young Robert Dunsmore | Also writer |
| 2009 | Slave | Young Robert Dunsmore | Also writer |
| 2009 | SuperBob | Bob | Short film |
| 2012 | The Comedian | Comedy MC | |
| 2012 | The Knot | Albert | |
| 2013 | Everyone's Going to Die | Richard | Voice |
| 2013 | Tattooed | Dave | Short film |
| 2013 | For Life | Simon | Short film; also writer |
| 2014 | The Hooligan Factory | Mr. Burrows | |
| 2015 | Legacy | Mr. Harrowgate | |
| 2015 | Howl | David | |
| 2015 | SuperBob | Bob | Also writer |
| 2016 | Adult Life Skills | Brendan | |
| 2016 | Bullet to the Heart | Steve | Short film; also co-writer |
| 2018 | Spectre of Shame | James Bond | Short film; also writer and producer |
| 2018 | F*ck | Adam | Short film |
| 2018 | Wild Honey Pie! | Matt | |
| 2022 | The Nan Movie | None | Co-writer |
| 2022 | Thor: Love and Thunder | Hercules | Cameo |
| 2024 | The Garfield Movie | Roland | Voice |
| 2024 | All of You | Simon | Also co-writer and co-producer |
| TBA | At the Sea | TBA | Filming |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | The Bill | Jared Miles | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | White Van Man | None | Episode: "Ollie's First Day"; writer of additional material |
| 2012–2014 | Derek | Tom | 11 episodes |
| 2012 | Ronna & Beverly | None | 6 episodes; writer of additional material |
| 2012 | 4Funnies | None | Episode: "Gittins"; writer |
| 2013–2016 | Drifters | Scott | 7 episodes; also writer of additional material |
| 2013 | Common Ground | Lawrence | Episode: "Fergus & Crispin" |
| 2013 | Love Matters | Jason | Episode: "30 & Counting" |
| 2013 | Claudia O'Doherty: Comedy Blaps | Simon | Episode: "What Is Time?" |
| 2013 | Live at the Electric | IT Technician | Episode #2.2 |
| 2014–2017 | Uncle | Casper | 9 episodes |
| 2014 | Playhouse Presents | Photojournalist | Episode: "The Dog Thrower" |
| 2014 | Cuckoo | Policeman | Episode: "Tribunal" |
| 2015–2016 | Hoff the Record | Danny Jones | Main cast; also writer of additional material |
| 2014–2015 | Catherine Tate's Nan | Jonathan | Episode: "Nanger Management"; also co-writer of three episodes |
| 2015 | Undercover | Christophe | 4 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | Drunk History | Robert Dudley / James Garfield | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | The Pact | Andy | TV film |
| 2018 | Doctor Who | Astos | Episode: "The Tsuranga Conundrum" |
| 2019 | This Way Up | None | 6 episodes; script editor |
| 2020–2023 | Ted Lasso | Roy Kent | Main cast; also writer and executive producer |
| 2020 | Soulmates | None | Co-creator, writer and executive producer |
| 2021 | Robot Chicken | Tony Stark | Voice; episode: "May Cause Light Cannibalism" |
| 2022 | A Beginner's Guide to Grief | Grief Expert | Voice |
| 2023–present | Shrinking | Louis | Also co-creator, writer and executive producer |
| 2023 | Harley Quinn | Himself | Voice; episode: "A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special" |
| 2024 | Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock | Pryce Fraggle | Voice; episodes: "The Great Wind" and "This for That" |

### Theatre and stand-up shows

| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
| 2010 | For 21 Nights Only! | Himself | Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
| 2011 | Brett Goldstein Grew Up in a Strip Club | Himself | Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
| 2013 | Brett Goldstein Contains Scenes of an Adult Nature | Himself | Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
| 2015 | Brett Goldstein: Burning Man | Himself | Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
| 2016 | The Catherine Tate Show Live | Various | UK tour |
| 2018 | Brett Goldstein: What Is Love Baby Don't Hurt Me | Himself | Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
| 2023 | Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life | Himself | US and Canada tour |
| 2024 | Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life | Himself | US and Canada tour |

### Radio and podcast

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2018 | Proposal | Actor | BBC Radio 2 pilot |
| 2018–present | Films to Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein | Himself (host) | Podcast; 300 episodes |
| 2019 | Obsessed With… Line of Duty | Himself (co-host) | BBC Sounds podcast; 7 episodes with Lolly Adefope |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2015 | FilmQuest Awards | Best Actor | SuperBob | Won |
| 2015 | FilmQuest Awards | Best Screenplay (shared with Will Bridges and Jon Drever) | SuperBob | Won |
| 2016 | British Independent Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Adult Life Skills | Won |
| 2021 | Gold Derby Awards | Comedy Supporting Actor | Ted Lasso | Nominated |
| 2021 | Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Ted Lasso | Won |
| 2021 | International Online Cinema Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Won |
| 2021 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared with cast) | Ted Lasso | Nominated |
| 2021 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Won |
| 2021 | Writers Guild of America Awards | Television: Comedy Series (shared with other writers) | Ted Lasso | Won |
| 2021 | Writers Guild of America Awards | Television: New Series (shared with other writers) | Ted Lasso | Won |
| 2022 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Won |
| 2022 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Ted Lasso | Nominated |
| 2022 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Nominated |
| 2022 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared with cast) | Ted Lasso | Won |
| 2022 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Won |
| 2022 | National Film Awards | Best Screenplay (shared with Catherine Tate) | The Nan Movie | Nominated |
| 2023 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Nominated |
| 2023 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Nominated |
| 2023 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared with cast) | Ted Lasso | Nominated |