 elliott gould (born elliott goldstein; august 29, 1938) is an american actor. he began acting in hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. in addition to his performance in the classic comedy bob & carol & ted & alice (1969), for which he received a nomination for the academy award for best supporting actor, gould is perhaps best known for his significant roles in robert altman films, starring in m*a*s*h (1970), the long goodbye (1973), and california split (1974). in recent years, he has starred in a recurring role as jack geller on friends (1994â2003) and as reuben tishkoff in ocean's eleven (2001), ocean's twelve (2004), and ocean's thirteen (2007). == early life == gould was born in brooklyn, new york. his mother, lucille (nÃ©e raver), sold artificial flowers to beauty shops, and his father, bernard goldstein, worked in the garment business as a textiles buyer. his family was jewish, and his grandparents were immigrants from ukraine, poland, and russia.elliott gould: reel to real he graduated from the professional children's school. == career == gould began acting in the broadway theatre in the late 1950s, eventually landing a starring role in '
1938_births 20th-century_American_male_actors 21st-century_American_male_actors American_male_film_actors American_male_television_actors American_male_voice_actors Jewish_American_male_actors Living_people Male_actors_from_New_York_City People_from_Brooklyn