Josh Gad

**Joshua Ilan "Josh" Gad** (born February 23, 1981) **Joshua Ilan "Josh" Gad** is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, and singer who is best known for his role as Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical *The Book of Mormon*. He is also known for his role as Ludlow Lamonsoff in the 2015 video game film *Pixels*, and for voicing Chuck in *The Angry Birds Movie*.

He voiced Olaf in the 2013 Disney animated feature film *Frozen* and has since reprised the role in other projects like the *Sofia the First* episode "Olaf and the Tale of Miss Nettle". He also voiced Wendell in the *Phineas and Ferb* episode "Doof 101" and "O.W.C.A. Files" and a controller in *Star Wars Rebels*. Gad also portrays Gaston's sidekick, LeFou, in the live-action remake of *Beauty and the Beast.*

## Early Life

Josh Gad was born in Hollywood, Florida on February 23, 1981. He was raised Jewish. While in high school, he won two Original Oratories in 1998 and 1999. Then he attended Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama. During this time, he also was in a semester long exchange at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia.

## Career

In 2007, Gad portrayed the news director Ryan Church on the Fox sitcom *Back to You*, which lasted until the next year. In 2008, he played a supporting role in the film *21*, and a leading role in *The Rocker*.

The next year, on May 5, 2009, he appeared as a correspondent on *The Daily Show*, and became a regular correspondent in less than a month later, on June 2. That same year, in November, he appeared on *The Daily Show* again in a segment titled "Crash for Clunkers" about the effect the Cash for Clunkers program had on demolition derbies.

In 2010, Gad had a role in *Love & Other Drugs*, and a guest role as Warren on the *Bored to Death* episode entitled, "Make it Quick, Fitzgerald!" Gad was cast in the American version of the British sitcom *No Heroics*. In the pilot, he played their former classmate from Superhero College, Horse Force. The show wasn't picked up.

The Broadway musical *The Book of Mormon* is what Gad is best known for, which opened on March 24, 2011. He played Elder Cunningham until his last performance on June 6, 2012. He was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, but lost.

Besides Gad's success in *The Book of Mormon*, Gad made a cameo appearance in ABC's *Modern Family*, in Season 3's Thanksgiving episode in 2011. He also voices "Mondo" in the MTV animated series *Good Vibes*.

In 2012, Gad made an appearance as "Bump" in *Mardi Gras: Spring Break*, and played the role of "Bear Claw" on an episode of *New Girl*. He also starred in the independent romantic comedy, *She Wants Me*.

Gad played Andrew in the film *The Internship* in 2013. He also starred as Steve Wozniak in the film *Jobs*. In May, it was announced that Gad will star as the main character's brother in the upcoming film *Wish I Was Here*.

With Disney, he voiced Olaf in the Walt Disney Animation Studios film *Frozen*, and guest as a voice on Phineas and Ferb.

On August of 2013, there was an announcement that Gad will play Sam Kinison in a biopic, a biographical film. Also in August, Gad wrote an article for USA Today, which appeared on page 2D, titled: "Technology pundit (for a day)". In December of that same year, Gad will star and co-write the film version of *Gilligan's Island*.

## Personal Life

Gad married actress Ida Darvish in 2008. They have two daughters: Ava, born in 2011, and Isabelle, born in 2014. Gad is also the godfather of Bryce Dallas Howard and Seth Gabel's son, Theo. Although he loves the traditional aspects of Judaism, he considers himself spiritual, but not religious.

## Gallery

at the premiere of Beauty and the Beast (2017)
## Trivia

* Even though Gad didn't tell his daughter, Ava, that he was voicing Olaf, she recognized his laugh in the teaser trailer where only his laugh was audible
* Most of Gad's lines in *Frozen* were improvised around the script.
* Until the writers found Josh Gad, Olaf was not really going to be a main character; they thought Gad was perfect for the part in addition to adding humor to the movie.