Elliott Gould
(1938 -     )
Biography largely from Baseline's Encyclopedia of Film; photo #2 (2007) from the IMDb


Photo:
© WireImage.com

Born Elliott Goldstein in Brooklyn, NY. Tall, gangly, curly-haired actor who, after a career as a performer in stage musicals, came to personify the slovenly angst of the young, upwardly mobile middle class during the late 1960s and early 70s. As a teenager, Gould sang and danced in the chorus of several Broadway musicals before co-starring in Harold Rome's 1962 musical about the garment industry, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, which was notable for the show-stopping performance of Barbra Streisand, whom he married the following year.

Gould made his first impression in film in the charming period comedy THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKY'S (1968) and was Oscar®-nominated for his supporting work in the slick but smarmy BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE (1969). He followed with a spate of fine leading roles, including Robert Altman's M*A*S*H (as "Trapper John" McIntyre) and Richard Rush's GETTING STRAIGHT (both 1970). In an offbeat bit of casting, Gould acquitted himself surprisingly well as Philip Marlowe in THE LONG GOODBYE (1973) and then starred in CALIFORNIA SPLIT (1974), both directed by Altman.

Since the 1970s, Gould has worked fairly consistently in mostly mediocre fare, including such little-seen comedies as MATILDA (1978) and DEAD MEN DON'T DIE (1990), and the similarly passed-over dramas THE NAKED FACE (1985) and THE LEMON SISTERS (1989). He was visible as a frequent guest host of "Saturday Night Live" but his three attempts at TV comedy ("E.R.," "Together We Stand" and "Sessions") were short-lived and unsuccessful. Gould regained some attention in features with a brief but showy performance as a dense schlepp in BUGSY (1991). He played Jack Geller on "Friends."

Other credits during the 1990s include DEAD MEN DON'T DIE (1991), WET AND WILD SUMMER! and BEYOND JUSTICE (both 1992), AMORE! (1993), THE FEMININE TOUCH, BLEEDING HEARTS and THE GLASS SHIELD (all 1994), KICKING AND SCREAMING and LET IT BE ME (both 1995), JOHNS (1996), INSIDE OUT, CAMP STORIES and "The Shining" TV mini-series (all 1997), THE BIG HIT and AMERICAN HISTORY X (both 1998). TV series work included roles in "Sessions", "The Hitchhiker", "The Ray Bradbury Theater", "L.A. Law", "Moon Over Miami", "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman", "Burke's Law", "The Magic School Bus", "Diagnosis Murder", "Getting Personal", "Hey Arnold!" and "Mentors", as well as several made-for-TV movies.

Since 2000, Gould's screen credits include PLAYING MONA LISA, PICKING UP THE PIECES and BOYS LIFE 3 (all 2000), THE EXPERIENCE BOX and OCEAN'S ELEVEN (both 2001), PUCKOON (2002), OCEAN'S TWELVE (2004), OPEN WINDOW (2006), OCEAN'S THIRTEEN, LITTLE HERCULES IN 3-D, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and THE REDEMPTION OF SARAH CAIN (all 2007), THE DEAL and THE CALLER (both 2008), LITTLE HERCULES IN 3-D (2009), and EXPECTING MARY, MORNING, REMOVAL and NOAH'S ARK: THE NEW BEGINNING (voice) (all 2010). TV work includes episodes of the series "Baby Bob", "Las Vegas", "Friends", "K Street", "Poirot", "Masters of Horror", "American Dad" and "Kim Possible", as well as several made-for-TV movies.

Gould and Steisand were married from 1963 to 1971; their son is actor Jason Gould (b. 1966). Twice married to Jennifer Bogart: 1973-1976, divorced; and 1978-1979, separated.

 Nominated for Supporting Actor 1969: BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE

1 nominations

theOscarSite
Scores
Acting
Noms
1
Acting
Awds
0
Act
Cred
2
Othr Act
Noms
7
Othr Act
Wins
1
BP
Noms
3
BP
Wins
0
Othr
Cred
11

13
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(# Nom
Films
10
Total
Noms
38
Total
Awds)
4

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