Josh Gad
Joshua Ilan Gad[1] (born February 23, 1981)[2] is an American actor. He is known for voicing Olaf in the Frozen franchise, playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, and playing Le Fou in the live-action adaptation of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. For his role as Olaf, Gad won two Annie Awards, and for his work in The Book of Mormon, he co-won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical, both shared with Andrew Rannells as one of the two leading artists.
Josh Gad
Actor
2002–present
2
Early life[edit]
Joshua Ilan Gad was born in Hollywood, Florida, on February 23, 1981.[2] His mother, Susan,[3] is a real estate agent and his stepfather is an investment advisor, and he has two older brothers Jason Gad and Jeff Gad, a stepbrother and a stepsister.[1] His father, Sam (Shmuel) Gad was born to a Jewish family in Afghanistan and moved to Israel as a teenager. Gad believes his father is a descendant of the Tribe of Gad, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, further stating that his paternal ancestors traveled through India before settling in Afghanistan.[4] His mother was born in Germany to an Ashkenazi Jewish family of Holocaust survivors.[5][6][7][8] He was raised Jewish.[9][10]
Gad attended the University School of Nova Southeastern University, graduating in 1999. While there, he won the National Forensics League (NFL) National Tournament Championships for Original Oratory in 1998 and 1999. He also won the 1999 Humorous Interpretation at the National tournament in Phoenix.[11] He then attended the Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts, where he graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama. He attended college with fellow Broadway stars Leslie Odom Jr. and Rory O’Malley, the latter of whom he based his portrayal of Olaf in Frozen on.[12] During this time, he undertook a semester-long exchange at the National Institute of Dramatic Art.[13]
Career[edit]
2002–2008: Early career[edit]
Gad made his film debut in the 2002 film Mary and Joe. In 2005, Gad made his television debut by guest-starring in an episode of the NBC medical drama series ER. The same year, he replaced Dan Fogler as William Barfée in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway after Fogler left the show.[14] Gad went on to star in the Fox sitcom Back to You as news director Ryan Church. The sitcom lasted one season from 2007 to 2008. In 2008, Gad had a supporting role in the drama film 21, and a leading role in the comedy film The Rocker.
Personal life[edit]
In 2004, Gad met actress Ida Darvish after the two were cast to play a married couple in the David Ives play All in the Timing. They married in 2008.[39] Gad has stated that while he loves the traditional aspects of Judaism and celebrates some traditions of his wife's Catholicism, he considers himself spiritual but not religious.[9] They have two daughters.[40][41] Gad has publicly talked about his struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, as part of his effort to combat mental health stigma and shame.[42] As an effort towards squashing the mental health stigma, Gad joined other celebrities in 2018 in an ongoing project through the Child Mind Institute, titled #MyYoungerSelf. This campaign focuses on normalizing mental health especially in kids. The website features Gad and other celebrities talking about their own personal struggles with mental health and how they've found the help they need, while they also encourage viewers to find what can specifically help them.[43] Gad's YouTube series Reunited Apart helped him get through the pandemic and lockdown. While he was out of work for the lockdown, he was able to focus on the series and not let his mental health decline.[44]