Adam Goldberg

Adam Goldberg (born October 25, 1970) is an American actor. Known for his supporting roles in film and television, Goldberg has appeared in films such as Dazed and Confused, Saving Private Ryan, A Beautiful Mind and Zodiac. He has also played leading roles in independent films such as The Hebrew Hammer and 2 Days in Paris. His TV appearances include the shows Law & Order: Criminal Intent, My Name Is Earl, Friends, Joey, Entourage, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Unusuals and his role as hitman Grady Numbers in the first season of Fargo. From 2021 until 2025 he has starred opposite Queen Latifah on CBS' The Equalizer.

Early life Goldberg is the son of Donna Gable, a psychologist, and Earl Goldberg, a former owner of Goldberg and Solovy Foods, a wholesale food business. His father is Jewish, while his mother is of German, French, Irish, and a "bit of Mexican" descent.

Career

Film Goldberg's first major screen role was in the Billy Crystal film Mr. Saturday Night (1992). His second major screen role was as Mike Newhouse in Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused (1993). His career-making role was arguably that of the tough, wise-cracking infantryman Stanley Mellish in Steven Spielberg's 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. While he played lead characters in The Hebrew Hammer, 2 Days in Paris, and (Untitled), Goldberg is mostly known for his character work in film and television.

Notable roles include Jerry, the undead servant to Christopher Walken's Angel Gabriel in the supernatural thriller The Prophecy; Sol in A Beautiful Mind, opposite Russell Crowe; and Denny in Déjà Vu, opposite Denzel Washington. Goldberg has also voice acted in Babe: Pig in the City, Homeward Bound II, and A Monster in Paris.

Goldberg appeared extensively in the Flaming Lips documentary The Fearless Freaks, and had a supporting role in Christmas on Mars, a science fiction film written and directed by Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne. In 1999, he appeared in the Sixpence None The Richer music video "There She Goes".

Goldberg wrote, produced, directed, and edited the features Scotch and Milk, I Love Your Work, and No Way Jose as well as multiple television projects, notably including the philosophical travelogue Running with the Bulls for IFC.

Television In 1995, Goldberg appeared in a signature wise-cracking role as delivery boy Leo in the television comedy Double Rush. Goldberg then appeared in a three-episode arc in the second season of Friends (1996) as Chandler's crazy roommate Eddie. He appeared some years later in a nine-episode arc in season two of the Friends spinoff show Joey as Jimmy, Joey Tribbiani's best friend from high school. He also appeared as a main character in the short-lived 2005 Fox series Head Cases.

In 1997, he received an exclusive series development deal with ABC.

Goldberg appeared in the short-lived ensemble cop show The Unusuals, playing a New York City detective with brain cancer who refuses treatment because of his dislike of doctors. His character was stated as being "sarcastic" and Goldberg had been described as "one of the better reasons to watch." He subsequently appeared in the short-lived ensemble cop show NYC 22.

In 2014, portrayed Mr. Numbers, one half of the hit man team in the first season of FX's Fargo. This was the second time working with creator Noah Hawley, who had cast Goldberg in 2009's The Unusuals. He had to learn American Sign Language for the role and began production just a few days after wrapping principal photography on his feature, No Way Jose. While shooting Fargo, Goldberg was also editing his feature and much of it was assembled in his hotel room in Calgary.

Goldberg played the role of Dave Marks, a struggling comedian and Jim Gaffigan's best friend, for two seasons on the TV Land sitcom The Jim Gaffigan Show. He shot the pilot during a week off from production on Fargo.

In 2017, Goldberg joined the cast of NBC's Taken as a regular cast member during the show's second season. He portrayed Kilroy, an accomplished computer hacker.

In 2019, Goldberg had a supporting role in the cast of CBS's God Friended Me as technical entrepreneur, Simon Hayes.

In 2020, Goldberg began production on CBS' The Equalizer, a reboot of the original. He played another hacker, this time opposite Queen Latifah.

Other ventures A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Goldberg composed and arranged the music to the film I Love Your Work with Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips as well as scoring his most recent feature, No Way Jose, and IFC's Running with the Bulls. He also provided a song for The Hebrew Hammer soundtrack.

Goldberg released his first album, Eros and Omissions, under the LANDy moniker. It was released on June 23, 2009. Flaming Lips drummer Steven Drozd, with whom Goldberg collaborated on the score for I Love Your Work, performed on the record as well as members of the band The Black Pine. Earlimart's Aaron Espinoza is credited as having done the final mix as well as having engineered many of the more recent songs. Goldberg has since changed his musical moniker to The Goldberg Sisters, under which he has made three albums, the last two of which he played every instrument save for strings (provided by his wife Roxanne Daner and musician Merritt Lear) and horns (provided by his engineer and co-producer Andrew Lynch).

On June 7, 2011, Goldberg assembled a live band to perform The Goldberg Sisters single "Shush" on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Goldberg is also a photographer, shooting primarily on film and expired Polaroid. His first book was co-published by Hat and Beard Press and contained a limited vinyl version of The Goldberg Sisters' Home: A Nice Place to Visit. Subsequent exhibitions of photography from the book also included live performances of Goldberg Sisters songs by Goldberg and Lynch, utilizing several loop and effects pedals. An early adopter of the now-defunct Vine app, Goldberg was known for incorporating many analog film elements into his six-second "films." He was hired to do forty films for the French cellular company Orange during the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, during which he made a six-second Vine based on each film entered in competition. He is an avid Instagram user; his account consists of much of his photography while also hosting a cinematic narrative of his family life.

Personal life Goldberg has two children with his wife, artist and designer Roxanne Daner. Their first child together, a son, was stillborn. Their second son was born shortly thereafter, in November 2014. Goldberg and Daner married on Halloween in 2014. They had another son in September 2018.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1992 Mr. Saturday Night Eugene Gimbel 1993 Dazed and Confused Mike Newhouse Son in Law Indian 1995 Higher Learning David Isaacs The Prophecy Jerry 1996 Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco Pete Voice only 1998 Scotch and Milk Jim Some Girl Freud Saving Private Ryan Pvt. Stanley Mellish Babe: Pig in the City Flealick Voice only 1999 EDtv John 2000 Sunset Strip Marty Shapiro 2001 Waking Life One of Four Men All Over the Guy Brett Miles Sanford Fast Sofa Jack Weis According to Spencer Feldy A Beautiful Mind Sol 2002 The Salton Sea Kujo 2003 The Hebrew Hammer Mordechai Jefferson Carver How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Tony 2005 The Fearless Freaks Himself Documentary I Love Your Work Director and writer only 2006 Man About Town Phil Balow Stay Alive Miller Banks Keeping Up with the Steins Uncredited Déjà Vu Dr. Alexander Denny 2007 2 Days in Paris Jack Zodiac Duffy Jennings Nancy Drew Arrogant Director Andy 2008 From Within Roy Christmas on Mars Dr. Scott Zero (A Mars Psychiatrist) Kate Wakes Jared Short 2009 (Untitled) Adrian Jacobs Landy's BFF Himself 2010 Miss Nobody Bill Malloy Norman Mr. Angelo 2011 A Monster in Paris Raoul Voice only 2012 Lost Angeles Deepak 2015 No Way Jose Jose Also director 2016 Rebirth Zack Between Us Liam 2017 Once Upon a Time in Venice Lou the Jew 2019 Running with the Devil The Snitch 2024 The Exorcism Peter

Television Year Title Role Notes 1990 Designing Women Student 1 episode 1995 Double Rush Leo Main cast ER Joshua Shem 1 episode 1996 NYPD Blue Reporter Dave Bloom 1 episode Space: Above and Beyond Sgt. Louie Fox 1 episode Friends Eddie Menuek 3 episodes 1996–1997 Relativity Doug Kroll Main cast 2000 The Outer Limits Sid Camden / Chad Warner 1 episode 2000–2001 The $treet Evan Mitchell Main cast 2001 Will & Grace Kevin Wolchek 1 episode 2004 Frankenstein Detective Michael Sloane TV movie 2005 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Victor Garros 1 episode Head Cases Russell Shultz 2 episodes 2005–2006 Joey James "Jimmy" Costa 9 episodes 2006 My Name Is Earl Philo 1 episode 2007 Medium Bruce Rossiter 1 episode Entourage Nick Rubenstein 4 episodes 2009 The Unusuals Detective Eric Delahoy Main cast 2009 Numb3rs Chris McNall 1 episode 2011 White Collar Jason Lang 1 episode 2012 NYC 22 Ray "Lazarus" Harper Main role 2013 Animal Practice Himself 1 episode Franklin & Bash August West 1 episode The Anna Nicole Story Howard K. Stern TV movie 2014 Fargo Grady Numbers 5 episodes 2015 Maron Jack Ross 1 episode 2015–2016 The Jim Gaffigan Show Dave Marks Main cast 2017 Graves Christopher Sachs Regular cast; 2 episodes Lore Peter Stumpp Episode: "The Beast Within" 2018 Taken Harden Kilroy Regular cast 2019 God Friended Me Simon Hayes 8 episodes 2021–2025 The Equalizer Harry Keshegian Regular cast