Lance Barber

Lance Barber (born June 29, 1973) is an American actor. He gained recognition for his main role as Paulie G on the HBO sitcom The Comeback (2005; 2014; 2026), which was followed with a starring role in the film The Godfather of Green Bay.

In the 2010s, Barber had recurring roles as Bill Ponderosa on the FX and FXX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2010–2013; 2015–2018) and Lucas on the MTV television series Faking It (2014–2016). He received renewed attention for his main role as George Cooper Sr. on the CBS sitcom Young Sheldon (2017–2024).

Early life Barber was born and raised in Battle Creek, Michigan, and developed an interest in acting at the age of seven, after seeing a performance of Grease at the Barn Theatre. He also appeared in episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Gilmore Girls, Californication, Monk, The Mentalist, and Grey's Anatomy.

Barber played Jimmy Speckerman, who bullied Leonard Hofstadter at high school, in one episode of The Big Bang Theory. He was cast as George Cooper Sr., father of Sheldon Cooper, in the spin-off Young Sheldon that premiered in 2017, and mentioned in an interview that some fans were confused by his different roles in the two related series. Barber also played Cooper in "The VCR Illumination", a 2018 episode of the parent show's twelfth season; the character is deceased in the series but appears on an old VHS tape that Sheldon plays.

Personal life Barber lives in Los Angeles with his wife Aliza, who is a chef, and their two children.