David Krumholtz

Early life

Krumholtz was born in New York City and grew up in the borough of Queens. He is the son of Michael, a postal worker, and Judy Krumholtz, a dental assistant. He grew up in a "very working class, almost poor" Jewish family. His paternal grandparents had emigrated from Poland, and his mother moved from Hungary to the U.S. in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution. He attended P.S. 196, Stephen A. Halsey Junior High School 157, and briefly attended Forest Hills High School.

Career

1992–1999

At the age of 13, Krumholtz followed his friends to an open audition for the Broadway play Conversations with My Father (1992). When he tried out, he won the role of Young Charlie, with Judd Hirsch, Tony Shalhoub and Jason Biggs, who was also making his Broadway debut. Soon after his run on Broadway, Krumholtz co-starred in two feature films, Life With Mikey (1993) with Michael J. Fox and Addams Family Values (1993) with Christina Ricci. For his role in Mikey, Krumholtz was nominated for a 1993 Young Artist Award. Although his work in these two films garnered him critical attention, Krumholtz is probably best known by children as the sarcastic head elf Bernard from The Santa Clause (1994) and its first sequel, The Santa Clause 2 (2002). While he did not appear in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006) due to a scheduling conflict and his belief that the character was devalued, he reprised the role two decades later in the Disney+ series The Santa Clauses (2022).

In 1994, Krumholtz co-starred in his first television series, Monty, with Henry Winkler; the show lasted only a few episodes. Krumholtz later starred in several short-lived series over the years. Along the way, he had the opportunity to work with Jason Bateman (Chicago Sons, 1997), Tom Selleck (The Closer, 1998), Jon Cryer (The Trouble with Normal, 2000), and Rob Lowe (The Lyon's Den, 2003). In 2005, he finally found television success with the CBS series Numb3rs. Along with his starring roles on television, Krumholtz made guest appearances on ER as schizophrenic patient Paul Sobriki, as well as on Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Lucky, Freaks and Geeks, and Undeclared.

He broke out of the children's movie genre with The Ice Storm (1997), directed by Ang Lee, and Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), starring Alan Arkin and Natasha Lyonne. In 1999, Krumholtz starred as Michael Eckman in the popular teen movie 10 Things I Hate About You with Larisa Oleynik, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julia Stiles, and Heath Ledger. That same year, he portrayed a completely different teen character – that of Yussel, a young conflicted Jewish man in Liberty Heights (1999).

2001–2011

It was the role of Yussel that brought Krumholtz to the attention of actor and filmmaker Edward Burns, who cast him in the independent film Sidewalks of New York (2001).

Krumholtz's first role as a leading man was in the romantic comedy You Stupid Man (2002), opposite Milla Jovovich. Although never released theatrically in the United States, You Stupid Man, directed by Edward Burns's brother Brian Burns, was released on DVD (2006).

Krumholtz carried another leading role in Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie (2002), which premiered on FX Networks. Big Shot was a true story based on the Arizona State University basketball fixing scandal in 1994. Krumholtz played Benny Silman, a college student and campus bookmaker, who was jailed for his part in shaving points off key Arizona State basketball games. Benny was unlike any character Krumholtz had played before; and he garnered critical praise for his performance, proving that he was not just a sidekick.

In 2005, Krumholtz played Max in My Suicidal Sweetheart (formerly Max and Grace), once again starring opposite actress Natasha Lyonne. Krumholtz also returned to smaller roles in the successful films Ray (2004) and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), along with its two sequels. In September 2005, he was seen in Joss Whedon's science fiction film Serenity as "Mr. Universe", a hacker and information broker. In early 2006, Krumholtz's 2003 film Kill the Poor screened in New York City at IFC Center and across the country on Comcast's On Demand cable service.

From 2005 to 2010, Krumholtz starred on the CBS television show Numb3rs, portraying Charlie Eppes, a genius who used mathematics to help his FBI agent brother Don (Rob Morrow) solve crimes. The cast of Numbers also included Judd Hirsch and Peter MacNicol, who appeared with Krumholtz in Addams Family Values as a camp counselor. Critic Matt Roush (TV Guide) called Krumholtz's work on Numbers "probably his best TV work to date". Numbers was cancelled by CBS on May 18, 2010. He starred in the 2010 TV film/series pilot Tax Man on Fox but was not picked up to series. He starred in The Playboy Club on NBC in 2011, but the show was cancelled after three episodes.

2012–present

In 2012, Krumholtz was cast opposite Michael Urie in CBS' comedy TV series Partners but the show was cancelled after six episodes. In 2015, he played the title role wearing heavy prosthetics as an elderly Jewish woman in the IFC comedy series Gigi Does It which he wrote and co-created with Ricky Mabe and Zach Golden.

In recent years, he has had minor roles in the Coen brothers films Hail Caesar! (2016) and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), while also appearing in films such as This Is the End (2013), The Judge (2014), Sausage Party (2016), and Wonder Wheel (2017). He had a prominent recurring role as adult filmmaker Harvey Wasserman in the first two seasons of the HBO drama series The Deuce, before being promoted to a series regular for the third season. In 2020, he appeared as a series regular playing Monty Levin in the HBO miniseries The Plot Against America.

In fall 2022, Krumholtz returned to the stage to play the role of Hermann Merz in the original Broadway cast of Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt at The Longacre Theater in New York City. Variety described his performance as "vulnerable and powerful". He earned a nomination for the Drama League Award for Outstanding Performance. The following year Krumholtz portrayed physicist Isidor Isaac Rabi in Christopher Nolan's biographical drama Oppenheimer (2023).

Personal life

On May 22, 2010, Krumholtz married actress Vanessa Britting (born Vanessa Almeda Goonan), at the Plaza Hotel in New York City; they had been engaged since July 2008. They have a daughter and a son, both born in the 2010s. In 2017, they moved from Los Angeles to Wyckoff, New Jersey.

In July 2011, Krumholtz was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He began a radioactive iodine treatment five months later. At the end of January 2012, he was pronounced cancer-free.

On October 4, 2024, Krumholtz was interviewed by The New York Times regarding cannabis reliance; Krumholtz had lost over 100 pounds and was hospitalized several times. He was diagnosed with Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome and has since stopped using marijuana.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (May 9, 2022). "Celebrity Birthdays for the Week of May 15–21".
2. . ["David Krumholtz"](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/david-krumholtz-vn6778722).
3. Mitchell, Sean. (June 25, 2006). "David Krumholtz in 'Numbers': He Talks the Talk So Viewers Think He Figures the Figures". The New York Times.
4. "JewishJournal.com". JewishJournal.com.
5. Krumholtz, David. "I'm Jewish".
6. Bloom, Nate. (November 7, 2011). "Jewish Stars". [[Cleveland Jewish News]].
7. "TV2 Videó". Tv2video.hu.
8. Perlman, Michael. (January 24, 2024). "Behind The Scenes with TV, Film, & Broadway Sensation David Krumholtz".
9. "IMDbPro".
10. White, Abbey. (2021-12-25). "David Krumholtz Didn't Appear in 'Santa Clause 3' Because His Character Was 'Devalued a Little Bit' in the Script".
11. "CBS 2007 Fall Preview".
12. "DVD Review: Big Shot...Confessions of a Campus Bookie". Currentfilm.com.
13. "Tony Scott: 'Numb3rs' star David Krumholtz pens moving tribute to late producer".
14. Joyce Eng. (May 18, 2010). "CBS cancels seven series, including ''Ghost Whisperer'', ''Numb3rs'' and ''Cold Case''". TV Guide.
15. Michael Ausiello. (March 1, 2012). "Scoop: David Krumholtz eyes lead role opposite Michael Urie in CBS comedy pilot ''Partners''". TVLine.com.
16. Matt Webb Mitovich. (November 16, 2012). "CBS pulls the plug on ''Partners''". TVLine.com.
17. (3 October 2022). "'Leopoldstadt' Review: A Moving Broadway Production of Tom Stoppard's Intensely Personal Drama".
18. Wihlborg, Ulrica. (May 22, 2010). "David Krumholtz Ties the Knot". [[People (magazine).
19. (7 April 2014). "David Krumholtz Is a Proud Dad, Show Off Newborn Baby Girl—See the Precious Pic!". [[E! Online]].
20. La Gorce, Tammy. (December 1, 2022). "David Krumholtz: 'Leopoldstadt' Role Allowed Me to 'Reconnect With My Own Judaism'".
21. Kuperinsky, Amy. (March 7, 2024). "Actor David Krumholtz on 'Oppenheimer', his hilarious celebrity stories and love for N.J.". [[NJ.com]].
22. (December 9, 2011). "David Krumholtz on his cancer diagnosis".
23. (9 October 2012). "Interview: PARTNERS star David Krumholtz on his new CBS comedy series".
24. (October 4, 2024). "'It Took Over Everything': Stories of Marijuana's Little-Known Risks". [[The New York Times]].
25. Rebecca Ford. (October 15, 2014). "Hank Williams Biopic 'I Saw the Light' Rounds Out Cast".
26. Grobar, Matt. (July 10, 2024). "Jill Kargman, David Krumholtz, Justin Bartha & Christine Taylor to Topline Comedy 'Miracle on 74th Street'".
27. {{"-[https://deadline.com/2024/03/david-krumholtz-to-star-forelock-movie-caleb-alexander-smith-1235849382/ 'Oppenheimer's David Krumholtz to Star in Dark Comedy 'Forelock']{{-"
28. "Copenhagen {{!}} LATW".
29. "The Columnist {{!}} LATW".