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Ike Barinholtz
American actor and comedian (born 1977)
American actor and comedian (born 1977)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Ike Barinholtz |
| image | Ike Barinholtz (2018 crop).jpg |
| caption | Barinholtz in 2018 |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| occupation | |
| years_active | 2001–present |
| spouse | |
| father | Alan Barinholtz |
| relatives | Jon Barinholtz (brother) |
| children | 3 |
Ike Barinholtz (born February 18, 1977) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his starring roles in the comedy series MADtv (2002–2007), Eastbound & Down (2012), The Mindy Project (2012–2017), Bless the Harts (2019–2021), The Afterparty (2022), History of the World, Part II (2023), and The Studio (2025–present), the last having earned him a Critics' Choice Award and nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Actor Awards.
His films include Disaster Movie (2008), Neighbors (2014), Sisters (2015), Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), Suicide Squad (2016), Snatched (2017), Blockers (2018), Late Night (2019), The Hunt (2020), and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022). He co-wrote the action comedy film Central Intelligence (2016), and directed, wrote, produced, and starred in the comedy film The Oath (2018).
On February 2, 2023, he won the inaugural primetime season of Celebrity Jeopardy!, winning $1,000,000 for charity, Pacific Clinics, and placed as a semifinalist in the 2024 Tournament of Champions. On August 14, 2024, he and his father, Alan, became the first duo and the second celebrities overall to win the $1,000,000 top prize for their charity, the ASL Program at Los Encinos School, and the fifteenth overall million dollar winners on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He also previously won $125,000 for his charity, Uplift Family Services, on April 22, 2020.
To date, Barinholtz is the thirteenth highest-earning game show contestant of all time, having accumulated $1,635,000 on his game show appearances.
Early life, family, and education
Barinholtz grew up in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, the son of Peggy and Alan Barinholtz, an attorney and actor. His brother Jon Barinholtz is also an actor. Barinholtz has described his parents as "liberal people with great senses of humor", and said that he was raised in a "very funny home". Barinholtz is Jewish.
He attended Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School and then The Latin School of Chicago for high school, where he played on the school's Scholastic Bowl team when it won the state championship in 1994; he also competed in the 1994 Texaco Star National Academic Championship, held at Rice University. He worked at a telemarketing company and as a busboy before starting a career in comedy.
Barinholtz attended Boston University. After dropping out of college, he worked for the Chicago Transit Authority before starting his comedy career. In a 2013 interview, he said he dropped out of school because he hated it and was doing poorly. In a 2012 phone interview, Barinholtz said he was inspired to pursue a career in comedy after attending a comedy show at The Vic Theatre. Thereafter, he took comedy classes at The Second City, ImprovOlympic and Annoyance Theatre. He had planned on becoming a politician but instead decided to move to Los Angeles to be an actor.
Career
Barinholtz spent two years in Amsterdam with the famed comedy troupe Boom Chicago along with Jordan Peele, Josh Meyers, and Nicole Parker. Barinholtz hosted the 'Worst of Boom Night' during a 10-year anniversary of the improv troupe Boom Chicago, where they performed their worst material from previous shows.
In 2009, he performed at the Chicago Improv Festival alongside former MADtv cast member Jordan Peele. In 2012, Barinholtz performed at another Chicago Improv Festival event with his brother, Jon.
He is a founding member of The Lindbergh Babies, an improv group directed by Del Close, who worked with John Belushi, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, and Chris Farley. In 2012, Barinholtz joined the cast of the third season of the HBO series Eastbound & Down, playing the role of Ivan Dochenko, Kenny Powers' Russian rival. He starred alongside Seth Rogen in the 2014 comedy Neighbors, as well as its 2016 sequel. Also in 2016, Barinholtz played prison guard Griggs in the DC Comics film Suicide Squad.
He has frequently worked with comedian Dave Stassen, with whom he attended high school. They co-wrote a SPIKE pilot in which Barinholtz also starred, Mega Winner, and the 2016 film Central Intelligence.
Barinholtz appeared in a regular role as nurse Morgan Tookers on the comedy series The Mindy Project. He was also a writer and story editor on the series. He also has a role in Friends from College, a Netflix original. In 2022, Barinholtz was in the main cast of the Apple TV+ mystery comedy series The Afterparty.
Competing on the first season of Celebrity Jeopardy! on ABC in 2022–23, Barinholtz defeated Patton Oswalt and Wil Wheaton in the finals to win the championship. He earned $1,000,000 for his charity, Pacific Clinics, and, due to rule changes, became the first celebrity champion to receive a berth to the Tournament of Champions. Competing in 2024, Barinholtz won his quarterfinal match against 13-game winner Ray Lalonde and 3-game winner Melissa Klapper, before losing in the semifinals. An article in Slate described Barinholtz as the "chaos agent Jeopardy! needed".
Since 2025, Barinholtz has been starring in the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ comedy series The Studio as Sal Saperstein, a role which earned him the Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. After the show's first season, Barinholtz also received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
In July 2025, he was officially confirmed to portray Elon Musk in Luca Guadagnino's upcoming AI‑themed film Artificial, a comedic drama centered on the internal turmoil at OpenAI.
''MADtv''
Barinholtz officially joined the cast of MADtv in 2002 as a featured performer for the eighth season. He was later promoted to a repertory performer status the following season. Barinholtz often paired up with fellow cast member Josh Meyers in various sketches for the eighth and ninth seasons similar to the Mike Myers/Dana Carvey and Jimmy Fallon/Horatio Sanz duos on Saturday Night Live. Barinholtz also paired up with fellow cast member Bobby Lee in some of his sketches in the later seasons. Some of his famous characters included Abercrombie & Fitch model Dutch and Principal Lankenstein from the Coach Hines sketches.
Barinholtz's celebrity impressions included Abraham Lincoln, Alex Trebek, Andy Dick, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ashton Kutcher, Bo Bice, Cris Judd, Dane Cook, Felicity Huffman, Fidel Castro, George Michael, Howard Dean, Howie Long, Jack Osbourne, Kevin Federline, Mark Wahlberg, Clay Aiken, Matt Damon, Nick Lachey, Nick Nolte, Orlando Bloom, Pat Sajak, Ralph Nader, Rafael Palmeiro, Tom Hanks, and Vin Diesel.
In 2007, he decided not to renew his contract for the 13th season of MADtv. Barinholtz has commented that he started getting "restless" and did not see eye to eye with some of the MADtv bosses about how decisions were being made.
Characters
| Character | Sketch | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Bice | QVC: Quacker Factory | |
| Eli | The B.S. | |
| Astroman | ||
| Duncan Kruskal | The Silver Fox | |
| Dutch | Abercrombie & Fitch | |
| Jeffrey "Jeff" DeShazer | Coach Hines | |
| Marty | Knobs | |
| Mitchel "Mitch" Ruffin | ||
| Principal Lankenstein | Coach Hines | He is the principal of St. Francis High and Coach Hines' nemesis. |
| Roy Schenk | Feuding Parents | |
| Steven "Steve" Wellington |
Personal life
Barinholtz is married and has three daughters. While shooting the film Blockers, he suffered an accident doing a stunt involving a fall. He suffered two fractured cervical vertebrae in his neck.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Down | Assistant Milligan/Niles Benson | ||||
| 2006 | The Adventures of Big Handsome Guy and His Little Friend | Bar Jerk | Short film | |||
| 2007 | Bunny Whipped | Joe | ||||
| Twisted Fortune | Dave Armstrong | |||||
| 2008 | Meet the Spartans | Various | ||||
| Disaster Movie | Various | |||||
| 2009 | Shrink | Steve | Uncredited | |||
| Lock and Roll Forever | Lomax | |||||
| 2010 | How to Make Love to a Woman | David | ||||
| Vampires Suck | Bobby White | Uncredited | ||||
| For Christ's Sake | Buster Chery | |||||
| 2013 | The Sidekick | Lightning Mike | Short film | |||
| Inventing Adam | Telly | |||||
| 2014 | Neighbors | Jimmy Blevins | ||||
| 2015 | Sisters | James | ||||
| 2016 | Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising | Jimmy Blevins | ||||
| The Angry Birds Movie | Tiny | title=Ike Barinholtz (visual voices guide) | url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Ike-Barinholtz/ | access-date=August 2, 2024 | publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. | |
| Central Intelligence | Writer | |||||
| Suicide Squad | Griggs | |||||
| Storks | Miscellaneous Storks | Voice | ||||
| 2017 | Snatched | Jeffrey Middleton | ||||
| Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House | Angelo Lano | |||||
| The Disaster Artist | Himself | Cameo | ||||
| Bright | Pollard | |||||
| 2018 | Blockers | Hunter Lockwood | ||||
| Song of Back and Neck | Nurse | |||||
| The Oath | Chris Montana | Also writer, producer, and director | ||||
| 2019 | Late Night | Daniel Tennant | ||||
| The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part | Lex Luthor | Voice | ||||
| 2020 | The Hunt | Moses / Staten Island | ||||
| 2021 | Moxie | Mr. Davies | ||||
| 2022 | The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | Martin Etten | ||||
| 2023 | Maximum Truth | Rick Klingman | Also writer | |||
| 2024 | Orion and the Dark | Light | Voice | |||
| TBA | Artificial | Elon Musk | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–2007, 2016 | MADtv | Various characters | 116 episodes; also writer |
| 2005 | E! Hollywood Hold'em | Himself | Episode: "Laura Prepon" |
| 2008 | Family Guy | Dane Cook | Voice, episode: "I Dream of Jesus" |
| 2008–2009 | Rita Rocks | Fly | 6 episodes |
| 2010 | Weeds | Daryl | Episode: "Fran Tarkenton" |
| 2010–2015 | The League | Frank "The Body" Gibiatti | 4 episodes |
| 2011 | Childrens Hospital | Peter Principato | Episode: "Newsreaders" |
| 2012 | Eastbound & Down | Ivan Dochenko | 6 episodes |
| NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Maitre'D | Episode: "Sabbath-tage" | |
| Megawinner | Cliff Planker | Television film; also writer and executive producer | |
| 2012–2017 | The Mindy Project | Morgan Tookers | 115 episodes; also writer and executive story editor |
| 2013 | Drunk History | August Spies | Episode: "Chicago" |
| High School USA! | Cyber Bully | Voice, episode: "Bullies" | |
| The Soup | Himself | Episode dated October 23 | |
| The Pete Holmes Show | Episode: "Ike Barinholtz" | ||
| 2013–2015 | The Awesomes | Muscleman | Voice, 30 episodes |
| 2014 | Kroll Show | Zach Sword | Episode: "Oh Armond" |
| Chozen | Hunter | Voice, 4 episodes | |
| Married | Bruce | Episode: "The Old Date" | |
| Garfunkel and Oates | First Door on the Right Director | Episode: "Hair Swap" | |
| @midnight | Himself | Episode dated January 8 | |
| American Dad! | DJ Iron Monkey | Voice, episode: "Blonde Ambition" | |
| 2016 | Animals. | Alan | Voice, episode: "Pigeons." |
| 2017 | Friends from College | Degrasso | 2 episodes |
| Neo Yokio | Jeffrey | Voice, episode: "Hamptons Water Magic" | |
| 2019 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Gintars Irbe | Episode: "Gintars" |
| The Twilight Zone | Mike | Episode: "Not All Men" | |
| What Just Happened??! with Fred Savage | Himself | Episode: "Elevator" | |
| Live in Front of a Studio Audience | Michael Stivic | Episode: "Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons" | |
| 2019–2021 | Bless the Harts | Wayne Edwards | Voice, 34 episodes |
| 2020, 2024 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Mapleworth Murders | Richard Belt | 3 episodes |
| 2021–2022 | Chicago Party Aunt | Mark | Voice, 15 episodes; also writer and executive producer |
| 2022–2023 | Celebrity Jeopardy! | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2022 | The Afterparty | Brett | 8 episodes |
| Central Park | Voice, episode: "A Hot Dog to Remember" | ||
| 2022–2023 | American Auto | Landon Payne | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | History of the World, Part II | Various | 8 episodes; also writer and executive producer |
| White House Plumbers | Jeb Stuart Magruder | 3 episodes | |
| 2024 | Jeopardy Tournament of Champions | Himself | 2 episodes |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Shimon | Episode: "The Gettysburg Address" | |
| The Simpsons | Wayne the Grip | Voice, episode: "Homer and Her Sisters" | |
| 2025–present | Running Point | Co-creator, writer, executive producer | |
| The Studio | Sal Saperstein | Main cast |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | A.J. |
Audio
| Year | Title | Role | Author | Production company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Batman: The Audio Adventures | Two-Face/Harvey Dent | Dennis McNicholas | Blue Ribbon Content |
| 2023 | White House Plumbers Podcast | Himself |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Writers Guild of America Awards | New Series | The Mindy Project | |
| 2024 | Comedy/Variety – Sketch Series | History of the World, Part II | ||
| 2025 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | The Studio | |
| 2026 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | ||
| Actor Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | |||
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
References
References
- Rose, Mike. (February 18, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for February 18, 2023 includes celebrities John Travolta, Cybill Shepherd". [[The Plain Dealer]].
- Metz, Nina. (September 11, 2012). "Dork and Mindy: Chicagoan Ike Barinholtz ready to throw his weight around on new project". [[Chicago Tribune]].
- Sullivan, Catey. (April 25, 2007). "Funny sons of funny fathers". [[Chicago Sun-Times]].
- Isackson, Noah. (April 4, 2004). "Ike Barinholtz - Mad About TV Comedy". Chicago Tribune.
- Radloff, Jessica. "Ike Barinholtz From The Mindy Project Talks Chris Messina, Mindy Kaling, and Marriage".
- Wagner, Curt. (January 7, 2013). "Ike Barinholtz finds time for laughs in 'The Mindy Project'". [[RedEye]].
- Jones, Chris. (February 18, 2009). "Chicago Improv Festival announces headliners, cuts prices". Chicago Tribune.
- Wagner, Curt. (March 25, 2012). "Chicago Improv Festival to honor Key and Peele". RedEye.
- Goldberg, Lesley. (September 1, 2011). "Eastbound & Down': 'Mad TV' Alum Takes the Mound (Exclusive)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
- Lussier, Germain. (February 25, 2010). "GALAXY QUEST Director Dean Parisot to Helm Helms Comedy CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE".
- "2024 Tournament of Champions".
- Winkie, Luke. (March 7, 2024). "Ike Barinholtz Is the Chaos Agent Jeopardy! Needed". Slate.
- Nordyke, Kimberly. (2026-01-05). "Critics Choice Awards: Full Winners List".
- (2025-07-15). "Emmy nominations 2025: The full list of nominees".
- Moreau, Clayton Davis,Jordan. (2026-01-07). "Actor Awards Nominations 2026: ‘One Battle After Another’ Earns Record-Breaking 7 Nods, ‘The Studio’ Leads TV With 5 Noms".
- Pulver, Andrew. (July 24, 2025). "Ike Barinholtz cast as Elon Musk in OpenAI film from Luca Guadagnino". The Guardian.
- "Stream How Ike Barinholtz Met His Wife".
- (July 26, 2017). "'Mindy Project' Star Ike Barinholtz Recovering From Broken Neck After Movie Stunt Accident".
- "Ike Barinholtz (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
- (April 8, 2015). "Suicide Squad Photo of Cast Table Reading".
- N'Duka, Amanda. (March 15, 2019). "Ike Barinholtz Joins Universal/Blumhouse Thriller 'The Hunt'".
- Fleming, Mike. (October 29, 2019). "Patrick Schwarzenegger Gets A Lead In Amy Poehler's 'Moxie'; Ike Barinholtz In Talks".
- (February 23, 2023). "Ike Barinholtz, Dylan O'Brien Political Mockumentary 'Maximum Truth' Lands at Momentum Pictures (EXCLUSIVE)". [[Variety (magazine).
- Vlessing, Etan. (January 11, 2024). "Ike Barinholtz Brings the Light in Latest ''Orion and the Dark'' Trailer".
- Petski, Denise. (November 11, 2020). "Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Zoë Chao Among 9 Cast In Apple's 'The Afterparty'".
- "Batman: The Audio Adventures (Podcast Series 2021)".
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