Jay Baruchel

Early life

Baruchel was born in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Robyne (née Ropell), a freelance writer, and Serge Baruchel, an antiques dealer. He grew up in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood of Montréal, Quebec, and has a younger sister. His father was born in Paris, France. Baruchel is of one-quarter Jewish descent, with the rest of his ancestry being French and Irish-Catholic. He has stated that he believes his Irish roots are from County Mayo.

Career

Baruchel got his first acting job when he was just 12. One of his first major acting roles was on the local television series My Hometown in 1996. From 1997 to 1998, he co-hosted Popular Mechanics for Kids with Elisha Cuthbert. After appearing briefly in Cameron Crowe's Oscar winning film Almost Famous, Baruchel won the role of Steven Karp on Judd Apatow's acclaimed yet short-lived television series Undeclared, where he starred alongside Seth Rogen, Carla Gallo, Charlie Hunnam, and Monica Keena. He then appeared with James Van Der Beek in Roger Avary's The Rules of Attraction.

In 2004, Baruchel played boxing hopeful Danger Barch in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. Baruchel then starred in Nemesis Game and Fetching Cody, before appearing opposite Don Johnson on the WB's Just Legal in 2005, and guest-starring on the CBS drama Numb3rs in 2006.

Baruchel appeared in the films Knocked Up (which reunited him with Judd Apatow, Jason Segel, and Seth Rogen), I'm Reed Fish, Just Buried, and the Ben Stiller-directed Tropic Thunder, alongside Jack Black, Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, and Robert Downey Jr. He co-starred with Seth Rogen in the 2007 trailer for Jay and Seth versus the Apocalypse, created by Rogen and Evan Goldberg as a strategy to garner interest and funding for a similar, larger-scale project (later made in 2013 as This Is the End). In 2008, he appeared in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. He also made a brief appearance in Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian.

In 2010, Baruchel starred in the films The Trotsky, DreamWorks' She's Out of My League (opposite Alice Eve), and the live-action Disney adaptation of The Sorcerer's Apprentice. He also voiced the starring role in the acclaimed animated feature, How to Train Your Dragon, a role he has subsequently continued throughout the franchise, including its television series. Also in 2010, he played two supporting characters in the Canadian comedy series The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour. He developed the screenplay for Goon, with Evan Goldberg, playing Johnny Klutz, a character of his own creation. Goon co-stars Seann William Scott and fellow Canadian actor Eugene Levy.

Baruchel also appeared in the 2010 Adidas Originals ad campaign, "Cantina", in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup and in video clips for Canadian prog-rockers Rush's 2012–13 Clockwork Angels tour.

In July 2012, he appeared in the music video for the song "Toxsik Waltz" by rapper Necro. In the summer of 2013, he starred in the hit apocalyptic comedy This Is the End and in 2014, he appeared in the RoboCop remake and reprised his role as Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon 2.

In July 2014, it was announced that Baruchel would be starring in the FXX comedy Man Seeking Woman which premiered in January 2015. He also appeared in the 2015 music video for the song "Every Little Means Trust" by Idlewild.

Baruchel was also involved in writing the Chapterhouse comic book series Captain Canuck.

Baruchel wrote, directed, and starred in the 2017 sports comedy film Goon: Last of the Enforcers, the sequel to the 2011 film Goon.

In 2018, he made his debut as an author, with Born Into It: A Fan's Life, released on Harper Collins. The book explored his love of the Montreal Canadiens with anecdotes, childhood memories, and heartfelt tales about his life as a fan of the team.

After the release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, 2019 saw Baruchel star in the Danish film The Kindness of Strangers and the Canadian horror film Random Acts of Violence, which was his second film as a director.

In 2021, Baruchel hosted the original audio podcast documentary series for Audible.ca, Highly Legal, that explored the political and economic history and aftermath of Canada's legalization of marijuana. In the same year, Baruchel and his wife, Rebecca-Jo Dunham, both appeared in the music video for "Ouch", the lead single from The Tragically Hip's archival EP Saskadelphia. He was also named host of LOL: Last One Laughing Canada, which premiered on February 18, 2022 on Amazon Prime Video. He appears in the seventh episode of The Kids in the Hall revival.

In 2022, Baruchel hosted the Crave original series We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel), a six-episode docuseries about the end of the world that explored potential world-ending risks. Baruchel, as host, met with scientists and other experts to discuss the feasibility of the risks and the potential solutions and innovations to counter the issues.

Baruchel had a lead role as BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis in the biographical comedy-drama film BlackBerry (2023), for which he won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film.

In November 2024, Baruchel joined the cast of the romcom film Mile End Kicks. He is also set to play Ken Carter in The Stunt Driver, a comedy film about the Canadian stunt driver's exploits.

Personal life

Baruchel was engaged to actress Alison Pill from 2011 to 2013. He alluded to their break-up in a Twitter post on February 16, 2013. In September 2019, Baruchel married Rebecca-Jo Dunham. Baruchel has said that he is "probably agnostic".

Baruchel has several tattoos among which, a Celtic cross on his upper right arm to honour his Irish heritage, and a red maple leaf on his left pectoral.

Baruchel has been a supporter of Scottish football club Celtic F.C. since the early 2000s; in 2016, he co-produced a documentary detailing his journey towards falling in love with the club.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. "Jay Baruchel".
2. Vanity Fair. (February 21, 2019). "Craig Ferguson Teaches Scottish Slang to Jay Baruchel".
3. "Jay Baruchel - Box Office".
4. "Undeclared".
5. "Man Seeking Woman: Season 1".
6. (October 19, 2015). "Jay Baruchel Makes Televised Voting Pitch as Justin Trudeau Wins Canadian Election". The Hollywood Reporter.
7. (November 12, 2001). "Quick Study".
8. Rich, Katey. (March 10, 2010). "Interview: Jay Baruchel On Why He Won't Do Nude Scenes". Cinemablend.
9. "JAY BARUCHEL: CANADA'S PROUDEST SON".
10. "Jay Baruchel Biography". [[Yahoo!]] Movies.
11. (March 17, 2017). "Baruchel fights the good fight in Goon sequel: Arthur". The Toronto Star.
12. Simonpillai, Radheyan. (May 13, 2010). "Jay Baruchel is the Trotsky". NOW Magazine.
13. "Celebrity Interview: Jay Baruchel".
14. [http://ripitup.co.nz/contentitem/interview-jay-baruchel-on-she-s-out-of-my-league/886 INTERVIEW: Jay Baruchel On She's Out Of My League – Rip It Up Magazine] {{webarchive. link. (March 8, 2012 Retrieved September 15, 2010)
15. [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/the-boys-are-back-this-time-on-drugs/article1637258/ "The Boys are back and on drugs"] {{webarchive. link. (September 15, 2010 . ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', July 12, 2010.)
16. Kit, Borys. [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i8fb6ec824ccd92fedcca91d8ff91f8e3 "Uni stumbles onto Jay Baruchel's 'Klutz'"] ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' March 11, 2009
17. McClintock, Pamela. (October 27, 2010). "Eugene Levy joins 'Goon' squad, Variety".
18. (July 2, 2014). "FXX Orders 'Man Seeking Woman' Starring Jay Baruchel". [[Variety (magazine).
19. (April 9, 2015). "Jay Baruchel Meets Idlewild:'You Saved My Life'". The Guardian.
20. (June 23, 2017). "Jay Baruchel plans bold new adventures for Captain Canuck". Toronto Star.
21. Miska, Brad. (August 15, 2018). "Jay Baruchel Hits the Road for a Horror Comic-Con in 'Random Acts of Violence'".
22. (11 August 2021). "Jay Baruchel talks cannabis legalization in Canadian Audible original 'Highly Legal'". CP24.
23. Daniel Kreps, [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/see-the-tragically-hips-twin-peaks-inspired-video-for-ouch-1177848/ "See the Tragically Hip’s ‘Twin Peaks’-Inspired Video for ‘Ouch’"]. ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine). Rolling Stone]]'', June 3, 2021.
24. (13 April 2021 }}{{Dead link). "Amazon Prime Video Announces Jay Baruchel as Host of the Canadian Edition of the Global Amazon Original Hit Format LOL: Last One Laughing Canada".
25. (April 13, 2022). "It's Head-Crushing Time! Prime Video Announces the Premiere Date and Trailer Release for Canadian Amazon Original Series The Kids in the Hall".
26. Rachel Ho, [https://exclaim.ca/film/article/hot_docs_film_review_were_all_gonna_die_even_jay_baruchel_-directed_by_victoria_lean "Hot Docs Review: 'We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel)' Is a Lighthearted Look at the Impending Apocalypse"]. ''[[Exclaim!]]'', May 2, 2022.
27. Ritman, Alex. (2024-11-05). "AFM: 'Blackberry' Star Jay Baruchel Joins Cast of XYZ's Rom-Com 'Mile End Kicks' (EXCLUSIVE)".
28. Grobar, Matt. (2024-11-14). "Jay Baruchel Reteaming With 'Goon's Michael Dowse On Comedy 'The Stunt Driver'".
29. (March 5, 2013). "Alison Pill, Jay Baruchel Call Off Engagement". usmagazine.com.
30. Loschiavo, Taline. (May 29, 2018). "Jay Baruchel is Engaged".
31. Clarendon, Dan. (September 22, 2019). "Jay Baruchel Marries Rebecca-Jo Dunham in Portugal". US Magazine.
32. McLeod, Andre. (February 2024). "Jay Baruchel: Breaking Out".
33. (January 3, 2008). "Montreal actor improvising his way to the top". Canada.com.
34. (April 7, 2010). "Celebrity Interview: Jay Baruchel". TV3.
35. Wheeler, Brad. (2014-09-19). "Fiercely Canadian Jay Baruchel wears his maple leaf on his sleeve". The Globe and Mail.
36. Dalziel, Martin. (20 February 2016). "Actor Jay Baruchel delighted to finally enter Paradise".
37. O'Neill, Christina. (February 5, 2019). "How To Train Your Dragon star Jay Baruchel on his new movies, his love of Glasgow and why he's a Celtic fan".
38. Grobar, Matt. (October 14, 2025). "Ed Helms & Ben Foster Among New Additions To Michael Dowse Pic ‘The Stunt Driver’ Starring Jay Baruchel; Foster Playing Evel Knievel".
39. Variety Staff. (July 2, 2014). "FXX Orders 'Man Seeking Woman' Starring Jay Baruchel". Variety.
40. Lester, Paul. (2015-04-09). "Jay Baruchel meets Idlewild: 'You saved my life'".
41. (2021-06-06). "THE TRAGICALLY HIP PRESENT THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR "OUCH" – Press Releases – Universal Music Canada".
42. (March 10, 2022). "Alexisonfire – Sweet Dreams of Otherness (Official Video)".
43. (2022-03-10). "Alexisonfire Shares New Single "Sweet Dreams Of Otherness" – New Album Incoming".
44. (19 October 2010). "Canadian Comedy Awards".
45. (January 14, 2019). "Jay Baruchel gets award of excellence from Canada's performers' union, ACTRA".
46. Etan Vlessing, [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/blackberry-little-bird-canadian-screen-awards-2024-1235912645/ "‘BlackBerry,’ ‘Little Bird’ Dominate Canadian Screen Awards"]. ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', May 31, 2024.