Martin Starr

Personal life

Starr was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of actress Jean St. James. He was raised Buddhist. In an interview with Wired, Starr said that he felt "frustrated and depressed" at 22 due to lack of offers in the years after Freaks and Geeks was cancelled. He had fired his agent and decided to quit acting altogether; however, a few years later he was offered Knocked Up, and other offers then started to come his way. In May 2024, Starr married Alex Gehring, the bassist of the band Ringo Deathstarr.

Career

In 1999, Starr was cast as Bill Haverchuck in the NBC sitcom Freaks and Geeks. The series received positive reviews from critics, but it suffered from low ratings and was canceled after only one season. It has since gained a strong cult following. Starr then had a number of guest appearances and one-time roles on shows such as Ed, Mysterious Ways, Providence, King of the Hill, and Normal, Ohio. He had a small recurring role during the third season of Roswell as the character Monk. In 2002, Starr appeared in the films Stealing Harvard and Cheats. He reunited with both Freaks and Geeks producer Judd Apatow and Freaks and Geeks co-star Seth Rogen when he made a guest appearance on Apatow's situational comedy Undeclared in the episode "The Perfect Date". In 2005, he appeared in the miniseries Revelations and the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

Starr co-starred in the 2007 comedy film Knocked Up, which was directed by Judd Apatow. The same year, he had small appearances in Superbad and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, both of which were produced by Apatow. Knocked Up was critically praised and was successful at the box office. The success of Knocked Up led to Starr having larger roles in films, such as Good Dick and Adventureland. Starr also appears in many well-received short films that premiere at film festivals, such as the Sundance Film Festival.

In 2008, Starr played a minor role in The Incredible Hulk. He reprised the role, retroactively identified as Roger Harrington, in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

From 2009 to 2010, Starr was a series regular portraying Roman DeBeers on the Starz sitcom Party Down. The series was cancelled after two seasons and there were discussions of adapting the series into film, but this never came to fruition. From 2011 to 2013, he co-starred on the Adult Swim television series NTSF:SD:SUV::, in which he played Sam Stern. In 2011, Starr had a major role in the film A Good Old Fashioned Orgy and also had guest appearances on television series such as Mad Love, Community, and Childrens Hospital. In the latter, he reprised his role of Roman DeBeers from Party Down. Starr reunited with Freaks and Geeks and Party Down cast member Lizzy Caplan in the 2012 film Save the Date, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The same year, he had a supporting role in the thriller film Deep Dark Canyon, as well as guest-starring on sitcoms Parks and Recreation and New Girl.

In 2013, he had a small role playing himself in This Is the End, which was directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. He had a starring role in the Kristen Bell film The Lifeguard, later working with her again in the film Veronica Mars. He has guest-starred on The Aquabats! Super Show!, Franklin & Bash, and Drunk History. In 2014, he was cast to play Bertram Gilfoyle in the HBO comedy Silicon Valley.

In 2019, Party Down's co-creator and producer Dan Etheridge announced plans for a reunion with the original cast (including Starr) during a discussion at Vulture Festival. The third season of the series premiered in February 2023. In 2022, he joined the cast for Tulsa King, playing the role of Lawrence "Bodhi" Geigerman, the owner of a weed store.

In 2025, Starr founded the candy company Sweet Stash with Adeev and Ezra Potash; the company produces gummies in the shape of musical notes.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

References

References

1. "Martin Starr".
2. Rhodes, Kara. (1999-10-02). "Logan Native, Son Succeeding in Hollywood". [[The Salina Journal]].
3. (30 July 2022). "Today’s famous birthdays list for July 30, 2022 includes celebrities Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lisa Kudrow". [[Associated Press]].
4. "Martin Starr found amusements in city and filming". post-gazette.com.
5. (May 15, 2015). "Blythe Danner on the Marginalization of Older Actors and Why She Loves Indie Film". Indiewire.
6. (March 2016). "The Silicon Valley Boys Aren't Just Brilliant -- They're Part of a Comedy Revolution". Wired.
7. Alex, Gehring. (May 6, 2024). "I’m sorry but I’m about to make a bunch of posts packed with wedding pics!".
8. Lloyd, Robert. (December 6, 2012). "2 Good 2 Be 4Gotten: An Oral History of Freaks and Geeks".
9. Austerlitz, Sean. (October 2, 2024). "'Freaks and Geeks' at 25: 'It Was Slipping Away the Entire Time'". [[The New York Times]].
10. Longo, Chris. (September 2, 2013). "Freaks and Geeks: The Enduring Legacy of a Short-Lived Show". [[Den of Geek]].
11. "Knocked Up". [[Box Office Mojo]].
12. (January 17, 2013). "12 Sundance Short Films Available on YouTube; Includes BROKEN NIGHT, a Short Film by BABEL Writer Guillermo Arriaga". collider.com.
13. Outlaw, Kofi. (May 16, 2019). "Kevin Feige Confirms Two Marvel Cinematic Universe Characters Are Actually the Same Person".
14. Nicoletti, Karen. (January 19, 2012). "Martin Starr on His Sundance Premiere ''Save the Date'' and the ''Party Down'' Movie: 'There's Nothing Official'". Movieline.
15. Semigran, Aly. (April 6, 2016). "The 'Silicon Valley' Cast is Full of Funny Dudes Who You Should Definitely Recognize". Bustle.
16. (November 10, 2019). "'Party Down' Producers Say They May "Get The Gang Back Together Again" For Reunion". Deadline.
17. White, Peter. (May 10, 2022). "Martin Starr Joins Taylor Sheridan’s Sylvester Stallone-Led Paramount+ Mob Drama Series".
18. (September 8, 2025). "They'll Take You to the Candy Shop".
19. "Stars Create Sweet Stash Jams". Snack & Bakery.
20. (August 2011). "Madeon - Pop Culture (Dance Video)".