Tony Hale

Early life and education

Hale was born on September 30, 1970, in West Point, New York. His mother, Rita (), worked as a staff assistant to State Representative Kathy Ashe, and his father, Mike Hale, taught nuclear and atomic physics and served in the military. Hale grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended the Young Actors Theatre and participated in numerous theatrical and musical productions. He graduated from Leon High School in 1988. He graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, with a journalism degree in 1992. He became a member of Sigma Chi while at the university. He completed graduate studies in 1995 from the School of Communication and the Arts of Regent University in Virginia. After graduating, he lived in New York City for eight years. While in New York, Hale helped found The Haven, an artistically minded community of Christians that meets weekly. He studied acting at The Barrow Group, as well as at the William Esper Studio in the Professional Actor Training Program.

Career

1997–2002: Early roles

Hale obtained his Screen Actors Guild card when he appeared in a commercial for MCI Inc., though it never aired. He made minor guest appearances in TV shows such as Dawson's Creek, The Sopranos, and Sex and the City.

2003–2013: ''Arrested Development''

From 2003 to 2006, and also in 2013, 2018, and 2019, Hale found success in television cast as Buster Bluth, the hapless, neurotic son on Arrested Development. Hale appeared in a season ten episode of MADtv in a parody of Cops, where two British robbers try to stop a domestic dispute among the royal family. In March 2006, Hale was cast in a co-starring role as the video store owner Simon in the NBC sitcom Andy Barker, P.I., starring Andy Richter and co-created by Conan O'Brien. He appeared in minor roles in Stranger Than Fiction and Because I Said So. He was the voice of Furlough in The Tale of Despereaux, an animated children's film released in 2008. Hale had a recurring role as Emmett on Chuck, beginning in October 2008 and ending in January 2010. His departure made room for his starring role on the NBC web series Ctrl, which premiered on July 13, 2009. He appeared in a cameo in the second episode of the first season of Showtime's dramedy United States of Tara, as English teacher Oral Gershenoff. He joined the cast of Numbers in 2009, in the recurring role of Professor Russell Lazlo.

2012–2019: ''Veep'' and acclaim

In 2012, Hale starred in the drama comedy Not That Funny. He guest-starred on NBC's Law & Order: SVU as Rick Simms, a teacher who is fired from his job after being accused of inappropriate behavior with a student. In 2012, Hale was cast in the HBO comedy Veep as Gary Walsh, the personal assistant to Vice President-turned-President Selina Meyer (portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus). On September 22, 2013, Hale won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work in the show's second season. This was his first major award. He earned his second nomination in 2014, but lost the award to Ty Burrell. Hale won his second Primetime Emmy Award with his third nomination in 2015, in the same ceremony where Veep won its first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

In 2017, Hale hosted the 9th Annual Shorty Awards at the PlayStation Theater in New York City. In 2018, Hale played the role of Jerome Squalor on the second season of the Netflix comedy drama series A Series of Unfortunate Events, appearing in episodes adapting The Ersatz Elevator and The Penultimate Peril. He appeared in two more episodes of the series. In 2019, he voiced Forky in Pixar's Toy Story 4 and reprised the role again in the 10-episode short-form educational series Forky Asks a Question.

2020–present

In 2022, Hale played Jefry Traske and his descendant Reverend Traske in Hocus Pocus 2, a sequel to 1993's Hocus Pocus. In 2024, Hale voiced Fear in Pixar's Inside Out 2, replacing Bill Hader who voiced the character in the first film. In August 2025, it was confirmed that Hale will reprise his role as Forky in Toy Story 5.

In 2025 he was named alumnus of the year by his alma mater, Samford University, and received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the university on December 13, 2025.

Personal life

Hale married Emmy Award–winning makeup artist Martel Thompson on May 24, 2003. They have a daughter born in February 2006. Hale and his wife are practicing Christians.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

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Interviews

• 2006 Video Interview at About.com
• Interview with Tony Hale at burnsidewriters.com

References

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5. Coleman, Rachael Lee. (March 2007). "With a Couch Potato's Style, Private Eye Works the Mall". The New York Times.
6. Ross, Robyn. (March 21, 2012). "Exclusive: Martha Stewart, Tony Hale to Guest Star on Law & Order: SVU". TV Guide.
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11. (November 12, 2018). "'Toy Story 4' Teaser Trailer Introduces New Toy Forky".
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