Blessed with odd looks and an offbeat sense of humor, this Harvard graduate snagged his first professional entertainment job — as a writer for the short-lived 2001-2002 sitcom
Raising Dad — three days after finishing college. Once the show folded, Novak turned to stand-up, appearing on late-night talk shows and landing on
Variety’s 2003 list of “10 Comics to Watch.” As one of Ashton Kutcher's coconspirators on MTV's prank show
Punk'd, he duped a number of celebrities. But he became a star himself in 2005 when he signed on as a writer/producer for NBC's Emmy-winning sitcom
The Office, on which he played Ryan the temp.
B.J. Novak Fast Facts:
- In high school he wrote and mounted a play that starred his classmate and future Office costar John Krasinski.
- Wrote for the Harvard Lampoon.
- Won the attention of The Office's executive producer Greg Daniels with the following joke: "I just graduated from college, but I didn't learn much. I had a double major. Psychology and reverse psychology."
- B.J. Novak Relationships:
- Jesse Novak - Brother
- Keough Novak - Sister
- Lev Novak - Brother
- William Novak - Father
- B.J. Novak Awards:
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Comedy Series - Nominee
- College:
- Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (BA in English and Spanish Literature, 2001)
