Numb3rs

Background:

American actor David Krumholtz is known to television audiences as math genius Charlie Eppes on the hit CBS series “Numb3rs” (2005-2009). Making his professional acting debut at age 13 on Broadway in a production of “Conversations with My Father,” Krumholtz was involved in a string of unsuccessful shows, including “Monty” (1994), “Chicago Sons” (1997), “The Closer” (1998), “The Trouble with Normal” (2000) and “The Lyon’s Den” (2003), before eventually scoring a big breakthrough with “Numbe3rs.” He stated, “The role of Charlie Eppes has changed me. I never imagined I would play a role like this. I lost some weight, grew my hair and now every woman in America over 40 wants to date me. It’s their daughters I want to convince. The truth is all this talk makes me blush. Me, I look in the mirror and all I see is this Jewish kid from Queens.”

Krumholtz has also worked in films and is perhaps best remembered for playing Bernard in the first two “The Santa Clause” movies and Goldstein in “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” (2004) and its 2008 installment “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.” He won a California Independent Film Festival Award and a Newport Beach Film Festival Award for his starring role in the independent film “My Suicidal Sweetheart” (2005) and a Hollywood Film Award and a Screen Actors Guild nomination for “Bobby” (2006). Other significant credits include “Life with Mikey” (1993, earned a Young Artist nomination), “Addams Family Values” (1993), “The Slums of Beverly Hills” (1998), “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999), “Ray” (2004), “Serenity” (2005), “Superbad” (2007), “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” (2007) and “Live” (2007). In 2007, Krumholtz was awarded an honorary Associates of Arts degree in mathematics from Lake Tahoe Community College for his work on “Numb3rs.”

Krumholtz has been in a long relationship with actress Vanessa Britting (born on August 30, 1980). The couple became engaged in June 2008 after dating for three and a half years, with plans to marry in 2009. Currently, Krumholtz resides in Los Angeles, California, where “Numb3rs” is produced. He enjoys singing and is good friends with actor Colin Hanks, Tom Hanks' son, who he helped get a guest starring role on “Numb3rs.”

Queens

Childhood and Family:

David Krumholtz was born on May 15, 1978, in Queens, New York City, New York. His father, Michael, worked for the U.S. Postal Service and his Hungarian mother, Judy, was a dental assistant. He was raised in a working class Jewish family with her older sister Dawn (born in 1972). David attended Stephen A. Halsey Junior High School in Forest Hills, Queens, and later went to college at New York University.

My Suicidal Sweetheart

Career:

Young David Krumholtz originally had no specific interest in acting. However, when New York was looking for child actors in the early 1990s, he went to a casting call and ended up winning the role of Young Charlie in a Broadway production of “Conversations with My Father” (1992), opposite Judd Hirsch. The then-13 year old Krumholtz spent six months working in the production.

After his Broadway debut, Krumholtz landed the important role of Barry Corman in his feature film debut “Life with Mikey” (1993), a comedy directed by James Lapine and starring Michael J. Fox and Nathan Lane. He was nominated for a 1994 Young Artist award in the category of Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Motion Picture Comedy for his performance. The same year, he broke into the small screen with a guest stint in “Law & Order.” Krumholtz first came to the attention of wide audiences when he was cast as Christina Ricci's love interest, Joel Glicker, in the Barry Sonnenfeld directed “Addams Family Values” (also 1993), which was a sequel to the 1991 box office hit comedy “The Addams Family.” He enjoyed further success on the Tim Allen vehicle “The Santa Clause” (1994), where he memorably portrayed elf Bernard. Directed by John Pasquin, the family comedy received primarily favorably reviews from critics and was a success at the box office where it grossed over $144 million in the U.S. and over $189 million worldwide.

Krumholtz landed his first series regular role on the Fox sitcom “Monty,” created by Marc D. Lawrence and starring Henry Winkler. Debuting on January 11, 1994, the show was axed after five episodes. Undaunted, Krumholtz filmed a pilot for CBS called “Staten Island 10309” (1995), but it failed to air. It was followed by a guest spot in the UPN failed sitcom “Pig Sty” (also 1995).

After almost a two year absence, Krumholtz received the role of Martin in “Justice League of America” (1997), opposite Miguel Ferrer, Kimberly Oja and David Ogden Stiers. Adapted from fictional DC Comic superheroes, the CBS produced TV pilot was considered unsuccessful and has never been broadcasted in the U.S. Later that same year, he costarred with D.W. Moffett and Jason Bateman in the failed TV sitcom “Chicago Sons.” He then portrayed Russell in the ill-fated comedy series “Union Square.” He returned to feature film by playing Francis Davenport in Ang Lee's “The Ice Storm” (1997), which was based on Rick Moody's 1994 novel of the same name. Costars of the film included Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Henry Czerny, Tobey Maguire, Elijah Wood, Adam Hann-Byrd, Jamey Sheridan and his “Addams Family Values” costar Christina Ricci.

In 1998, Krumholtz landed his next regular role on the CBS situation comedy “The Closer,” alongside Tom Selleck and Edward Asner. Unfortunately for the actor, the show only ran from February to May 1998. Krumholtz had better luck on the wide screen when his portrayal of Ben Abromowitz in Tamara Jenkins' well received drama “The Slums of Beverly Hills” (1998), earned the actor positive reviews. He also starred as a geek named Michael Eckman, opposite Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, in the popular teen movie “10 Things I Hate about You” (1999). The role brought the actor a Teen Choice nomination for Film - Funniest Scene. Krumholtz closed out the decade with the role of a young Jewish man in Barry Levinson’s “Liberty Heights,” which was a semi autobiographical account of Levinson's childhood.

Entering the new millennium, Krumholtz was cast with Kenneth Branagh and Robin Wright Penn in the drama “How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog” (2000) for director/writer Michael Kalesniko and producer Nancy M. Ruff. He resurfaced on television with a notable guest stint on the popular NBC series “ER” (2000), playing Paul Sobriki. After his performance in the episodes “Be Still My Heart” and “All in the Family” (both 2000), the actor would return to the show to reprise his role on the 2002 episode “Beyond Repair.” Still in 2000, Krumholtz also guest starred in “Freaks and Geeks,” but did not return to series TV as a regular until he won the role of Bob Wexler in the comedy series “The Trouble with Normal,” which debuted on ABC in October 2000. Although 13 episodes were completed, the network only aired five before it was canceled. All 13 episodes were later shown in Australia.

2001 saw Krumholtz in four motion pictures. He first supported Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, James Gandolfini, and J. K. Simmons in the Gore Verbinski directed romantic comedy “The Mexican” and played Ben in “The Sidewalks of New York,” which was directed, written by and starred Edward Burns. He also had a small role in Mark Brown's “Two Can Play That Game” and portrayed Ezra in “According to Spencer.” After a short return to TV with a two episode role in the Judd Apatow short lived series “Undeclared” and a starring role in the made for TV film “Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie” (FX Network, 2002), Krumholtz made his debut as a leading man in the romantic comedy “You Stupid Man” (2002), which was written and directed by Brian Burns. The film premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 18, 2002. Although ”You Stupid Man” was never released theatrically in the U.S., Krumholtz gained box office success with his role in “The Santa Clause 2” (2002), where he reprised his role of Bernard. Costing about $65 million to make, the movie grossed over $172 million domestically. 2002 also found the actor appearing in a small role in the comedy “Cheats,” which starred Trevor Fehrman, Matthew Lawrence and Mary Tyler Moore.

Krumholtz next worked with Alicia Silverstone, Rachael Leigh Cook, Woody Harrelson, John Cleese and Paulo Costanzo in the forgettable comedy “Scorched” (2003). He then portrayed the small role of Joe Peltz in the drama “Kill the Poor” (2003), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on May 9, 2003, before landing a regular role on the legal drama series “The Lyon’s Den.” Starring Rob Lowe, the show premiered on NBC on September 28, 2003, and was canceled after six episodes.

Back to films, Krumholtz played Abe Fiannico in Edward Burns' “Looking for Kitty” (2004), neighbor Goldstein in the successful comedy “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” (2004) and Milt Shaw in the hit “Ray” (2004), which was based on the life of musician Ray Charles (played by Jamie Foxx). The following year, he had an unaccredited role in Kevin Rodney Sullivan's “Guess Who,” starred as Max in the dark independent comedy “My Suicidal Sweetheart,” and received a supporting role in Joss Whedon's science fiction movie “Serenity,” starring Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres. For his good acting in “My Suicidal Sweetheart,” Krumholtz was handed a Slate Award for Best Actor at the 2005 California Independent Film Festival and an Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking: Acting at the 2005 Newport Beach Film Festival.

It was also in 2005 that Krumholtz experienced a massive breakthrough on the small screen when he won the role of math genius Charlie Eppes, who helps his brother Don (played by Rob Morrow) solve crimes using math, on the series “Numb3rs,” Debuting on January 23, 2005, the CBS series has been renewed for a sixth season that premiered on September 25, 2009. Krumholtz commented, “It's really cool to know that you've put something together that isn't for a particular audience. It's so often that a TV show can really only speak to one sect of the population and this really is something that appeals to a worldwide fan base. People who are into the pursuit of knowledge, their reaction has meant the world to us.”

Krumholtz has continued to receive film roles while working on “Numb3rs.” In 2006, he worked with Steve Carell and Martin Starr in the short film “American Storage,” was cast with his girlfriend Vanessa Britting in the 17 minute length comedy “The Nail,” which was directed by Josh C. Waller, and had an unaccredited part in the Jack Black and Kyle Gass comedy vehicle “Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.” In the Emilio Esteves written and directed drama “Bobby” (2006), the actor was cast as Demi Moore's agent, Phil, and jointly netted a 2006 Hollywood Film for Ensemble of the Year and a 2007 Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

The next year saw notable roles in the Tribeca Film Festival premiered “Live,” where he starred with Eva Mendes and Andre Braugher, the Jake Kasdan directed “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” which starred John C. Reilly, and the highly successful comedy “Superbad,” directed by Greg Mottola and starring Jonah Hilland Michael Cera. The latter two movies were both produced by Judd Apatow. He also provided the voice of Terrian Commander in the animated film “Terra,” which also starred the voices of Chad Allen, Rosanna Arquette, Bill Birch, Chris Evans, James Garner, Danny Glover and Mark Hamill, among other actors, and portrayed Ortez in an episode of “Wainy Days” called “Tough Guy,” which was broadcasted on December 10, 2007.

After working with Gabriel Mann in the short “Demption” (2008), Krumholtz reprised his role of Goldstein in the 2008 sequel “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.” In 2009, he had a featured role in “I Love You, Man,” a comedy starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel and Rashida Jones. He also wrote and executive produced the short film “Big Breaks” (2009), which starred Amanda Young, Elizabeth Banks and his girlfriend Britting.

Awards:

• Hollywood Film: Ensemble of the Year, “Bobby,” 2006

• California Independent Film Festival: Slate Award, Best Actor, “My Suicidal Sweetheart,” 2005

• Newport Beach Film Festival: Achievement Award, Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking: Acting, “My Suicidal Sweetheart,” 2005