David Krumholtz is an American actor known for his roles in popular TV shows and movies. From playing a mathematical genius in ‘Numb3rs’ to appearing as Bernard the Elf in the ‘Santa Clause’ franchise, Krumholtz has showcased his talent and versatility. Despite facing numerous challenges, he never gave up on his dream and has become a respected actor with a global fanbase. Additionally, Krumholtz is a thyroid cancer survivor and a loving husband and father.
Quick Facts
- Age: 45 Years
- Family: Spouse/Ex-: Vanessa Britting (m. 2010), father: Michael, mother: Judy Krumholtz, children: Jonas Krumholtz, Pemma Mae Krumholtz
- Born Country: United States
- Jewish Actors
- Jewish Comedians
- Height: 5’6″ (168 cm)
- Ancestry: Polish American, Hungarian American
- U.S. State: New Yorkers
Childhood & Early Life
David Krumholtz was born on May 15, 1978 in Queens, New York City, USA to Michael, a postal worker, and Judy, a dental assistant. He grew up in a poor working-class Jewish family. His mother had relocated from Hungary to USA in 1956. His paternal grandparents had emigrated from Poland.
Career
At the age of 13, David Krumholtz auditioned for the Broadway production of ‘Conversations with My Father’ and was eventually cast in the role of Young Charlie.
In 1993, he appeared as Barry Corman in the comedy flick ‘Life with Mikey’ alongside Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Cyndi Lauper, and Christina Vidal. His performance in the film was much appreciated and earned him a Young Artist Award nomination. The same year, Krumholtz co-starred in the feature film ‘Addams Family Values’ with Christina Ricci.
He was cast as the sarcastic head elf Bernard in the fantasy mystery comedy film ‘The Santa Clause’ in 1994. The actor later reprised the role in the film’s first sequel titled ‘The Santa Clause 2’ which was released in 2002.
In 1994, he got his first recurring television role as David Richardson in ‘Monty.’ However, the sitcom ran for only a few episodes. Krumholtz then appeared as Billy Kulchak in the 1997 sitcom ‘Chicago Sons’. The same year, he starred as Francis Davenport in the drama film ‘The Ice Storm’.
He was featured in ten episodes of ‘The Closer’ in 1998 and also landed a role in Barry Lawinson’s comedy film ‘Slums of Beverly Hills.’ The actor then did the comedy movies ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ and ‘Liberty Heights.’ While the former was a moderate commercial and critical success, the latter managed to earn just $3.7 million having been made on a budget of $11 million.
In the year 2000, Krumholtz got the opportunity to play Bob Wexler in ABC’s ‘The Trouble with Normal’. The following year, he caught the attention of filmmaker and actor Edward Burns who cast him in the independent movie ‘Sidewalks of New York’.
His first role as a lead male came in the romantic flick ‘You Stupid Man’ which was released in 2002. In this movie, Krumholtz played Owen, a man who is trying to move on from his breakup with his former sweetheart, Chloe, who moves to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
He appeared in FX’s ‘Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie’ in 2002. From 2003 to 2004, he starred in the series ‘The Lyon’s Den.’ Around the same time, he acted in the films ‘Kill the Poor’, ‘Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle’ and ‘Ray’.
Krumholtz was cast as Charlie Eppes in‘Numb3rs’, a drama series that follows FBI agent Don Eppes and his brother Charlie, a college mathematics professor who helps the former in solving crime cases.
In the late 2000s, the actor was associated with a number of films, including ‘Battle for Terra’, ‘Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story’ and ‘Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay’.
In 2011, he starred as Billy Rosen in NBC’s historical crime drama series ‘The Playboy Club,’ appearing alongside actors Eddie Cibrian, Amber Heard, Laura Benanti, Jenna Dewan Tatum, Leah Renee, Naturi Naughton, Wes Ramsey and Jenifer Lewis.
In the year 2012, Krumholtz got to play Joe Goodman in the comedy series ‘Partners’, Dr. Jacob Habib in the political drama ‘The Newsroom’ and Carl in the sitcom ‘Raising Hope’.
He had roles in the television series ‘The League’ and ‘Men at Work’ in 2013-14. He then joined the team of ‘The Good Wife’ as Josh Mariner. The series told the story of Alicia Florrick, the wife of a state attorney who restarts her law career after her husband faces charges of public sex and political corruption.
The actor lent his voice to the character of Timo in ‘All Hail King Julien’ from 2015-17. It featured characters from the DreamWorks Animation flick ‘Madagascar,’ including the three main lemurs: Mort, King Julien and Maurice. Krumholtz also featured in five episodes of the TV series ‘Mom’ around the same period.
He began playing the character of Harvey Wasserman in ‘The Deuce,’ a series that focuses on the Golden Age of Porn in the New York City that started in the 1970s.
In 2018, he appeared in the films ‘A Futile and Stupid Gesture’ and ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’. That year, he also portrayed the character of Rabbi Gil Ableman in the series ‘Living Biblically.’ It is a story of a married film critic and dad-to-be who decides to improve his life through the teachings of the Bible after the death of his best friend.
Major Works
In 2015, David Krumholtz co-created and starred in ‘Gigi Does It’. In this comedy series, he played a 76-year-old widow named Gigi, who after learning that she has inherited millions of dollars from her deceased husband, starts living a luxurious life. A woman with a razor-sharp tongue and a heart of gold, she sets out to experience the things she was deprived of in her younger years such as travelling to new places.
Family & Personal Life
On May 22, 2010, David Krumholtz got married to actress Vanessa Britting in New York City. As of now, they have two kids: daughter Pemma Mae (born in 2014) and son Jonas, who was born in 2016.
In July 2011, the actor was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Five months later, he started a radioactive iodine treatment and was eventually declared cancer-free in January 2012.