Elliott Gould - Biography

Elliott Gould (born Elliott Goldstein; August 29, 1938) is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination. In recent years, he has starred as Jack Geller on Friends and as Reuben Tishkoff in Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, and Ocean's Thirteen.

Early life

Gould was born in Brooklyn, New York, the grandson of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. His mother, Lucille (née Raver), sold artificial flowers to beauty shops, and his father, Bernard Goldstein, worked in the garment business. He graduated from the Professional Children's School.

Career

Gould was one of the most prominent American film actors in the early-1970s, best known for playing Trapper John in Robert Altman's satirical 1970 film MASH. Time magazine placed him on one of its covers in 1970, when he was at the brief height of his long career, calling him a "star for an uptight age". Other notable film roles include Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (which earned him an Academy Award nomination), A Bridge Too Far, Capricorn One, and a remake of The Lady Vanishes. Gould played the detective Philip Marlowe in Altman's 1973 film The Long Goodbye (the role had previously been played by such distinguished actors as Humphrey Bogart and Dick Powell, and later Robert Mitchum). He hosted Saturday Night Live six times, his final time being the first episode of the disastrous Jean Doumanian season (season 6) in November 1980, where he was shocked to find that the original cast and producer had left and a new cast and producer had taken their place. He has never hosted after that, but has appeared in a season 16 (1990–1991) episode hosted by Tom Hanks where Hanks is welcomed into the Five-Timers club, a society for celebrities who have hosted SNL five times or more. Also in 1980, Gould filmed two movies for Disney studios, The Last Flight of Noah's Ark and The Devil and Max Devlin, in which he co-starred with Bill Cosby.

Gould's Broadway theatre credits include Irma La Douce, Say, Darling, I Can Get It for You Wholesale (in which he met Barbra Streisand), Drat! The Cat!, and Little Murders. He purchased the screen rights to Little Murders, and in addition to acting in the film version, served as uncredited executive producer.

His career slowed down after a series of critical and commercial flops in the mid-to-late 1970s, but he has remained steadily employed in supporting and character roles in television and movies. He starred in a sitcom called E/R in 1984–1985, and had a recurring guest role on Friends as Jack Geller, the father of Monica and Ross Geller.

Gould received critical praise for his role as an aging mobster in Warren Beatty's 1991 film Bugsy. In addition, he appeared in American History X as the boyfriend of Edward Norton's character's mother. He also co-starred as Reuben Tishkoff in the popular "caper" film Ocean's Eleven (2001), and its sequels: Ocean's Twelve (2004), and Ocean's Thirteen (2007).

Gould is most recently seen on advertisements for Save Ellis Island and is heard on radio commercials, most notably introducing himself by name on spots for the Gordon Flesch Company, a Madison, Wisconsin-based office products supplier.

He has also loaned his voice to several animated series, most notable among them, the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible.

Gould became one of the many celebrity producers of The 1 Second Film collaboration in June 2009.

In November 2009 Elliott Gould signed on for a guest spot on Law & Order, playing a disgruntled business owner who takes the law into his own hands after a crime spree in his Harlem neighborhood.

In July 2010 it was announced that Gould had signed on to guest-star in the second episode of the next season of CSI.

Gould currently serves on the Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors and has done so for the past six years. He has recently undergone hip replacement surgery.

Personal life

Gould has said that he has a "very deep Jewish identity". He has been married three times, twice to the same woman:

• Barbra Streisand (March 21, 1963 – July 9, 1971; divorced; 1 child, actor Jason Gould)
• Jennifer Bogart (December 8, 1973–1976; divorced; 2 children)
• Jennifer Bogart (June 9, 1978–1989; separated)

Filmography

1960s

• 1964 Once Upon a Mattress - Jester
• 1964 The Confession - the Mute
• 1968 The Night They Raided Minsky's - Billy Minsky
• 1969 Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice - Ted

1970s

• 1970 Move - Hiram Jaffe
• 1970 Airport - (uncredited) - Voice
• 1970 I Love My Wife - Richard Burrows
• 1970 Getting Straight - Harry Bailey
• 1970 M*A*S*H - Trapper John
• 1971 The Touch - David Kovac
• 1971 Little Murders - Alfred Chamberlain
• 1972 The Special London Bridge Special - The Villain
• 1973 Who? - Sean Rogers
• 1973 The Long Goodbye - Philip Marlowe
• 1974 California Split - Charlie Waters
• 1974 Busting - Vice Detective Michael Keneely
• 1974 S*P*Y*S - Griff
• 1975 Mean Johnny Barrows - The Professor
• 1975 Nashville - Himself
• 1975 Whiffs - Dudley Frapper
• 1976 I Will, I Will for Now - Les Bingham
• 1976 Harry And Walter Go To New York - Walter Hill
• 1977 A Bridge Too Far - Col. Bobby Stout
• 1978 Matilda - Bernie Bonnelli
• 1978 The Silent Partner - Miles Cullen
• 1978 Capricorn One - Robert Caulfield
• 1979 Escape to Athena - Charlie Dane
• 1979 The Lady Vanishes - Robert Condon
• 1979 The Muppet Movie - Beauty Contest Compere

1980s

• 1980 Falling in Love Again - Harry Lewis
• 1980 Saturday Night Live - Juror/Host/Himself (8 episodes, 1975–1980)
• 1980 The Last Flight of Noah's Ark - Noah Dugan
• 1981 The Devil and Max Devlin - Max Devlin
• 1981 Dirty Tricks - Prof. Colin Chandler
• 1982 The Rules of Marriage
• 1983 Faerie Tale Theatre - The Giant (1 episode, Jack and the Beanstalk)
• 1983 Emergency Room - Dr. Howard Sheinfeld
• 1984 The Muppets Take Manhattan - Cop in Pete's
• 1984 The Naked Face - Angeli
• 1984 Over the Brooklyn Bridge - Alby Sherman
• 1984 Terror in the Aisles - archival footage
• 1985 George Burns Comedy Week - (1 episode, The Mission)
• 1986 Vanishing Act - Lieutenant Rudameyer
• 1986 The Twilight Zone - Harry Folger (1 episode, The Misfortune Cookie)
• 1986 The Myth
• 1986 Tall Tales and Legends - Casey (1 episode, Casey at the Bat)
• 1987 Dangerous Love - Rick
• 1987 Lethal Obsession - Serge Gart
• 1987 Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 - Leonard Weinglass
• 1987 Frogs - Bill Anderson
• 1987 The Telephone - Rodney
• 1987 Inside Out - Jimmy Morgan
• 1988 Act of Betrayal - Callaghan
• 1988 Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim
• 1989 Murder, She Wrote - Lt. J. T. Hanna (1 Episode)
• 1989 Judgement - Judge Callow
• 1989 Secret Scandal
• 1989 The Night Visitor - Ron Devereaux
• 1989 The Big Picture - Lawyer

1990s

• 1990 Stolen: One Husband - Martin Slade
• 1990 The Lemon Sisters - Fred Frank
• 1991 Dead Men Don't Die - Barry Barron
• 1991 Bugsy - Harry Greenberg
• 1992 Somebody's Daughter - Hindeman
• 1992 The Player - Himself
• 1992 Wet and Wild Summer! - Mike McCain
• 1992 Beyond Justice - Lawyer
• 1993 Bloodlines: Murder in the Family - Stewart Woodman
• 1993 Amore! - George Levine
• 1993 Hoffman's Hunger - Felix Hoffman
• 1994 Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult - Himself
• 1994 The Glass Shield - Greenspan
• 1994 The Dangerous - Levine
• 1994 Bleeding Hearts - Mr. Baum
• 1994 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - Vincent Winniger
• 1995 A Boy Called Hate - Richard
• 1995 P.C.H - Randy's Father
• 1995 Cybill - As himself
• 1995 Cover Me Capt. Richards
• 1995 Kicking and Screaming - Grover's Dad
• 1995 The Feminine Touch - Kahn
• 1996 Busted - TV Show Host
• 1997 Inside Out - Aaron's Father
• 1997 City of Industry - Gangster
• 1997 Camp Stories - Older David Katz
• 1997 Hotel Shanghai - Hutchinson
• 1997 The Shining - Stuart Ullman
• 1998 Michael Kael vs. the World News Company - Coogan
• 1998 The Big Hit - Morton Shulman
• 1998 Getting Personal - Jack Kacmarczyk
• 1998 American History X - Murray
• 1999 Mentors - Albert Einstein (1 episode, The Genius)

2000s

• 2000 Picking Up the Pieces - Father LaCage
• 2000 Boys Life 3 - Aaron's Father (segment Inside Out)
• 2000 Playing Mona Lisa - Bernie Goldstein
• 2001 Ocean's Eleven - Reuben Tishkoff
• 2001 The Experience Box - Dr. Keith Huber
• 2002 Puckoon - Dr. Goldstein
• 2002 The Cat Returns (English voice)
• 2003 Friends - Jack Geller (20 episodes, 1994-2003)
• 2003 Las Vegas - The Professor (Episode 4)
• 2004 From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks - Narrator
• 2004 Ocean's Twelve - Reuben Tishkoff
• 2004 Bad Apple - Buddha Stanzione
• 2005 Poirot - Rufus Van Aldin (1 episode)
• 2006 Open Window - John
• 2006 Masters of Horror episode "The Screwfly Solution" - Barney
• 2007 Saving Sarah Cain - Bill
• 2007 Ocean's Thirteen - Reuben Tishkoff
• 2007 The Ten Commandments - God (voice)
• 2007 WordGirl - The Masked Meat Marauder (voice)
• 2008 The Deal - Rabbi Seth Gutterman
• 2008 The Caller - Frank Turlotte
• 2009 Noah's Ark: The New Beginning - God (voice)
• 2009 Little Hercules in 3-D - Socrates
• 2009 The Life & Times of Tim - Dr. Fishman (voice)
• 2009 Morning - TBA

2010s

• 2010 Expecting Mary - Horace Weitzel
• 2010 Uncorked - Paul Browning (Andrew's father)
• 2011 Contagion - Dr. Ian Sussman

External links

• Village Voice article