Famous for his portrayal of Jeff Green, the manager, friend and confidant of Larry David on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000), Jeff Garlin had already dabbled in just about every facet of TV, film and stand-up comedy in general. Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Garlin started his love affair with comedy during his childhood, listening to the albums of Richard Pryor and Woody Allen. He began his own foray into comedy while in college at the University of Miami, where he studied filmmaking and performed some stand-up. After moving back to the Windy City, where he roomed for awhile with Conan O’Brien, he joined the Second City comedy troupe. This extensive comedy experience led to his writing three one-man shows. His first acting role in features was in the Dolly Parton film “Straight Talk” in 1992.
He followed the job with a small part in “Hero” that same year, and then in 1994 he landed parts in “Robocop 3” and then “Little Big League,” where he played the manager of the opposing Little League team. Then came a couple of made-for-television movies, “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes,” and “The Love Bug,” (not to be confused with Disney’s 2005 big-screen Lindsay Lohan vehicle). In 1997, Garlin first started making a name for himself when he performed in his own HBO half-hour comedy special. That led to the role of Marvin for the last three seasons of the popular Paul Reiser/Helen Hunt comedy, “Mad About You” on NBC.
In 1999, after a bit part in “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” Garlin appeared in “Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the original HBO comedy special which served as a springboard for the ongoing series. He was also an executive producer on the show, which was originally conceived to be a behind-the-scenes account of David’s return to stand-up comedy after years of producing “Seinfeld.” The show morphed into a “mockumentary” of David’s life in Hollywood, a blend of the real and the fictional, with some stars playing fictional roles (like Garlin’s Greene) and others playing themselves—Garlin played to his improvisational strengths on the largely improvised series. In addition to his acting and Emmy-nominated producing chores, he directed episodes of “Curb” as well as HBO comedy specials for Denis Leary and Jonathan Stewart.
Typically cast in comedic supporting or cameo roles, Garlin returned to the big screen with Steven Soderbergh’s “Full Frontal” (2002), opposite Eddie Murphy in “Daddy Day Care” (2003) and alongside Woody Harrelson, Salma Hayek and Pierce Brosnan in “After the Sunset” (2004). Garlin also appeared in a recurring role on the cult Fox comedy, “Arrested Development” (2003-2005), where he played another showbiz insider, a studio executive mistakenly working with teenage Maeby (Alia Shawkat), beginning in 2005. His other television efforts included lending his voice to “Crank Yankers” on Comedy Central and appearing as himself on “Celebrity Poker Showdown.” The actor then made his directorial debut in 2005 with the movie “I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With” (2007 release), a romantic comedy he penned and starred in about a man's unnatural relationship with women and food. The screenplay was based on his Second City-inspired one-man comedy show of the same name. Other self-created solo stage works, including "Uncomplicated" and "Concentrated,” went on to earn acclaim.
Garlin next had a supporting role in “Fun With Dick and Jane” (2005), a remake of the 1976 film starring Jane Fonda and George Segal. In the updated version, Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni played Dick and Jane Harper, a married couple so desperate to retain their deluxe suburban home and luxury cars after Dick loses his job that they resort to armed robbery—even when craving iced mocha. He also ventured into animation, supplying his voice for an episode of the now-defunct “Tom Goes to the Mayor” (Cartoon Network, 2004-2005). Garlin next starred in his own show for TBS titled "The Jeff Garlin Program" (2006 - ), which follow ed the on-camera and off-camera exploits of the star in a show-within-a-show concept.