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Jay Baruchel

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Jay Baruchel
Baruchel at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, 2014
Born
Jonathan Adam Saunders Baruchel

(1982-04-09) April 9, 1982 (age 42)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)Actor, producer, writer
Years active1995–present
Spouse
Rebecca-Jo Dunham
​
​
(m. 2019)​
PartnerAlison Pill (2011–2013)

Jonathan Adam Saunders Baruchel[1] (/ˈbærəʃɛl/;[2] born April 9, 1982)[1] is a Canadian actor and director. He is best known for his voice role as Hiccup Haddock in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, and for his lead roles in the comedies Fanboys (2009), She's Out of My League (2010), and This Is the End (2013). Baruchel was the co-lead in the Disney action-fantasy film The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010). Films in which Baruchel has had a starring role have grossed over $1.28 billion at the worldwide box office as of 2024.[3]

Baruchel has also had supporting roles in comedy movies such as Knocked Up (2007), Tropic Thunder (2008), Goon (2011), and The Art of the Steal (2013). In television, he had lead roles as Steven Karp in Judd Apatow's comedy series Undeclared (2001–2002) and Josh Greenberg in the FXX comedy series Man Seeking Woman (2015–2017), both of which received praise from critics.[4][5]

Baruchel had a lead role as BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis in the film BlackBerry (2023). He has also had non-comedic lead roles in films such as Good Neighbours (2010), The Kindness of Strangers (2019), and Humane (2024), and supporting roles in Million Dollar Baby (2004), Cosmopolis (2012), and RoboCop (2014). Baruchel has directed the films Goon: Last of the Enforcers (2017) and Random Acts of Violence (2019), which he both acted in.

Early life

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Baruchel was born in Ottawa, Ontario,[1][6] the son of Robyne (née Ropell), a freelance writer, and Serge Baruchel, an antiques dealer.[7][8] He grew up in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood of Montréal, Quebec,[9] and has a younger sister.[10] His father was born in Paris, France.[11] Baruchel is of one-quarter Jewish descent,[12] with the rest of his ancestry being French and Irish-Catholic.[12] He has stated that he believes his Irish roots are from County Mayo.[13]

Career

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Baruchel pictured at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

Baruchel got his first acting job when he was just 12. One of his first major acting roles was on the local television series My Hometown in 1996. From 1997 to 1998, he co-hosted Popular Mechanics for Kids with Elisha Cuthbert. After appearing briefly in Cameron Crowe's Oscar winning film Almost Famous, Baruchel won the role of Steven Karp on Judd Apatow's acclaimed yet short-lived television series Undeclared, where he starred alongside Seth Rogen, Carla Gallo, Charlie Hunnam, and Monica Keena. He then appeared with James Van Der Beek in Roger Avary's The Rules of Attraction.

In 2004, Baruchel played boxing hopeful Danger Barch in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. Baruchel then starred in Nemesis Game and Fetching Cody, before appearing opposite Don Johnson on the WB's Just Legal in 2005, and guest-starring on the CBS drama Numb3rs in 2006.

Baruchel appeared in the films Knocked Up (which reunited him with Judd Apatow, Jason Segel, and Seth Rogen), I'm Reed Fish, Just Buried, and the Ben Stiller-directed Tropic Thunder, alongside Jack Black, Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, and Robert Downey Jr. He co-starred with Seth Rogen in the 2007 trailer for Jay and Seth versus the Apocalypse, created by Rogen and Evan Goldberg as a strategy to garner interest and funding for a similar, larger-scale project (later made in 2013 as This Is the End). In 2008, he appeared in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. He also made a brief appearance in Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian.

In 2010, Baruchel starred in the films The Trotsky, DreamWorks' She's Out of My League (opposite Alice Eve),[14] and the live-action Disney adaptation of The Sorcerer's Apprentice. He also voiced the starring role in the acclaimed animated feature, How to Train Your Dragon, a role he has subsequently continued throughout the franchise, including its television series. Also in 2010, he played two supporting characters in the Canadian comedy series The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour.[15] He developed the screenplay for Goon, with Evan Goldberg, playing Johnny Klutz, a character of his own creation.[16] Goon co-stars Seann William Scott and fellow Canadian actor Eugene Levy.[17]

Baruchel also appeared in the 2010 Adidas Originals ad campaign, "Cantina", in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup and in video clips for Canadian prog-rockers Rush's 2012–13 Clockwork Angels tour.

Baruchel and his How to Train Your Dragon co-star America Ferrera signing autographs during a USO tour on June 4, 2014, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

In July 2012, he appeared in the music video for the song "Toxsik Waltz" by rapper Necro. In the summer of 2013, he starred in the hit apocalyptic comedy This Is the End and in 2014, he appeared in the RoboCop remake and reprised his role as Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon 2.

In July 2014, it was announced that Baruchel would be starring in the FXX comedy Man Seeking Woman which premiered in January 2015.[18] He also appeared in the 2015 music video for the song "Every Little Means Trust" by Idlewild.[19]

Baruchel was also involved in writing the Chapterhouse comic book series Captain Canuck.[20]

Baruchel wrote, directed, and starred in the 2017 sports comedy film Goon: Last of the Enforcers, the sequel to the 2011 film Goon.

In 2018, he made his debut as an author, with Born Into It: A Fan's Life, released on Harper Collins. The book explored his love of the Montreal Canadiens with anecdotes, childhood memories, and heartfelt tales about his life as a fan of the team.

After the release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, 2019 saw Baruchel star in the Danish film The Kindness of Strangers and the Canadian horror film Random Acts of Violence, which was his second film as a director.[21]

In 2021, Baruchel hosted the original audio podcast documentary series for Audible.ca, Highly Legal, that explored the political and economic history and aftermath of Canada's legalization of marijuana.[22] In the same year, Baruchel and his wife, Rebecca-Jo Dunham, both appeared in the music video for "Ouch", the lead single from The Tragically Hip's archival EP Saskadelphia.[23] He was also named host of LOL: Last One Laughing Canada, which premiered on February 18, 2022 on Amazon Prime Video.[24] He appears in the seventh episode of The Kids in the Hall revival.[25]

In 2022, Baruchel hosted the Crave original series We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel), a six-episode docuseries about the end of the world that explored potential world-ending risks. Baruchel, as host, met with scientists and other experts to discuss the feasibility of the risks and the potential solutions and innovations to counter the issues.[26]

Baruchel had a lead role as BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis in the biographical comedy-drama film BlackBerry (2023), for which he won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film.[27]

In November 2024, Baruchel joined the cast of the romcom film Mile End Kicks.[28] He is also set to play Ken Carter in The Stunt Driver, a comedy film about the Canadian stunt driver's exploits.[29]

Personal life

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Baruchel was engaged to actress Alison Pill from 2011 to 2013. He alluded to their break-up in a Twitter post on February 16, 2013.[30] In May 2018, Baruchel announced his engagement to his girlfriend Rebecca-Jo Dunham.[31] They were married on September 21, 2019, in Portugal.[32] Baruchel has said that he is "probably agnostic".[33][34]

Baruchel has several tattoos: a Celtic cross (on his upper right arm) to honour his Irish heritage,[35] and a red maple leaf on his left pectoral.[36]

Baruchel is a supporter of Scottish football club Celtic since the early 2000s; in 2016, he co-produced a documentary detailing his journey towards falling in love with the club.[37]

Filmography

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Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1999 Running Home Kid #2
Who Gets the House? Jonathan
2000 Almost Famous Vic Munoz
2002 Edgar and Jane N/A Short film; Director, writer and producer only
The Rules of Attraction Harry
2003 Nemesis Game Jeremy Curran
2004 Million Dollar Baby Danger Barch
2005 Fetching Cody Art Frankel
2006 I'm Reed Fish Reed Fish
2007 Knocked Up Jay
Jay and Seth versus the Apocalypse Himself Short film; Also writer
Just Buried Oliver Whynacht
2008 Real Time Andy Hayes
Tropic Thunder Kevin Sandusky
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Tal Hanson
2009 Fanboys Windows
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Sailor Joey Motorola
The Trotsky Leon
2010 She's Out of My League Kirk Kettner
How to Train Your Dragon Hiccup (voice)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice Dave Stutler
Good Neighbours Victor
Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon Hiccup (voice) Short film
2011 Goon Pat Writer; Also producer
Book of Dragons Hiccup (voice) Short film
Gift of the Night Fury
2012 Cosmopolis Shiner
The Watchmaker Tax man Short film
2013 This Is the End Himself Co-producer
The Art of the Steal Francie
2014 RoboCop Tom Pope
Don Peyote Bates
How to Train Your Dragon 2 Hiccup (voice)
Dawn of the Dragon Racers Short film
2016 Lovesick Mark
2017 Goon: Last of the Enforcers Pat Director; writer
2019 The Kindness of Strangers John
Random Acts of Violence Ezra Director; Also writer and producer
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Hiccup (voice)
2023 BlackBerry Mike Lazaridis
2024 Humane Jared York
TBA Mile End Kicks[28] TBA

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1995, 1999–2000 Are You Afraid of the Dark? Joe / Alex / Ross Doyle / Jason Midas 4 episodes
1996–1998 My Hometown Thomas Thompson Main role
1997–2001 Popular Mechanics for Kids Himself
1998 The Worst Witch Bean Pole Episode: "The Great Outdoors"
2001–2002 Undeclared Steven Karp Main role
2002 Matthew Blackheart: Monster Smasher Jimmy Fleming Television film
2004 The Stones Winston Stone 6 episodes
2005–2006 Just Legal Skip Ross 8 episodes
2006–2007 Numb3rs Oswald Kittner 2 episodes
2011 The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour Private Prosciutto / Falcon 2 episodes
2012–2018 DreamWorks Dragons Hiccup (voice) Main role
2012 Being Human Stu Episode: "When I Think About You I Shred Myself"
2014 Trailer Park Boys N/A Directed Episode: "Crawling Through the Shitpipe"
2015–2017 Man Seeking Woman[38] Josh Greenberg Main role
2018 Letterkenny "Hard Right" Jay 2 episodes
The Magic School Bus Rides Again Dr. Tillage (voice) Episode: "Ghost Farm"
2019 The Moodys Sean Moody Jr. Main role
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming Hiccup (voice) Short film
2019–20 Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series Fucknel

(voice)

2 episodes
2022 LOL: Last One Laughing Canada Host
Son of a Critch N/A Director only
The Kids in the Hall Smoker Episode 7
We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel) Self Main role
2023 Son of a Critch Scott Howell Episode "Pope Visit"
2023–present FUBAR Carter Perlmutter Main role

Music videos

[edit]
Year Band Song Notes Ref
2022 Alexisonfire "Sweet Dreams of Otherness" Director [39][40]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2007 US Comedy Arts Festival Best Actor Award I'm Reed Fish Won
2010 Canadian Comedy Awards Best Performance by a Male – Film The Trotsky Won [41]
2011 Annie Awards Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production How to Train Your Dragon Won
Genie Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role The Trotsky Nominated
Jutra Awards Best Actor (Meilleur Acteur) Won
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Best Actor in a Canadian Film Nominated
2013 Canadian Screen Awards Adapted Screenplay (shared with Evan Goldberg) Goon Nominated
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film Nominated
2014 Canadian Screen Awards Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role The Art of the Steal Nominated
MTV Movie Awards Best Musical Moment This Is the End Won
2019 ACTRA Award Award of Excellence N/A Won [42]
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program Dragons: Race to the Edge: Season 6 Won
2024 Canadian Screen Awards Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film BlackBerry Won [27]
Canadian Screen Awards Performance in a guest role in a comedy series Son of a Critch Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Jay Baruchel". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015.
  2. ^ "Craig Ferguson Teaches Scottish Slang to Jay Baruchel | Vanity Fair". February 21, 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
  3. ^ "Jay Baruchel - Box Office". The Numbers. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  4. ^ "Undeclared". Metacritic. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  5. ^ "Man Seeking Woman: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  6. ^ Vlessing, Etan (October 19, 2015). "Jay Baruchel Makes Televised Voting Pitch as Justin Trudeau Wins Canadian Election". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 15, 2015. ...the Ottawa-born Baruchel..
  7. ^ "Quick Study". People. November 12, 2001. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  8. ^ Rich, Katey (March 10, 2010). "Interview: Jay Baruchel On Why He Won't Do Nude Scenes". Cinemablend. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  9. ^ "JAY BARUCHEL: CANADA'S PROUDEST SON". Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  10. ^ "Jay Baruchel Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
  11. ^ Arthur, Bruce (March 17, 2017). "Baruchel fights the good fight in Goon sequel: Arthur". The Toronto Star.
  12. ^ a b Simonpillai, Radheyan (May 13, 2010). "Jay Baruchel is the Trotsky". NOW Magazine. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2010. The funny thing is, Baruchel is only a quarter Jewish... His background is also French and Irish-Catholic... He may be hard to identify ethnically...
  13. ^ "Celebrity Interview: Jay Baruchel". Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
  14. ^ INTERVIEW: Jay Baruchel On She's Out Of My League – Rip It Up Magazine Archived March 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved September 15, 2010
  15. ^ "The Boys are back and on drugs" Archived September 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. The Globe and Mail, July 12, 2010.
  16. ^ Kit, Borys. "Uni stumbles onto Jay Baruchel's 'Klutz'" The Hollywood Reporter March 11, 2009
  17. ^ McClintock, Pamela (October 27, 2010). "Eugene Levy joins 'Goon' squad, Variety".
  18. ^ "FXX Orders 'Man Seeking Woman' Starring Jay Baruchel". Variety. July 2, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  19. ^ Lester, Paul (April 9, 2015). "Jay Baruchel Meets Idlewild:'You Saved My Life'". The Guardian. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  20. ^ "Jay Baruchel plans bold new adventures for Captain Canuck". Toronto Star. June 23, 2017.
  21. ^ Miska, Brad (August 15, 2018). "Jay Baruchel Hits the Road for a Horror Comic-Con in 'Random Acts of Violence'". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  22. ^ Ahearn, Victoria (August 11, 2021). "Jay Baruchel talks cannabis legalization in Canadian Audible original 'Highly Legal'". CP24. Canadian Press. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  23. ^ Daniel Kreps, "See the Tragically Hip’s ‘Twin Peaks’-Inspired Video for ‘Ouch’". Rolling Stone, June 3, 2021.
  24. ^ "Amazon Prime Video Announces Jay Baruchel as Host of the Canadian Edition of the Global Amazon Original Hit Format LOL: Last One Laughing Canada". Amazon Press Room. April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2022.[permanent dead link]
  25. ^ "It's Head-Crushing Time! Prime Video Announces the Premiere Date and Trailer Release for Canadian Amazon Original Series The Kids in the Hall". newswire.ca. April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  26. ^ Rachel Ho, "Hot Docs Review: 'We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel)' Is a Lighthearted Look at the Impending Apocalypse". Exclaim!, May 2, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Etan Vlessing, "‘BlackBerry,’ ‘Little Bird’ Dominate Canadian Screen Awards". The Hollywood Reporter, May 31, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Ritman, Alex (November 5, 2024). "AFM: 'Blackberry' Star Jay Baruchel Joins Cast of XYZ's Rom-Com 'Mile End Kicks' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  29. ^ Grobar, Matt (November 14, 2024). "Jay Baruchel Reteaming With 'Goon's Michael Dowse On Comedy 'The Stunt Driver'". Deadline. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  30. ^ "Alison Pill, Jay Baruchel Call Off Engagement". usmagazine.com. March 5, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  31. ^ Loschiavo, Taline (May 29, 2018). "Jay Baruchel is Engaged". etalk. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  32. ^ Clarendon, Dan (September 22, 2019). "Jay Baruchel Marries Rebecca-Jo Dunham in Portugal". US Magazine. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  33. ^ McLeod, Andre (2008). "Jay Baruchel: Breaking Out". Complex. Retrieved March 12, 2010.[permanent dead link]
  34. ^ "Montreal actor improvising his way to the top". Canada.com. January 3, 2008. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  35. ^ "Celebrity Interview: Jay Baruchel". TV3. April 7, 2010. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  36. ^ Wheeler, Brad (September 19, 2014). "Fiercely Canadian Jay Baruchel wears his maple leaf on his sleeve". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  37. ^ "How To Train Your Dragon star Jay Baruchel on his new movies, his love of Glasgow and why he's a Celtic fan". glasgowlive.co.uk. February 5, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  38. ^ Variety Staff (July 2, 2014). "FXX Orders 'Man Seeking Woman' Starring Jay Baruchel". Variety. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  39. ^ Alexisonfire – Sweet Dreams of Otherness (Official Video), March 10, 2022, retrieved June 23, 2022
  40. ^ "Alexisonfire Shares New Single "Sweet Dreams Of Otherness" – New Album Incoming". Ghost Cult Magazine. March 10, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  41. ^ "Canadian Comedy Awards". NOW Toronto Magazine – Think Free. October 19, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  42. ^ "Jay Baruchel gets award of excellence from Canada's performers' union, ACTRA". www.ctvnews.ca. January 14, 2019. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
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