Judah Friedlander

Judah Friedlander’s geeky look (thick glasses, choppy hair, scruffy beard) has led him to be cast as a lovable weirdo in tons of different scenarios: as the hugging guy in that Dave Matthews Band video and an intra-show writer in 30 Rock, among others. His persona might seem easy enough, but it’s really a lot more studied than that. Friedlander makes each and every hat, for instance. It’s performance art comingling with instant jokes, and it’s actually kind of deep. Everything he does is well thought out. For instance, his insanely detailed 2010 book, How To Beat Up Anybody, prominently features one of his best and most outlandish characters, the World Champion, a man who’s literally the best at everything from karate to ping pong.  

Updated 03/27/2012