Nineties kids would definitely know Elliott Gould as Jack Geller, the father of siblings Monica and Ross Geller from the 90s smashing hit sitcom Friends. During his early years, Gould had a successful career as a feature film actor appearing in several films during the seventies and eighties. He even received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal in Bob &Carol&Ted&Alice. He also had a long term association with acclaimed director Robert Altman starring in almost 4 of his films in the lead role.
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PERSONAL LIFE:
Elliot Gould was born on the 29th of August, 1938. He is from Brooklyn,New York. His parents are Bernard Goldstein and Lucille Goldstein, both of them immigrants from East Europe. Gould is Jewish. He had a very moderate upbringing with his father serving in the army and mother being a flower seller. The talented actor had been a very shy and introverted child. He joined the Professional Children’s School where he learned theatre and acting.
As a teenager, he performed at various comedy and dance shows, he being particularly skilled in tap dancing. From his early years Gould was known for his remarkable ability to impersonate almost anyone. What started as a prank to fool neighbors and friends soon landed him in Broadway when he called one of their producers as an agent and spoke highly of himself. Elliot was soon contacted and offered a role in Rumple. Thus began his theatre career.
Soon afterwards, he ventured into movies. His notable works include The Long Goodbye, Bob &Carol & Ted&Alice, California Split, etc. He met Barbara Streisand in one of the Broadway productions in which they starred together. The two began a relationship and got married in 1963. They have a son by the name of Jason Gould. The couple divorced in 1971. Soon after the actor married Jennifer Bogart. The couple divorced two times. The actor has two children with Bogart.
CAREER:
After his stint in several theatre productions, the talented actor moved to star in feature films. His first feature film appearance was in The Night They Raided Minsky’s. The following year, Elliot played the titular role in in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and earned an Academy Award nomination. This was followed by his association with director Robert Altman. He starred in MASH, California split and which were directed by the famed Robert Altman. After this, he starred in movies such as Getting Straight, I Love My Wife, etc. During this period, Gould got involved in drugs, which he has vehemently opposed. His drug addiction however plunged his career.
He had a comeback in 1973 with Long Goodbye again directed by Robert Altman. Gould also ventured into TV and hosted the Saturday Night Live six times. During the latter part of his career, the actor started playing majorly in supporting roles. He starred in The Lemon sisters, Massacre Play, etc. He had resurgence in the nineties owing to his recurring role in Friends as Jack Geller. He became a renowned actor to a younger audience because of this. Gould is also known for his recurring role in the much acclaimed Ocean’s franchise.
Last Modified: Mar 7, 2020
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