Pop-eyed and raspy of voice, actor Jonah Hill took Hollywood by storm in 2006 and 2007 with appearances in no less than nine films, including the Adam Sandler comedy Click (2006), Evan Almighty (2007) with Steve Carell, and Judd Apatows sweetly profane Knocked Up (2007) with Seth Rogen and Katharine Heigl. Hills blustery delivery, which was always tempered with a hint of panicked vulnerability, found its best forum in the Apatow-produced teen buddy comedy Superbad (2007), in which he and Arrested Development (Fox, 2003-06) star Michael Cera attempt to erase years of high school anonymity with one hedonistic blowout before heading off to college. The success of this film and his previous output helped usher Hill to MVP status in Hollywood, where he launched a second career as a screenwriter.
Despite his success as an onscreen personality, writing was always a primary interest of Hills, even prior to his ascent to stardom. Born Jonah Hill Feldstein on Dec. 15, 1983 in Los Angeles, CA, Hill was enamored with the sharp comic writing of television programs like The Simpsons (Fox, 1989- ) and The Larry Sanders Show (HBO, 1992-98); going on to study writing and drama at the New School in New York. While there, he regularly contributed short stories and performance pieces at the Black and White Bar in the East Village, where he developed a bit of a following.
Among those who came to see Hill perform were Dustin Hoffmans son and daughter, Rebecca and Jake; with the trio becoming fast friends soon after. When Hill returned to Los Angeles between semesters, the Hoffmans introduced him to their father, who was impressed enough with Hills comic talents after hearing a prank call CD he had made, the he tapped the young man to audition for a small role in I Heart Huckabees (2004) for director David O. Russell. The experience not only gave Hill his first screen role, but also earned him a manager, Peter Principato, who introduced his new client to a fellow named Judd Apatow. Despite the age difference, the pair hit it off; with the loyal Apatow giving Hill a small but scene-stealing role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005). As a customer of eBay storeowner Catherine Keener who wants to buy a pair of garish high-heeled boots, Hill nailed the uncomfortable scene like an old pro.
By 2006, Hills acting career was already in high gear. He co-starred in the debut season of the uproarious TV comedy series, Campus Ladies (Oxygen Network, 2006-07), as the resident advisor to the shows lead characters a pair of 40-something women who enroll in a small college. Hill then had small roles in Click (as the teenaged version of Adam Sandlers son) and Grandmas Boy (2006), before attracting attention as Justin Longs neurotic pal and second banana in Accepted (2006). Though critics largely panned the project, Hill was frequently singled out as one of its saving graces.
2007 saw Hill in a string of hits, starting with Apatows Knocked Up as the loudest of Seth Rogens crew of layabouts and Evan Almighty, which was soon followed by a small role as a Junior Philosopher in the indie comedy Rocket Science (2007). Superbad offered Hill his first starring role, and he made the most of it, starring as the screen version of writer/co-star Seth Rogen, depicted in the quirky comedy as a manic, foul-mouthed, but deeply loyal friend who is terrified to be separated from his lifelong pal (Cera) after graduation from high school. Their mutual desire to make up for lost time and solidify the bonds of their friendship lent the broad comedy a charming sense of sweetness, which boosted critical reaction to the film considerably.
Hills resume doubled in size for 2008, with roles in the Apatow-produced Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Walk Hard (as the brother of hard-living musician John C. Reilly) and Strange Wilderness (which reunited him with Long) for Adam Sandler. He also penned two screenplays Pure Imagination, about a man who develops an imaginary friend after a terrible experience, and The Middle Child, about a young man who is displaced from his familys favor by the arrival of a son given up years before for adoption. Both films were scheduled to be produced by good friend and comic genius, Apatow.
Copyright © Baseline 2009.