Jonathan Silverman

Jonathan Elihu Silverman is an American actor born on August 5, 1966, in Los Angeles, California. He comes from a Jewish family with deep religious roots; his father, Hillel Emanuel Silverman, served as a rabbi, and his grandfather was the prominent Conservative Rabbi Morris Silverman. His mother, Devora, was born in Jerusalem, where her family has resided since the founding of Israel. Silverman graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1984, where he appeared in theatrical productions including West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Androcles and the Lion, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Among his classmates was actor David Schwimmer.

Silverman's professional stage career began before he finished high school. At age 17, he was selected for the road company of Brighton Beach Memoirs, which toured 15 cities. His Broadway career spanned from 1983 to 1986, during which he appeared in Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues, both drawn from Neil Simon's Eugene Trilogy, and starred in the play Broadway Boy.

On television, Silverman launched his career with a recurring role on the sitcom Gimme a Break!, which he held from 1984 to 1986. From 1995 to 1997, he played the title role in the NBC sitcom The Single Guy. In the 2000s, he joined the main casts of In Case of Emergency and Significant Mother. His guest appearances include episodes of Friends, CSI: Miami, Psych, Hot in Cleveland, White Collar, and a 2014 appearance on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a controversial stand-up comedian.

His film work includes Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985), the film adaptation of Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986), Caddyshack II (1988), Weekend at Bernie's (1989) and its sequel Weekend at Bernie's II, Little Sister (1992), Little Big League (1994), Jam (2006), and Beethoven's Big Break, in which he played the role of Eddie. In 2014, Silverman received the Best Supporting Actor award at the Hoboken International Film Festival for his portrayal of Johnny in National Lampoon's Snatched.

In 2004, Silverman took part in the first US television advertising campaign organized to encourage donations to Jewish federations, joining Greg Grunberg, Marlee Matlin, Joshua Malina, and Kevin Weisman in a program celebrating Jewish heritage and promoting charitable giving. That same year, he met actress Jennifer Finnigan at a barbecue; the two married in 2007 and have a daughter together.