---
name: "B.J. Novak"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/b-j-novak"
fi1m_id: "b-j-novak"
imdb_id: "nm1145983"
tmdb_id: 107770
wikidata_id: "Q459925"
roles: ["Actor","Director","Writer"]
born: "31 July 1979"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 62
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-10-05T13:12:17.033591+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# B.J. Novak

## Identity

B.J. Novak

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/b-j-novak
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** b-j-novak
- **IMDb ID:** nm1145983
- **TMDB ID:** 107770
- **Wikidata ID:** Q459925
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._J._Novak, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q459925, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1145983/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/107770

Actor and director. Born 31 July 1979 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Director, Writer
- **Born:** 31 July 1979, Newton, Massachusetts, USA
- **Active:** 2005–present
- **Also known as:** BJ Novak, Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak, بی. جی. نواک
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 8: 6 acting, 2 directing
- **Frequently works with:** [Alex Hardcastle](https://film.one/person/alex-hardcastle.md), [Charles McDougall](https://film.one/person/charles-mcdougall.md), [Charlie Grandy](https://film.one/person/charlie-grandy.md), [Claire Scanlon](https://film.one/person/claire-scanlon.md), [David Rogers](https://film.one/person/david-rogers.md), [Gabe Miller](https://film.one/person/gabe-miller.md), [Greg Daniels](https://film.one/person/greg-daniels.md), [Jesse Peretz](https://film.one/person/jesse-peretz.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 62, as actor, over 6 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 84 (2), 2010s 56 (4), 2020s 64 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 62 to 56 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Comedy 3, Adventure 2, Action 1, Animation 1, Family 1
- **Screen time:** 11 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $2,406m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._J._Novak, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q459925, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1145983/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/107770

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Inglourious Basterds*](https://film.one/film/inglourious-basterds.md) (92), [*The Mindy Project*](https://film.one/tv/the-mindy-project.md) (72), [*The Devil Wears Prada 2*](https://film.one/film/the-devil-wears-prada-2.md) (64), [*Saving Mr. Banks*](https://film.one/film/saving-mr-banks.md) (63)
- **Peacock:** [*The Office*](https://film.one/tv/the-office-2005.md) (77)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on B.J. Novak

> B.J. Novak makes self-satisfied men useful comic company. We rate him most highly in an ensemble, where his dry reactions have room to work; leading roles can expose a lack of energy.

A reaction shot is often enough for B.J. Novak. In *The Office* (2005), his Ryan Howard benefits from a comedy that gives the people around its exhausting boss something to do besides endure him. Steve Carell makes that boss painfully needy, and Novak is well suited to the ensemble's opportunities for self-satisfaction and dry responses. We laughed at Carell's neediness because the performance makes an exhausting man recognisably human. The programme's borrowed beginnings and occasional overplaying are real limitations, but this remains the place to start with Novak.

Ryan was his breakthrough, and Novak also wrote, produced and directed for the series. His taste for crisp dialogue and self-assured characters makes sense in that setting, where one person's certainty can provide another person's joke. It is worth separating the jobs, though: good writing does not automatically make its author a compelling lead. As an actor, he benefits from having other performers complicate the smugness. His dry responses give a scene another comic point of view without requiring him to compete with the performer who is doing the most.

Supporting parts in *Inglourious Basterds* (2009), *Saving Mr. Banks* (2013) and *The Founder* (2016) took him beyond workplace comedy. Then came *Vengeance* (2022), his feature debut as writer-director, with Novak also taking the lead. The sharp dialogue gives him something to work with, but his low-energy performance is harder to overlook at the centre of a film. We find more to recommend in his assured direction than in his casting of himself.

In *The Devil Wears Prada 2* (2026), he plays Jay within another well-acted ensemble. The film is pleasant company, though the returning team have too little to do and its observations about magazines offer little surprise. Its appeal is collective, which is no bad thing for an actor with his gifts. The actors remain the reason to watch, and the modest pleasure of their company is not something we would dismiss. Start with *The Office*, with a little patience for its borrowed beginnings and jokes that occasionally get pushed too hard.

## Biography

B.J. Novak is an American actor, comedian, writer and producer. Born Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak on 31 July 1979 in Newton, Massachusetts, he graduated from Harvard University. He first gained attention as a writer and performer on the NBC sitcom *The Office* (2005–2013), playing Ryan Howard across eight seasons while also contributing as a writer and producer.

Novak has appeared in supporting film roles including PFC. Smithson Utivich in *Inglourious Basterds* (2009), Harry J. Sonneborn in *The Founder* (2016) and Jay in *The Devil Wears Prada 2* (2026). He made his directorial debut with *Vengeance* (2022), which he also wrote, produced and starred in. Other credits include *Saving Mr. Banks* (2013) and voice work in the *Smurfs* films (2011, 2013).

Novak created and wrote the anthology series *The Premise* (2021) and has published the short-story collection *One More Thing* (2014) and the children's book *The Book with No Pictures* (2014).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, pagesix.com, esquire.com.*

## On Fi1m (8)

### Performed in (6) — the average rests on these

- *The Devil Wears Prada 2* (2026), Fi1m 64, as Jay — [page](https://film.one/film/the-devil-wears-prada-2.md)
- *Lessons in Chemistry* (2023), Fi1m 63, as Six-Thirty (voice) — [page](https://film.one/tv/lessons-in-chemistry.md)
- *The Amazing Spider-Man 2* (2014), Fi1m 54, as Allistar Smythe — [page](https://film.one/film/the-amazing-spider-man-2.md)
- *Saving Mr. Banks* (2013), Fi1m 63, as Robert Sherman — [page](https://film.one/film/saving-mr-banks.md)
- *The Smurfs* (2011), Fi1m 37, as Baker Smurf (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-smurfs.md)
- *Inglourious Basterds* (2009), Fi1m 92, as PFC. Smithson Utivich — [page](https://film.one/film/inglourious-basterds.md)

### Directed (2)

- *The Mindy Project* (2012), Fi1m 72, as Jamie — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mindy-project.md)
- *The Office* (2005), Fi1m 77, as Ryan Howard — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-office-2005.md)

## Complete filmography (25)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Devil Wears Prada 2* (2026), as Jay — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-devil-wears-prada-2.md)
- *Lessons in Chemistry* (2023), series, as Six-Thirty (voice) — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/lessons-in-chemistry.md)
- *Poker Face* (2023), series, as Hiram Lubinski — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/poker-face.md)
- *Vengeance* (2022), as Ben Manalowitz · Writer, Executive Producer, Director
- *The Premise* (2021), series, Executive Producer, Director, Writer, Creator
- *Home Movie: The Princess Bride* (2020), series, as Count Rugen
- *Late Night* (2019), Thanks
- *The Founder* (2016), as Harry J. Sonneborn
- *Crazy Ex-Girlfriend* (2015), series, as B.J. Novak — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/crazy-ex-girlfriend.md)
- *The Amazing Spider-Man 2* (2014), as Allistar Smythe — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/the-amazing-spider-man-2.md)
- *Saving Mr. Banks* (2013), as Robert Sherman — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/saving-mr-banks.md)
- *The Smurfs 2* (2013), as Baker Smurf (voice)
- *The Internship* (2013), as Male Interviewer
- *The Mindy Project* (2012), series, as Jamie · Executive Producer, Writer, Director — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mindy-project.md)
- *The Newsroom* (2012), series, as Lucas Pruit
- *The Dictator* (2012), as (uncredited)
- *The Smurfs* (2011), as Baker Smurf (voice) — Fi1m 37, [page](https://film.one/film/the-smurfs.md)
- *Community* (2009), series, as Mr. Egypt — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/community.md)
- *Inglourious Basterds* (2009), as PFC. Smithson Utivich — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/inglourious-basterds.md)
- *Knocked Up* (2007), as Young Doctor
- *Reign Over Me* (2007), as Mr. Fallon
- *Unaccompanied Minors* (2006), as Desk Attendant
- *Farce of the Penguins* (2006), as I Hope There's Sand Dabs Penguin (voice)
- *The Office* (2005), series, as Ryan Howard · Director, Writer, Executive Story Editor, Co-Producer, Supervising Producer, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-office-2005.md)
- *Raising Dad* (2001), series, Writer

## Gallery

- ![A photo of the actor B.J. Novak](https://film.one/media/person/6799/gallery-091434e9cd1b.jpg) A photo of the actor B.J. Novak — Jakub Mosur, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/B.J._Novak%2C_Actor.jpg/1280px-B.J._Novak%2C_Actor.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![P1010901 (2009)](https://film.one/media/person/6799/gallery-61c9191ed31a.jpg) P1010901 (2009) — Greg Hernandez from California, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/B.J._Novak_at_the_2009_Emmy_Awards.jpg/1280px-B.J._Novak_at_the_2009_Emmy_Awards.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![B. J. Novak at the Off-Broadway Opening Night of "Color Theories," 2025](https://film.one/media/person/6799/gallery-dc2bd7983edb.jpg) B. J. Novak at the Off-Broadway Opening Night of "Color Theories," 2025 — PhilipRomanoPhoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/BJNovak-byPhilipRomano.jpg/1280px-BJNovak-byPhilipRomano.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![B.J. Novak at the White House Correspondents Association dinner social.](https://film.one/media/person/6799/gallery-7b4cabdc19dd.jpg) B.J. Novak at the White House Correspondents Association dinner social. — Jay Goodman Tamboli at https://www.flickr.com/photos/jaytamboli/, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/BJNovakApr08.jpg/1280px-BJNovakApr08.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![B.J. Novak](https://film.one/media/person/6799/gallery-a52633959cfb.jpg) B.J. Novak — Image via TMDB
- ![B.J. Novak](https://film.one/media/person/6799/gallery-23e74b9f8ddd.jpg) B.J. Novak — Image via TMDB
- ![B.J. Novak at the Emmys in September 2009.](https://film.one/media/person/6799/gallery-d03eb01f72c6.jpg) B.J. Novak at the Emmys in September 2009. — Greg Hernandez at https://www.flickr.com/photos/greginhollywood/, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/BJNovakEmmysSept09.jpg/1280px-BJNovakEmmysSept09.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![B.J. Novak at the Emmys in September 2009. (2010)](https://film.one/media/person/6799/gallery-199869b12fd7.jpg) B.J. Novak at the Emmys in September 2009. (2010) — BJNovakEmmysSept09.jpg: Greg Hernandez at https://www.flickr.com/photos/greginhollywood/
derivative work: Beao, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/BJNovakEmmysSept09_cropped.jpg/1280px-BJNovakEmmysSept09_cropped.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/b-j-novak