---
name: "Fred Melamed"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/fred-melamed"
fi1m_id: "fred-melamed"
imdb_id: "nm0577329"
tmdb_id: 105303
wikidata_id: "Q555227"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "13 May 1956"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 11
average_fi1m_score: 77
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 8
updated: "2026-10-23T04:01:02.053775+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."
---

# Fred Melamed

## Identity

Fred Melamed

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/fred-melamed
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** fred-melamed
- **IMDb ID:** nm0577329
- **TMDB ID:** 105303
- **Wikidata ID:** Q555227
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Melamed, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q555227, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0577329/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/105303

Actor. Born 13 May 1956 in New York City, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 13 May 1956, New York City, New York, USA
- **Active:** 1986–present
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 11: 8 acting, 3 other
- **Average Fi1m score:** 77, as actor, over 8 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 77 (4), 1990s 83 (1), 2000s 84 (1), 2010s 79 (4), 2020s 55 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 75 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 5, Drama 5, Crime 3, Action 1, Adventure 1, Horror 1
- **Screen time:** 11 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $150m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Melamed, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q555227, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0577329/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/105303

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*A Serious Man*](https://film.one/film/a-serious-man.md) (84)
- **AMC+:** [*Bone Tomahawk*](https://film.one/film/bone-tomahawk.md) (78)

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

## Fi1m on Fred Melamed

> Fred Melamed makes a reassuring voice serve men who are far too pleased with themselves. We value his patience: in *A Serious Man*, he lets a conversation become unbearable without hurrying to tell us where the joke is.

Fred Melamed takes his time in *A Serious Man* (2009), while Michael Stuhlbarg's Larry has to wait and listen. As Sy Ableman, he is so satisfied with the way he speaks that an ordinary conversation becomes something Larry must get through without objecting. The pace is the joke, but it also gives Stuhlbarg room to show the effort of staying receptive. We began to dread Sy's contributions because Melamed made each one feel like a fresh obligation to be polite.

That deep, reassuring voice has often brought him authoritative or professorial parts, and his screen career grew alongside voice-over work from the mid-1980s. An early supporting role was Dr. Grey in Woody Allen's *Hannah and Her Sisters* (1986), one of seven films he made with Allen. The decisive change came with Sy: *A Serious Man* established him as a character actor, and his particular way of speaking was central to its comedy. Directors Joel and Ethan Coen gave that delivery room to work, allowing him to make control sound reasonable.

The performance works partly because Stuhlbarg keeps Larry hopeful enough to be hurt by the next exchange. Melamed's unhurried delivery would be less useful opposite someone who had already given up; here, there is still a person trying to understand him. We have a reservation about the film's broader caricatures, which sometimes make its cruelty too easy. Sy's self-satisfaction is funny, but Larry's strained attention makes it harder to laugh without feeling for the man who has to listen.

The Coens brought him back for *Hail, Caesar* (2016), and his later supporting roles include Joel in *Shiva Baby* (2020). A director casting him only for that sonorous authority could easily leave him with too little to play. We would rather see a director test that reassuring manner than simply use it to fill a part. Start with *A Serious Man*, and pay as much attention to Stuhlbarg's listening as to Melamed's speaking.

## Biography

Fred Melamed is an American actor born on 13 May 1956 in New York City. He trained at Hampshire College and the Yale School of Drama, where he was a Samuel F. B. Morse College Graduate Fellow and a nominee for the Irene Ryan Award. While at Yale he instructed at the performing arts camp Stagedoor Manor.

Early in his career Melamed worked primarily as a voice artist and appeared in small film roles, including seven films directed by Woody Allen. He made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning production of *Amadeus*. He later became known for his role as Sy Ableman in the Coen brothers' *A Serious Man* (2009), for which the ensemble won the Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award.

His other film credits include *In a World...* (2012), *Hail, Caesar!* (2016) and *Shiva Baby* (2020). On television he has appeared in series such as *Fargo*, *WandaVision* and *Barry*.

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

## On Fi1m (11)

### Performed in (8) — the average rests on these

- *Father Joe* (2026), Fi1m 55, Actor — [page](https://film.one/film/father-joe.md)
- *Barry* (2018), Fi1m 85, as Tom Posorro — [page](https://film.one/tv/barry.md)
- *Hail, Caesar!* (2016), Fi1m 72, as Communist Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/hail-caesar.md)
- *Bone Tomahawk* (2015), Fi1m 78, as Clarence — [page](https://film.one/film/bone-tomahawk.md)
- *Fargo* (2014), Fi1m 82, as Howard Zimmerman — [page](https://film.one/tv/fargo-2014.md)
- *A Serious Man* (2009), Fi1m 84, as Sy Ableman — [page](https://film.one/film/a-serious-man.md)
- *Ishtar* (1987), Fi1m 72, as Caid of Assari — [page](https://film.one/film/ishtar.md)
- *Hannah and Her Sisters* (1986), Fi1m 88, as Dr. Grey — [page](https://film.one/film/hannah-and-her-sisters.md)

### Also credited (3) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Husbands and Wives* (1992), Fi1m 83, as Mel (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/husbands-and-wives.md)
- *Crimes and Misdemeanors* (1989), Fi1m 84, as The Dean (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/crimes-and-misdemeanors.md)
- *The Mission* (1986), Fi1m 64, as Don Cabeza (voice) (uncredited), Cabeza (voice) (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-mission-1986.md)

## Complete filmography (86)

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

- *Father Joe* (2026), Actor — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/father-joe.md)
- *Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass* (2026), as Frank the Mailman
- *Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America* (2026), series, as William Henry Harrison — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/tv/life-larry-and-the-pursuit-of-unhappiness-an-almost-history-of-america.md)
- *Don't Trip* (2025), as Scott Lefkowitz
- *Easy's Waltz* (2025), Actor
- *Doctor Odyssey* (2024), series, as Jerry Manafort
- *Peak Season* (2024), as George
- *Little Death* (2024), as Augustus
- *Cat Person* (2023), as Dr. Resnick
- *Fuzzy Head* (2023), as The Quadruped
- *Reboot* (2022), series, as Alan
- *Diary of a Spy* (2022), as James
- *The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib* (2022), series, as Russ Tisdale (voice)
- *Together Together* (2021), as Marty
- *Shiva Baby* (2021), as Joel
- *Rumble* (2021), as Mayor (voice)
- *WandaVision* (2021), series, as Todd Davis (a.k.a. Arthur Hart), Todd Davis (a.k.a. Arthur Hart) (uncredited)
- *Viral Vignettes* (2020), series, as Neil
- *The Vigil* (2020), as Dr. Kohlberg
- *Solar Opposites* (2020), series, as The Supreme Adjudicator (voice)
- *Medical Police* (2020), series, as Professor Waters
- *The Morning Show* (2019), series, as Mitch's Agent
- *Lying and Stealing* (2019), as Dimitri
- *Dragged Across Concrete* (2019), as Mr. Edmington
- *Black Monday* (2019), series, as Not Milken #2
- *Silver Lake* (2018), as Howard
- *The Spy Who Dumped Me* (2018), as Roger
- *Summer Camp Island* (2018), series, as Monk Receptionist / Additional Voices (voice), Monk Receptionist (voice)
- *Barry* (2018), series, as Tom Posorro — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/tv/barry.md)
- *Brawl in Cell Block 99* (2017), as Mr Irving
- *Kid Gambled* (2017), as Repair Man
- *Room 104* (2017), series, as Narrator (voice)
- *Chicanery* (2017), as Arthur Schekner
- *Trial & Error* (2017), series, as Howard Mankiewicz
- *Lemon* (2017), as Howard
- *Passengers* (2016), as Observatory (voice)
- *Lady Dynamite* (2016), series, as Bruce Ben-Bacharach
- *Hail, Caesar!* (2016), as Communist Writer — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/hail-caesar.md)
- *American Crime Story* (2016), series, as William H. 'Bill' Ginsberg — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/american-crime-story.md)
- *Superstore* (2015), series, as Richard
- *Bone Tomahawk* (2015), as Clarence — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/bone-tomahawk.md)
- *Life in Pieces* (2015), series, as Dr. Dave Collins
- *You Are Whole* (2015), as Norman
- *Smart Pipe* (2014), as Andrew Goldman
- *Some Kind of Beautiful* (2014), as Piggott
- *Benched* (2014), series, as Judge Don Nelson
- *Adult Beginners* (2014), as Story Book Reader (voice)
- *Get On Up* (2014), as Syd Nathan
- *Dinner with Friends with Brett Gelman and Friends* (2014), as Fred
- *Fargo* (2014), series, as Howard Zimmerman — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/fargo-2014.md)
- *Hairbrained* (2013), as Benny Greenberg
- *The Crazy Ones* (2013), series, as Fred Melamed
- *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* (2013), series, as D.C. Parlov — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/brooklyn-nine-nine.md)
- *In a World...* (2013), as Sam Sotto
- *Blumenthal* (2013), as Jimmy Basmati
- *Fred Won't Move Out* (2012), as Bob
- *The Dictator* (2012), as Head Nuclear Scientist
- *House of Lies* (2012), series, as Harvey Oberholt
- *A Very Tight Place* (2011), as Betsy (voice)
- *New Girl* (2011), series, as J. Cronkite Valley-Forge — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/new-girl.md)
- *A Serious Man* (2009), as Sy Ableman — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/a-serious-man.md)
- *The Good Wife* (2009), series, as Judge Alan Karpman — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md)
- *Childrens Hospital* (2008), series, as Leonard Hillman
- *30 Rock* (2006), series, as Jack (voice) — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/30-rock.md)
- *In Search of Shakespeare* (2003), series, as Announcer
- *Hollywood Ending* (2002), as Pappas
- *Curb Your Enthusiasm* (2000), series, as Dr. Thurgood — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/curb-your-enthusiasm.md)
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, as Dan Goldberg
- *Husbands and Wives* (1992), as Mel (uncredited) — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/husbands-and-wives.md)
- *Shadows and Fog* (1991), as Undesirables Onlooker
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, as Bertram Hill — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)
- *Crimes and Misdemeanors* (1989), as The Dean (uncredited) — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/crimes-and-misdemeanors.md)
- *The Good Mother* (1988), as Dr. Payne
- *Another Woman* (1988), as Patient's Voice / Engagement Party Guest
- *Sticky Fingers* (1988), as The Cop (voice) (uncredited)
- *Suspect* (1987), as Morty Rosenthal
- *The Pick-up Artist* (1987), as George
- *Ishtar* (1987), as Caid of Assari — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/ishtar.md)
- *Radio Days* (1987), as Bradley (uncredited)
- *The Mission* (1986), as Don Cabeza (voice) (uncredited), Cabeza (voice) (uncredited) — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-mission-1986.md)
- *The Manhattan Project* (1986), as Howard
- *Hannah and Her Sisters* (1986), as Dr. Grey — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/hannah-and-her-sisters.md)
- *Lovesick* (1983), as Analyst
- *The Bookie & the Bruiser*, as Luca Cavicci
- *Interpersonal Exopolitics*, as Hank
- *Villa Hollywood*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Melamed in 2013](https://film.one/media/person/100356/gallery-20ddd6720b9d.jpg) Melamed in 2013 — Louise Palanker, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/FredMelamed.jpg/1280px-FredMelamed.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Fred Melamed](https://film.one/media/person/100356/gallery-023f4ed10734.jpg) Fred Melamed — Louise Palanker, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/FredMelamed_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Fred Melamed](https://film.one/media/person/100356/gallery-e53e69f00691.jpg) Fred Melamed — Image via TMDB

---
© 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/fred-melamed