---
name: "Josh Brener"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/josh-brener"
fi1m_id: "josh-brener"
imdb_id: "nm3091777"
tmdb_id: 1180979
wikidata_id: "Q15058295"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "1 October 1984"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 73
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-23T04:11:49.916990+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."
---

# Josh Brener

## Identity

Josh Brener

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/josh-brener
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** josh-brener
- **IMDb ID:** nm3091777
- **TMDB ID:** 1180979
- **Wikidata ID:** Q15058295
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Brener, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15058295, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3091777/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1180979

Actor. Born 1 October 1984 in Houston, Texas, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 1 October 1984, Houston, Texas, USA
- **Active:** 2014–present
- **Also known as:** Joshua Brener, Joshua Max Brener
- **Average Fi1m score:** 73, as actor, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2010s 82 (1), 2020s 70 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 73 to 77 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 3, Drama 1, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 1
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Brener, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15058295, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3091777/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1180979

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The Last of Us*](https://film.one/tv/the-last-of-us.md) (85), [*Silicon Valley*](https://film.one/tv/silicon-valley.md) (82), [*Stuart Fails to Save the Universe*](https://film.one/tv/stuart-fails-to-save-the-universe.md) (57)

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

## Fi1m on Josh Brener

> Josh Brener plays men things happen to. His Big Head in *Silicon Valley* is the definitive version: earnest, unambitious, hapless and never once worried, which in a series full of flinching is its own kind of comic relief.

The Josh Brener character does not want anything much, and that is the joke. In *Silicon Valley* (2014–19) his Nelson 'Big Head' Bighetti is earnest, unambitious and hapless, and events wash over him without leaving a mark. Everyone around him is scheming or panicking; he is eating something and waiting to be told where to stand. It is a small trick, played six years running, and we never tired of it.

He had been working towards it for a while. There was childhood acting, then improv and the Hasty Pudding Theatricals at Harvard, then *Glory Daze* (2010) as Zack Miller, his first regular part in a series. On *Maron* (2013–15) he was Kyle, Marc Maron's assistant, and in *The Internship* (2013) he was Lyle Spaulding, his first film, alongside Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Then Mike Judge cast him as Big Head and the type was set.

What he does well is timing, and a particular stillness in the face of catastrophe. Our review of *Silicon Valley* gave the weight to Thomas Middleditch's Richard, and rightly, but we noticed something about our own viewing: whenever the plot tightened around Richard again, as it did every season, we were glad when the scene cut to Big Head, because he was the one person in the series who did not care, and his not caring let us breathe. Away from the camera he has become a busy voice actor, with parts in *DuckTales*, *Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* and *Star Wars Resistance*, where the amiable register travels well.

The limit is obvious and he knows it. The parts are geeky, awkward, tech-adjacent, and they keep coming. He has said as much himself: "When I started to try to pursue a career in acting, it just so happened that what was interesting to a lot people at the time and what a lot of the roles were were tech geek and computer nerd — awkward weird guy." In *The Last of Us* (2023) he is Murray, one of the supporting players our review felt deserved more room than the scripts allowed, and there are more recent appearances in *3 Body Problem* (2024) and *Carry-On* (2024).

He is good at the man to whom nothing matters. We would like to see what he does with a man to whom something does.

## Biography

Josh Brener is an American actor. He was born in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Harvard University, where he served as president of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

Brener is known for playing Nelson "Big Head" Bighetti in the HBO series *Silicon Valley* (2014–2019) and Murray in the HBO series *The Last of Us* (2023). He has also appeared in the film *The Internship* (2013) and provided voices in animated series including *Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* (2018–2020) and the 2017 reboot of *DuckTales* (2017–2021).

He is married to actress and comedian Meghan Falcone.

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

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Stuart Fails to Save the Universe* (2026), Fi1m 57, as Trevor — [page](https://film.one/tv/stuart-fails-to-save-the-universe.md)
- *I Love LA* (2025), Fi1m 68, as Victor — [page](https://film.one/tv/i-love-la.md)
- *The Last of Us* (2023), Fi1m 85, as Murray — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-last-of-us.md)
- *Silicon Valley* (2014), Fi1m 82, as Nelson 'Big Head' Bighetti — [page](https://film.one/tv/silicon-valley.md)

## Complete filmography (61)

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

- *Stuart Fails to Save the Universe* (2026), series, as Trevor — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/tv/stuart-fails-to-save-the-universe.md)
- *That Friend* (2026), as Henry · Executive Producer
- *Sniper: No Nation* (2026), as Intel Pete
- *B-Roll* (2026), as Andy
- *I Love LA* (2025), series, as Victor — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/i-love-la.md)
- *Cold Wallet* (2025), as Charles Hegel · Executive Producer
- *StuGo* (2025), series, as Bombo (voice)
- *Carry-On* (2024), as Herschel
- *Saturday Night* (2024), as Alan Zweibel
- *Batman: Caped Crusader* (2024), series, as Jonathan Crane Jr. (voice)
- *3 Body Problem* (2024), series, as Kent — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/tv/3-body-problem.md)
- *Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate* (2024), as OI' Chum (voice)
- *Megamind Rules!* (2024), series, as Ol' Chum (voice)
- *Old Dads* (2023), as Dana (Parent)
- *Sniper: G.R.I.T. - Global Response & Intelligence Team* (2023), as Intelligence Pete
- *The Last of Us* (2023), series, as Murray — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-last-of-us.md)
- *Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie* (2022), as Donnie / Security AI / Tank AI / Dragged Man (voice)
- *Bromates* (2022), as Sid
- *Sniper: Rogue Mission* (2022), as Intelligence Pete
- *Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head* (2022), series, as Beavis H. (voice), Paul (voice)
- *Rugrats* (2021), series, as Daxton (voice), Borfball / Daxton (voice), Daxton / Invisible Eater (voice)
- *The Mighty Ones* (2020), series, as Twig (voice)
- *All My Life* (2020), as Eric Bronitt
- *Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss* (2020), as Cultist
- *Mythic Quest* (2020), series, as Carl Longbottom
- *Date Nite* (2020), as Jon
- *Spin* (2019), as The Sign Spinning Interviewer
- *101 Dalmatian Street* (2019), series, as Dylan
- *Love, Death & Robots* (2019), series, as K-VRC (voice), Shower Head / Litter Box (voice)
- *What Men Want* (2019), as Brandon Wallace
- *The Front Runner* (2018), as Doug Wilson
- *Star Wars Resistance* (2018), series, as Neeku Vozo (voice)
- *The Neighborhood* (2018), series, as Trevor
- *Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* (2018), series, as Donatello (voice)
- *Where's the Money* (2017), as Clarke
- *Unleashed* (2017), as Luke
- *DuckTales* (2017), series, as Mark Beaks / Mega Beaks (voice), Mark Beaks (voice)
- *Brand New Old Love* (2017), as Bruce
- *The Belko Experiment* (2017), as Keith McLure
- *Max Steel* (2016), as Steel (voice)
- *Baked in Brooklyn* (2016), as David
- *Welcome to Happiness* (2016), as Ripley
- *The Rumperbutts* (2015), as Richie
- *Jim & Helen Forever* (2015), as Aaron
- *Star Wars Rebels* (2014), series, as Erskin Semaj / Imperial Tech (voice), Erskin Semaj (voice)
- *Silicon Valley* (2014), series, as Nelson 'Big Head' Bighetti — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/silicon-valley.md)
- *The Internship* (2013), as Lyle Spaulding
- *Maron* (2013), series, as Kyle
- *Scandal* (2012), series, as Gavin Price
- *Say It Ain't Solo* (2012), as Richie Tobolowsky
- *House of Lies* (2012), series, as Wil Davis
- *Workaholics* (2011), series, as Marshall Davis
- *Glory Daze* (2010), series, as Zack Miller
- *The Condom Killer* (2009), as College Guy
- *The Middle* (2009), series, as Julian
- *Modern Family* (2009), series, as Carl — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/modern-family.md)
- *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* (2008), series, as Worker (voice)
- *The Big Bang Theory* (2007), series, as Dale — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-big-bang-theory.md)
- *Caller 102: A Ballad of Cyberspace*, Actor
- *The Patience of Vultures*, as Lee
- *White Elephant*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Josh Brener at the premiere of Front Runner, 2018 Toronto Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/46600/gallery-ff7095f20ea8.jpg) Josh Brener at the premiere of Front Runner, 2018 Toronto Film Festival — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Front_Runner_05_%2831026727638%29.jpg/1280px-Front_Runner_05_%2831026727638%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Josh Brener at Cold Wallet World Premiere during SXSW 2024](https://film.one/media/person/46600/gallery-1318fc681ec2.jpg) Josh Brener at Cold Wallet World Premiere during SXSW 2024 — Vbrunophotog, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Josh_Brener_at_Cold_Wallet_World_Premiere_at_SXSW_2024.jpg/1280px-Josh_Brener_at_Cold_Wallet_World_Premiere_at_SXSW_2024.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Josh Brener](https://film.one/media/person/46600/gallery-8fa1404f356f.jpg) Josh Brener — Vbrunophotog, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Josh_Brener_at_Cold_Wallet_World_Premiere_at_SXSW_2024_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Josh_Brener_at_Cold_Wallet_World_Premiere_at_SXSW_2024_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- !["SILICON VALLEY: Making the World a Better Place", a panel at SXSW 2016 starring the cast and creators of Silicon Valley (TV series). From left to right, pictur](https://film.one/media/person/46600/gallery-13c94eddfafa.jpg) "SILICON VALLEY: Making the World a Better Place", a panel at SXSW 2016 starring the cast and creators of Silicon Valley (TV series). From left to right, pictur — Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/SXSW_2016_-_Silicon_Valley_panel_%2825127899203%29.jpg/1280px-SXSW_2016_-_Silicon_Valley_panel_%2825127899203%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- !["SILICON VALLEY: Making the World a Better Place", a panel starring the cast and creators of Silicon Valley (TV series). From left to right, pictured is Steven  (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/46600/gallery-568a35a0fdfd.jpg) "SILICON VALLEY: Making the World a Better Place", a panel starring the cast and creators of Silicon Valley (TV series). From left to right, pictured is Steven  (2016) — Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/SXSW_2016_-_Silicon_Valley_panel_%2825633530442%29.jpg/1280px-SXSW_2016_-_Silicon_Valley_panel_%2825633530442%29.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/josh-brener