Elliot Gould starred in Ingmar Bergman’s The Touch in 1971, the great Swedish director’s first English language film. Gould began his acting career on Broadway in the 1960’s, and by the end of the decade went on to became the embodiment of disenchanted youth culture in such films as Robert Altman’s Korean War satire M*A*S*H, in which he played the maverick surgeon Trapper John and Bob & Ted & Carol & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination.
Time Magazine featured him on a cover in 1970, when he was at the height of his long and prolific career, calling him a “star for an uptight age.” Some of his other notable films include A Bridge Too Far, Capricorn One, and a remake of The Lady Vanishes. Gould played the detective Philip Marlowe in Altman’s 1973 film The Long Goodbye.
Gould’s Broadway theatre credits include Irma La Douce, Say, Darling, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, Little Murders, and Drat! The Cat!
On television, Gould hosted Saturday Night Live six times. He had a recurring guest role on Friends as Jack Gellar, the good-natured but fussy father of the Greenwich village-dwelling Gellar kids, Monica and Ross, spending nine years recurring in the role across 10 seasons. Later, Gould appeared in guest spots on Law & Order and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He will be recurring on Ray Donovan, a series for Showtime.
Gould received critical praise for his role in Warren Beatty‘s 1991 gangster epic film Bugsy. In addition, he appeared in American History X as the boyfriend of Edward Norton‘s character’s mother. He also co-starred as Reuben Tishkoff in Ocean’s Eleven, and its sequels: Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen.
Gould currently serves on the Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors.
