Jason Segel

JASON SEGEL made his debut as a full-fledged motion-picture leading man in 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall. As the abruptly dumped television composer Peter Bretter, Segel gave a performance that was both heartfelt and hilarious. He also wrote the film. Produced by Judd Apatow and Shauna Robertson and directed by Nicholas Stoller. After this success, Segel's writing skills were also in demand, which inspired him to fulfill a personal dream. Like Peter Bretter, he's always loved puppets, and it felt like the right time to pitch his concept for a new Muppets movie. He and Stoller co-wrote the screenplay for 2011's The Muppets, and Segel starred in the film with Academy Award® nominee Amy Adams.

In 2010, Segel co-produced Stoller's Get Him to the Greek. A spin-off of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the film reunites stars Jonah Hill and Russell Brand and was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Comedy. A year before his breakthrough in Sarah Marshall, Segel got a chance to shine in Judd Apatow's Knocked Up. Starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, the film won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Movie Comedy. Segel and Rudd were back together on screen in writer/director John Hamburg's 2009 "bro-mance" I Love You, Man. The following year, Segel starred with Jack Black and Emily Blunt in a contemporary reimagining of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, and in Jersey Turnpikes, SLC Punk!, Can't Hardly Wait and Dead Man on Campus. Segel's work in television has also made a strong impression.

In 1999, he played Nick Andopolis in Apatow's Emmy-nominated series Freaks and Geeks. Segel's portrayal of a fun-loving freak dreaming of stardom as a rock drummer, à la Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, forged his bond with Apatow.

Two years later, Apatow tapped him for his next highly acclaimed series, Undeclared. The comedy about college freshmen was one of Time magazine's Top 10 Best Shows of 2001, and Segel's recurring role as Eric firmly established him in the hearts and minds of television viewers.

Segel also starred as Marshall, opposite Alyson Hannigan, Josh Radnor and Neil Patrick Harris, in How I Met Your Mother. This series was touted as one of Time magazine's Top 10 Best Shows when it debuted in 2005.

Segel may be seen in the comic film Jeff, Who Lives at Home, directed and written by Mark and Jay Duplass. Segel stars, opposite Ed Helms, as Jeff, a lazy, underachieving adult who lives with his mother.

A native of Los Angeles, Segel continues to live in his hometown.

© 2012 Universal Pictures