Jonathan Groff (writer)

This article is about the writer. For the actor and singer, see Jonathan Groff.
Jonathan Groff
Groff at the 75th Annual Peabody Awards in 2016
Groff at the 75th Annual Peabody Awards in 2016
Born (1962-05-16) May 16, 1962 (age 62)
OccupationScreenwriter, producer, actor
Alma materBrown University (BA)
GenreComedy
Years active1989–present
Spouse
Martha Chowning
​
(m. 1996)​
Children2
RelativesDavid Groff (brother)

Jonathan Groff (born May 16, 1962) is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Jerome Sinfeld in the Netflix series blackAF, and as an executive producer of the ABC sitcom black-ish (2014–2022).[1]

Groff graduated from Brown University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in history, initially pursuing a career in stand-up comedy before transitioning to television writing.[2] He wrote for The Jon Stewart Show and Short Attention Span Theater, hosted by Stewart and, later, Marc Maron.[3] Groff was the head writer at Late Night with Conan O'Brien in the late 1990s.[4] After leaving Late Night, Groff developed Father of the Pride with Jeffrey Katzenberg.[3] Subsequently, he was the showrunner for Andy Barker, P.I., co-created with O'Brien.[2][5] More recently, he has worked on Black-ish and as co-showrunner on Happy Endings.[6]

In March 1995, he was a 5-time undefeated champion on Jeopardy!, winning $60,500, and a semifinalist in the 1995 Tournament of Champions in November. In 2005, he was invited to the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, where he won $34,001 in the first 2 rounds of the tournament before being eliminated.[7]

  1. ^ “Jonathan Groff.” IMDb, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0342917/. Accessed 10 Mar. 2021.
  2. ^ a b Hart, Hugh. "The Making of a Gumshoe". Brown Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b Adalian, Joseph. "'Pride' papa hits stride at Peacock". Variety. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  4. ^ Sella, Marshall. "The Stiff Guy vs. the Dumb Guy". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  5. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (12 April 2004). "DreamWorks and NBC Gamble on a Lion Act". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  6. ^ Goldberg, Lesley. "'Happy Endings' Reboot at ABC? "There's a Remote Possibility"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  7. ^ "J! Archive - Jonathan Groff". j-archive.com. Retrieved 2024-07-02.