Jeff Goldblum

Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum (/ˈɡoʊldbluːm/; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s, and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly (1986), Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), and Independence Day (1996). He starred as Detective Zach Nichols for the eighth and ninth seasons of the USA Network's crime drama series Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001–2011).

Early life

Goldblum was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Homestead, Pennsylvania. His mother, Shirley (née Temeles), was a radio broadcaster who later ran a kitchen equipment and appliances sales firm, and his father, Harold L. Goldblum, was a medical doctor. He has a sister, Pamela, and an older brother, Lee. Another older brother, Rick, died at age 23. His family is Jewish, and had emigrated from Russia and Austria to the U.S. During his childhood, Goldblum belonged to an Orthodox synagogue and had a bar mitzvah.

Goldblum's parents were interested in show business. Goldblum moved to New York City at 17 to become an actor. Goldblum worked on the stage and studied acting at the renowned Neighborhood Playhouse under the guidance of acting coach Sanford Meisner. He made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical Two Gentlemen of Verona. He is also an accomplished jazz pianist and declared that if he did not act, he would have become a professional musician. He made his film debut as a thug in the 1974 Charles Bronson film Death Wish. He briefly appeared as a protester in the TV movie Columbo: A Case of Immunity (1975).