Not many filmmakers have found success in the comedy genre like Judd Apatow. His contribution to Hollywood has been an all-round affair, with credits as a director, producer, executive producer, comedian, writer, and actor. As such, Apatow has worked extensively in film and television.
Like Adam Sandler (with whom he once shared an apartment), Judd Apatow is known for his frequent collaborations with friends and family. Apatow has worked with over 15 actors who have starred in at least three of his films. Some of these actors include Maude Apatow and Iris Apatow (his daughters), James Franco, Justin Long, Craig Robinson, Jason Schwartzman, and Kristen Wiig.
Carla Gallo
American actress Carla Gallo is one of two actresses to make the list of Judd Apatow’s frequent collaborators. Gallo first worked with Apatow in his created TV show for Fox, Undeclared (2001–2002). Gallo was cast as part of the main cast, playing Lizzie Exley, Steven Karp’s (Jay Baruchel) later girlfriend. Unsurprisingly, Apatow gave Gallo a cameo appearance in his feature film directorial debut, The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005). Gallo also made a cameo appearance in Apatow’s 2009 black comedy-drama Funny People.
Martin Starr
Martin Star was one of the main cast members of Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), in which he played Bill Haverchuck. Although Paul Feig created Freaks and Geeks, Judd Apatow was one of the show’s co-writers and directors. It was the first time Starr and Apatow worked together. When Apatow created the sitcom Undeclared for Fox, Starr made a guest appearance in one of the show’s 17 episodes (“The Perfect Date”), playing Theo. Apatow and Starr’s third collaboration was in 2007. Starr was cast as Martin in Apatow’s sophomore-directed feature film Knocked Up (2007).
Paul Rudd
With his success playing Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Paul Rudd is now a household name. However, before portraying the Marvel Comics character, Rudd had earned a reputation for starring in comedies. His first collaboration with Judd Apatow was in the 2005 romantic comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Rudd has also starred in two other Apatow-directed films, Knocked Up (2007) and This Is 40 (2012). Paul Rudd has also starred in several other films written, produced, or executive produced by Judd Apatow. These include Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and its sequel, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008).
Jonah Hill
Known for his comedic roles, Jonah Hill is also one of Judd Apatow’s collaborators. Besides working on several other projects of Apatow’s, Hill has starred in three Apatow-directed movies. The two first worked together as director and actor in the The 40-Year-Old Virgin. However, Jonah Hill, who made his film debut the year before, was introduced in a minor role as an eBay Customer. Hill had more screen time in Apatow’s next directed film, Knocked Up. Hill plays Leo Koenig in Apatow’s black comedy-drama Funny People alongside other Apatow’s collaborators and top actors.
Steve Bannos
The multi-talented actor and writer Steve Bannos has been a long-time collaborator of Judd Apatow. They first worked together in Paul Feig-created teen comedy-drama for NBC Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000). Bannos played the recurring character of Mr. Kowchevski, with Apatow as a co-writer and directing 3 of the show’s 18 episodes. Steve Bannos made guest appearances on the Judd Apatow-created sitcom Undeclared (2001–2002), playing Dingleberry in episode 11 (“Rush and Pledge”). Bannos made a cameo appearance in The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) as a restaurant customer and played a Deli Manager in Funny People (2009).
Jason Segel
Jason Segel is also a top Judd Apatow collaborator, popularly known for playing Marshall Eriksen on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014). They first collaborated in Freaks and Geeks and then in Undeclared, where he was cast as Nick Andopolis and Eric, respectively. Their first collaboration in film was in 2007, when Segel played the character Jason in Knocked Up (2007). Interestingly, his character was also named Jason in Apatow’s 2012 comedy-drama This Is 40.
Seth Rogen
Actor, comedian, and filmmaker Seth Rogen is also an old-time collaborator of Judd Apatow. Rogen was part of the main cast of Freaks and Geeks and also a main cast in Undeclared, where he played Ken Miller and Ron Garner, respectively. While co-writing his directorial debut, The 40-Year-Old Virgin with Steve Carell, Judd Apatow has written the character of Cal with Seth Rogen in mind. For his sophomore-directed feature film Knocked Up (2007), Apatow cast Rogen in the lead role, playing Ben Stone alongside Katherine Heigl and other of Apatow’s recurring collaborators. In Apatow’s Funny People (2009), the director cast Seth Rogen as the aspiring comedian Ira Wright.
Leslie Mann
Actress Leslie Mann is Judd Apatow’s most frequent collaborator, having acted in an Apatow-led project. Mann and Apatow first met while the actress was auditioning for the Jim Carrey-led cast of the black comedy thriller The Cable Guy. They began dating afterward and married on June 9, 1997. As his wife, Leslie Mann has starred in many of Apatow’s works, including his earliest directed projects in film and television. Mann made a guest appearance as Miss Foote, a school teacher in Freaks and Geeks. She played a drunk woman, Nicky, in The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) and Debbie (Katherine Heigl’s character’s sister) in Knocked Up (2007). In Funny People (2009), she plays Laura, one of the lead cast. Leslie Mann also played a lead role in This Is 40 (2012) and a supporting role in Judd Apatow‘s 2022 comedy The Bubble.
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