B. J. Novak's Real Name: B. J. Novak

Quick answer: The actor and writer is known professionally as B. J. Novak, also styled B.J. Novak. TV Insider lists the birth name Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak and dates his birth to July 31, 1979, in Newton, Massachusetts. The Los Angeles Times and Boston Magazine independently describe him as having grown up in Newton, or as a Newton native, and as a Harvard graduate. The longer name and exact day rest on that TV Insider listing, so this page titles him under the public name.

Real name and early life

Independent publishers identify him under the professional name B. J. Novak. TV Insider gives the birth name Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak and the date July 31, 1979, in Newton, Massachusetts, and identifies his father as William Novak, editor of The Big Book of Jewish Humor (1981). The Los Angeles Times, in a February 14, 2014, profile, independently says he grew up in Newton, that his father co-edited that humor anthology and worked as a ghostwriter, and that Novak studied English and Spanish literature at Harvard before a 2001 comedy debut in Los Angeles. Boston Magazine independently calls him a Newton native and a Harvard literature graduate. The Boston Globe, in a January 26, 2014, profile, independently says he grew up in Newton, went to Newton South High School, and left for Los Angeles in 2001 after graduating from Harvard.

Career highlights

The Los Angeles Times says he wrote for and costarred in NBC's The Office for eight seasons, playing Ryan Howard, and that his first story collection, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, was published by Alfred A. Knopf. Boston Magazine independently says he became known by writing for and acting in The Office, and that Knopf gave him a two-book deal for the 2014 debut. The Boston Globe independently dates his break to the 2005 debut of The Office, where he served at times as writer, cast member, director, and executive producer. TV Insider independently lists later films including Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Vengeance (2022).

Name notes for searchers

People looking up B. J. Novak, B.J. Novak, or Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak are looking for the same actor and writer. A longer form and an exact birth day appear in one listing consulted here, without a second independent confirmation used in the title.