Elliott Gould's Real Name: Elliott Goldstein
Elliott Gould → Elliott Goldstein
Quick answer: Elliott Gould's original name is Elliott Goldstein. He was born on August 29, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York. He is an American actor who starred in the film MASH* and later appeared as Jack Geller on Friends (Biography.com).
Real name and early life
A Biography.com profile records his original name as Elliott Goldstein, born August 29, 1938, in Brooklyn. The Library of Congress heading is "Gould, Elliott," with the variant "Goldstein, Elliott." A Library of Congress citation to Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television likewise records Elliott Goldstein, born August 29, 1938, in Brooklyn. His parents, Bernard and Lucille Goldstein, were Eastern European Jewish immigrants, Biography.com says, and his father worked in the garment industry. After studying at Charlie Lowe's show-business school for children, he modeled and appeared on local television variety shows. Biography.com says his mother and Lowe changed his stage name from Goldstein to Gould. He attended the Professional Children's School in Manhattan and spent summers performing in the Catskills. In 1957, at 18, he landed a chorus part in the Broadway musical Rumple.
Career highlights
In 1962 he starred opposite Barbra Streisand in the Broadway musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale; they married in 1963 and divorced in 1971. His film breakthrough came in the 1969 comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. He then starred as Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in MASH* (1970). Biography.com also lists I Love My Wife (1970) and Getting Straight (1970) from the same period. Later 1970s work included Ingmar Bergman's first English-language film, The Touch (1971), and a widely noted turn as Philip Marlowe in The Long Goodbye (1973).
After a quieter stretch, he had a career resurgence in 1994 as Jack Geller, the father of Ross and Monica, on the NBC sitcom Friends. Film roles that followed included American History X (1998) and the heist films Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004), and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). Biography.com also lists later television work on Ray Donovan, beginning in 2013, and the sitcom Mulaney.
Name notes for searchers
Elliott Goldstein is the documented original name; he has been billed as Elliott Gould since his mother and a teacher changed the professional name in his youth, according to Biography.com. Searchers looking for either form are usually aiming at the same person.
FAQ
What is Elliott Gould's real name?
Elliott Goldstein. He later used the professional name Elliott Gould.
When and where was Elliott Gould born?
August 29, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York.
What is Elliott Gould known for?
The film MASH*, earlier work in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and The Long Goodbye, and later the series Friends and the Ocean's films.
Why did he change his name?
Biography.com says his mother and Charlie Lowe changed his stage name from Goldstein to Gould when he began appearing on local television.