Jake Johnson's Real Name: Jake Johnson
Jake Johnson → Jake Johnson
Quick answer: The actor is known professionally as Jake Johnson. TV Guide and Rotten Tomatoes independently identify Evanston, Illinois, as his birthplace. TV Guide gives the birth name Jake Mark Johnson. Rotten Tomatoes lists the form Jake M. Johnson and dates the birth to May 28, 1978. This page titles him under the public name.
Real name and early life
Independent publishers identify him under the professional name Jake Johnson. TV Guide lists the birth name as Jake Mark Johnson and the birthplace as Evanston, Illinois, and says he was initially a student at the University of Iowa before transferring to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Rotten Tomatoes independently lists the birthday as May 28, 1978, the birthplace as Evanston, Illinois, USA, and the form Jake M. Johnson, and describes him as a Chicago-area native who passed through Second City and the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York and Los Angeles.
Career highlights
TV Guide says that after success in New York he relocated to Los Angeles in the late 2000s, landed a breakout role on Fox's New Girl in 2011, founded the New York comedy troupe The Midwesterners, and inspired the web series Drunk History after trying to explain a story about Otis Redding to the show's creator, Derek Waters. The same account records college writing honors including the 2002 John Golden Playwriting Prize and the Sloan Fellowship for Screenwriting, plus later nominations including a 2013 Critics' Choice TV Award nomination for best actor in a comedy series. Rotten Tomatoes independently says he found a regular television job with the short-form TBS comedy Derek and Simon: The Show (2007), later appeared in Paper Heart, Ceremony, No Strings Attached, and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, took a lead in Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), and in 2011 landed a regular role on New Girl. The same Rotten Tomatoes filmography also lists later work including 21 Jump Street, Jurassic World, and voice work as Peter B. Parker in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Name notes for searchers
People looking up Jake Johnson, Jake Mark Johnson, or Jake M. Johnson are looking for the same actor, including the New Girl role most often associated with his work. This page uses the public professional name.
FAQ
What is Jake Johnson's real name?
He is known professionally as Jake Johnson. TV Guide gives the birth name Jake Mark Johnson. Rotten Tomatoes lists the form Jake M. Johnson.
When and where was he born?
In Evanston, Illinois, according to TV Guide and Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes dates the birth to May 28, 1978.
Which television role is most often cited?
A regular role on Fox's New Girl, beginning in 2011, according to TV Guide and Rotten Tomatoes.
Which later film work is recorded here?
Safety Not Guaranteed, according to Rotten Tomatoes, along with later credits including the Spider-Verse films.