Josh Gad

Joshua Ilan Gad (born February 23, 1981) is an American actor, comedian, singer, and producer. Gad achieved breakthrough success originating the role of the socially awkward Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon (2011), earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and contributing to the cast's Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. His portrayal of the optimistic snowman Olaf in Disney's Frozen (2013) and its sequels brought widespread recognition, securing two Annie Awards for voice acting. Gad has appeared in films such as Beauty and the Beast (2017) as Gaston’s sidekick LeFou, amid debate over the character's implied sexuality which Gad has stated he did not portray as gay, and Jobs (2013) as Steve Wozniak. On television, he created and starred in the short-lived White House comedy 1600 Penn (2012–2013) and the FX series The Comedians (2015). More recently, Gad returned to Broadway in Gutenberg! The Musical! (2023) and has upcoming roles voicing Olaf in Frozen III (2027) and starring alongside Andrew Rannells in the Hulu comedy series Stay Tuned.

Joshua Ilan Gad was born on February 23, 1981, in Hollywood, Florida, to a Jewish family of diverse origins. His father, Sam Gad, was born in Afghanistan to an Afghan Jewish family and immigrated to Israel as a teenager, while his mother, raised in New York, descended from Ashkenazi Jews whose relatives were Holocaust survivors from Germany. Gad was raised in the Jewish faith in Hollywood, Florida, where he later described his childhood as largely uneventful, though marked by eccentricity, such as an incident where his mother found him conversing with a houseplant. His parents, seeking an outlet for his energy, enrolled him in a theater camp, which ignited his interest in performance.

Gad attended University School, a private preparatory institution affiliated with Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida, graduating in 1999. During high school, he excelled in competitive speech and debate, winning two national titles in Original Oratory from the National Forensic League in 1998 and 1999.

Following high school, Gad pursued formal training in acting at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama, part of the College of Fine Arts, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He has credited the rigorous program with shaping his professional foundation, later returning to the campus to mentor students.