Actor Seth Green, a familiar face to audiences today, first stepped onto a set at the tender age of 7. By age 10, he had already made his big-screen debut in the film The Hotel New Hampshire. Starting in the 1990s, offers began pouring in, and he became a fixture in comedy films. He also branched out into television, lent his voice to animated shows, and later co-created his own hit adult animated series, Robot Chicken.
His career has been decorated with numerous prestigious awards, earning him both critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase. Learn more about the famous actor’s films and personal life at philadelphiaski.com.
Early Life
Seth Benjamin Gesshel-Green was born on February 8, 1974, in Philadelphia. His mother, Barbara Gesshel, was an artist, and his father, Herbert Green, was a math teacher. He also has a sister. His ancestry includes Scottish, Polish, and Russian roots.
Seth was raised in a Jewish household. As an adult, he professionally dropped his hyphenated last name and is known simply as Seth Green. He attended a public school in Philadelphia where he enjoyed playing soccer. He decided to become an actor at age 6 after seeing a production of “Hello, Dolly!” at a summer camp.
The very next year, Seth tried his hand at acting on a film set and fell in love with the experience. He was captivated by comedy and humor, and his career quickly began to develop in that direction.
Career in Film and Television
Green’s film career kicked off in 1984 with roles in Billions for Boris and The Hotel New Hampshire, where he acted alongside Jodie Foster and Rob Lowe. That same year, he landed a commercial for Jell-O Gelatin Pops. He later appeared in other commercials, including one for Cha Ching, which led to a feature at a New Orleans Saints game.
In 1987, he had a supporting role in the film Can’t Buy Me Love and also appeared in Woody Allen’s Radio Days. The following year, audiences saw Green in films like Big Business and My Stepmother Is an Alien.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Seth Green starred in numerous comedy films, including:
- Idle Hands (1999)
- Rat Race (2001)
- Without a Paddle (2004)
- Be Cool (2005)
His breakout role came as Scott Evil, the perpetually frustrated son of Dr. Evil in the popular Austin Powers film series, which ran from 1997 to 2002. From there, he diversified his portfolio, starring in the tragicomedy Party Monster (2003) and the action-packed heist film The Italian Job (2003).
In addition to a fast-paced film career, Green worked extensively in television. His first leading TV role was in the 1991 ABC sitcom Good & Evil, a performance that earned him a Young Artist Award.
One of the roles that brought him even more attention was Daniel “Oz” Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He played the calm guitarist of the band Dingoes Ate My Baby, who also happens to be a werewolf. The character became a fan favorite. He also made two appearances on The Soup in 2007 and 2008, starred in the Fox series Greg the Bunny, and guest-starred on popular shows like The X-Files, Grey’s Anatomy, and My Name Is Earl.
The third pillar of the actor’s career has been voice acting. He was cast as Chris Griffin, the dim-witted, overweight teenage son on Family Guy, and also voices the Griffin’s neighbor, Neil Goldman. This success inspired him to pursue more voice work.
Seth Green voiced Howard the Duck in the blockbuster film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and its sequels in 2017 and 2023. He also reprised the role for the Disney XD animated series. Additionally, he voiced Jeff “Joker” Moreau, the pilot of the Normandy SR-2 starship in the Mass Effect video game series. The famed actor also became the voice of Leonardo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series after Jason Biggs departed the project.
Writer, Director, and Other Talents
The next step for the renowned actor was developing his own projects. He co-created, co-produced, wrote, directed, and provided voices for the stop-motion comedy series Robot Chicken. The show went on to win an Emmy Award. He also produced the film The 1 Second Film and co-created the comic book Freshmen, published by Top Cow Productions.
Thanks to his friendship with the members of Fall Out Boy, Green made a cameo appearance in their music video for “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race.” He also appeared in “Weird Al” Yankovic’s video for “White & Nerdy.”
Alongside Breckin Meyer, who co-produced Robot Chicken, the actor appeared in one season of the NBC series Heroes. In early 2009, he worked with David Faustino on an episode of Faustino’s series Star-ving. During this time, Green didn’t step away from film. A landmark role from this period was working with his idol Robin Williams and John Travolta in the comedy film Old Dogs.
Also in 2009, he was invited by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to host an episode of its flagship show. The actor participated in the main event, a six-man tag team match, which his team won. He also took part in WrestleMania XXVI the following year.
In 2019, Seth Green wrote and directed his first feature film, titled Changeland, which he also starred in alongside Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin. The project was released to audiences that same year.
In 2021, he had a voice role in Star Wars: The Bad Batch. The next year, he voiced Thunderbolt in the third season of the series Stargirl and also appeared in the biographical film Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. His career continues to evolve. With a career spanning over 40 years in film and media, Seth Green has built an impressive and diverse body of work, constantly expanding his horizons and creating new projects for his fans in film and television.
Personal Life
Not much is widely known about Seth Green’s personal life. In 2008, he began dating model and actress Clare Grant. Grant was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, and worked as a model for Elite Model Management in Miami and later in Europe. She then decided to pursue an acting career and moved to Los Angeles. A key role in her success was in the 2005 film Walk the Line.
She has worked with Seth Green on several projects, including Robot Chicken, Warren the Ape, Changeland, Holidays, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., as well as on their viral videos “Saber” and “Geek and Gamer Girls Song.”
On New Year’s Eve 2009, Seth Green proposed to Grant, and they were married on May 1, 2010, in Northern California. The couple resides in Los Angeles, where they both continue to advance their acting careers.