Gerry Bednob

Judd Apatow fans will have no difficulty remembering character actor Gerry Bednob, given his visible and highly memorable turn as Mooj, the diminutive, short-tempered, expletive-spouting older gentleman who works in the local electronics shop opposite Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) in The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005). Actually, this Indian-American player of film and television remained extremely prolific, and enjoyed multiple collaborations with Apatow that both preceded and succeeded Virgin. A native of Trinidad (with East Indian ancestry), Bednob originally attended the University of Toronto as a sociology major -- a field far removed from acting, though Bednob had naturally played the role of class clown in school for years, which seemed to predestine him for stage and film. He briefly worked as a high school guidance counselor, then made a go at stand-up comedy at a club called Yuk-Yuks, and his triumphant success in that venue (over the course of two years) inspired him to move to Los Angeles. In the City of Angels, Bednob won a major stand-up competition and performed on The Merv Griffin Show, then landed appearances on The Wonder Years and Mad About You, and in the Pauly Shore comedy Encino Man (1992), as well as the Apatow situation comedy Undeclared. Virgin, however, brought about his broadest exposure and recognition. Bednob reteamed with producer Apatow for a role in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, then signed on for a colorful supporting role in writer-director Kevin Smith's raunchy sex farce Zack and Miri Make a Porno opposite Elizabeth Banks and Apatow mainstay Seth Rogen.