Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak (born July 31, 1979), better known as B.J. Novak, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer who plays the character of Ryan Howard on the NBC sitcom The Office. Novak is also a writer and supervising producer for The Office.
Novak's television acting career began on MTV's Punk'd. He was the lead accomplice on the show's second season, and was most widely known for his pranks on Hilary Duff, Usher, and Mýa. He has appeared in the films Unaccompanied Minors, Reign Over Me, and Knocked Up.
Novak was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. He graduated from Newton South High School along with The Office co-star John Krasinski . Novak attended Harvard University, where he earned a degree in English and Spanish literature and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon.
After graduating in 2001, Novak moved to Los Angeles, where he began working clubs as a comedian. His first live stand-up performance took place October 10, 2001 at the Hollywood Youth Hostel. He soon became a fixture at popular L.A. comedy clubs (such as The Improv) and was named one of Variety's "Ten Comedians To Watch" in 2003. He was a writer for the short-lived WB sitcom Raising Dad, which starred Bob Saget. He has since performed on Comedy Central's Premium Blend and on Late Night with Conan O' Brien.
Novak is the older brother of Jesse Novak, an electronic music composer and ex-member of the sketch comedy group Olde English. Novak's father, William Novak, is a noted ghostwriter and the co-editor of The Big Book of Jewish Humor.
