Born:
August 29, 1938
in
New York
Best Known For:
MASH, being the ex-Mr Barbra Streisand and Friends.
Early-life:
Born Elliott Goldstein on August 29, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of overbearing, Eastern European immigrant parents. His father, Bernie, was a buyer for a textile company, his mother, Lucille, was a housewife. Although well-meaning, he claims they were manipulative, but admits that sending him to dancing lessons was a good idea. Gaining confidence through the classes, he studied at the Professional Children's School in Manhattan and worked during the summer at comedy clubs in the Catskills outside New York.
Career:
Gould landed a role in musical Rumple, then met Barbra Streisand while starring alongside her on Broadway. His first film was 1964's The Confession. Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice (for which he was Oscar nominated) was a hit in 1969. A year later the movie version of MASH was a blockbuster. He continued to make decent films throughout the 1970s, but fell out of favour in the 1980s. Playing Ross and Monica's father in Friends introduced him to a new generation of viewers in 1994. His most recent hits were the Ocean's films, alongside George Clooney and Brad Pitt. More recently, he has starred in the TV series Ray Donovan and Mulaney.
Quote:
"Success didn't change me. I was already distorted before I became a star."
Trivia:
He has voiced characters in a number of animated series, including Kim Possible.