Please Rewind Talent Wall

Brian Posehn

Brian Posehn has built a career around a comic presence that is immediately recognizable: dry, imposing and perfectly suited to characters who seem either deeply unimpressed or enthusiastically obsessed. Born in Sacramento in 1966, he has worked across film, television, stand-up, voice acting, music and comics, moving comfortably between quick guest appearances and recurring roles. His early television work included small parts on Friends, NewsRadio and Seinfeld, but sketch comedy gave him more room to establish his sensibility. Posehn appeared in 28 episodes of HBO’s Mr. Show with Bob and David and later joined MTV’s Human Giant as both a writer and performer. He appeared in 29 episodes of Just Shoot Me! and co-starred on The Sarah Silverman Program, where he also wrote the third-season finale. From 2013 to 2019, he played the recurring role of Bert on The Big Bang Theory, turning the soft-spoken geologist into a reliably distinctive part of the show’s wider ensemble. Posehn’s voice is just as useful as his physical presence. His animation credits include Mission Hill, 3-South, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Tom Goes to the Mayor, WordGirl and Metalocalypse. On film, his work ranges from comedies such as Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd and Grind to Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects, while Surf’s Up found him voicing Glen Maverick. Stand-up, writing and heavy metal are not side notes to Posehn’s screen career; they are central to the specific comic world he brings with him. His comedy albums include Live In: Nerd Rage, Fart and Wiener Jokes, The Fartist and Posehn 25x2. He also released the music-only album Grandpa Metal in 2020 and co-wrote a 45-issue Deadpool run with Gerry Duggan. Across those different forms, Posehn’s interests remain unusually consistent: genre fandom, abrasive humor and an obvious affection for the stranger corners of popular culture.