Todd Joseph Miller is an American actor, stand-up comedian, producer, and writer. In 2008, he made his acting debut in Cloverfield, and from 2010 to 2014, he voiced Tuffnut Thorston in the first two How to Train Your Dragon films. From 2014 to 2017, he starred as Erlich Bachman in the HBO sitcom Silicon Valley and also played Marvel Comics characterWeasel in 2016's Deadpool and its 2018 sequel, Deadpool 2. Miller also has had roles in films such as Yogi Bear, She's Out of My League, , Big Hero 6, Office Christmas Party, The Emoji Movie, and Ready Player One.
Early life and education
Miller was born in Denver, Colorado, the son of Leslie Miller, a clinical psychologist, and Kent Miller, an attorney from Chanute, Kansas. He attended Graland Country Day School and graduated from Denver's East High School, where he participated in drama productions. His father, who is Christian is of English, Scottish, German and Swedish ancestry, whereas his mother, who is Jewish, is of German-Jewish, Austrian-Jewish, and Russian-Jewish ancestry. In 2003, Miller graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. with a B.A. in psychology with a concentration in situation theory and social influence. At GWU, he was a member of the comedy group receSs and the Lambda chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. While in college, Miller studied the circus arts at Frichess Theatre Urbain in Paris and attended the British American Drama Academy in London, where he studied Shakespeare for a summer.
Career
Stand-up
After college, Miller moved to Chicago and began to perform improvisation and stand-up comedy, performing with many local troupes. He toured with The Second City for two years. In 2008, he was named one of Variety's 10 Comics To Watch. In 2011, Miller released a comedy special, No Real Reason, and a comedy album, Mash Up Audiofile in 2012. In 2015, he was part of Funny or Die's Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival, a touring show which included Amy Schumer, Aziz Ansari, and other comics. On June 17, 2017, HBO premiered his hour-long stand-up special, T.J. Miller: Meticulously Ridiculous, which was filmed in Miller's native Denver at the end of his 2016 Meticulously Ridiculous Tour. In October 2017, Miller began his "Touring In Perpetuity Tour", a self described "One Man Philosophy Circus."
Television
Miller appeared frequently as a member of the "round table" on Chelsea Lately. He appeared as Marmaduke Brooker in Carpoolers, which ran for 13 episodes on ABC in 20072008. In 2012, he voiced Robbie Valentino on the Disney channel cartoon Gravity Falls. On December 13, 2010, October 28, 2011, and June 14, 2012, he performed stand-up on Conan. On November 15, 2011, his stand-up special No Real Reason premiered on Comedy Central. In 2011, he hosted a special called Mash Up, which was picked up in 2012 for a full season by Comedy Central. He starred in the Fox TV series The Goodwin Games as Jimmy Goodwin. Miller starred in the HBO sitcom Silicon Valley, which has been met with widespread critical acclaim and he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2015. In May 2017, Miller and HBO jointly announced that Miller would not be returning for the 5th season of Silicon Valley. As a commercial actor, he voiced a talking ball of mucus in commercials for Mucinex and starred as Greg the Genie in a promotional campaign for Slim Jim meat snacks. He voiced Gorburger, a giant blue monster talk show host, on The Gorburger Show, which originally aired on Funny or Die and YouTube for 2 seasons in 201213, then on Comedy Central for a 3rd season in 2017 before being cancelled.
Film
In Cloverfield, Miller's film debut, he appeared onscreen for only a few minutes, but his voice was heard in almost every scene as the character who videotaped most of the events depicted. In 2009, he played Cessna Jim in ' and the dim-witted grindcore musician Rory in Mike Judge's comedy Extract. In 2010, he co-starred in She's Out of My League as Stainer, played Brian the Concierge in Get Him to the Greek and appeared in a supporting role in the film Unstoppable. He voiced the character 'Tuffnut' in the Oscar-nominated animated films How to Train Your Dragon and How to Train Your Dragon 2. He also played Dan in Gulliver's Travels, released in December 2010. He played the supporting character of Ranger Jones in the live-action/animated Yogi Bear 2010 film. Unlike his character on the cartoon show, he is "dumb-but-not-in-a-funny-way", according to the Buffalo News. He was cast in the part after two auditions; as a joke, he sent Warner Bros. an improvised video audition with an actual bear, though he had already been offered the part before they received it. In 2011, he appeared in the film Our Idiot Brother. He had a cameo as administrative personnel for Rolling Stone in the 2012 filmRock of Ages. He starred in the 2016 movie Search Party alongside Adam Pally. In 2014, he appeared in '. In November 2014, he was the voice of Fred in the superhero CGI film Big Hero 6. He also played Weasel in Deadpool and Deadpool 2. In 2017, he portrayed the voice of the main protagonist Gene, a meh emoji with abnormal expressions, in the animated The Emoji Movie, which received extremely negative reviews. In late March of 2018, he appeared in a supporting role as I-R0K in the film Ready Player One, which was directed by Steven Spielberg.
Audio
On September 12, 2011, Miller released a comedy rap concept album titled The Extended Play E.P. The album features comedians Bo Burnham, Doug Benson, Pete Holmes and hip-hop artists Ugly Duckling and Johnny Polygon. In 2012, Miller released The Extended Play E.P. Illegal Art Remix Tape. Also in 2012, Miller released Mash Up Audiofile on Comedy Central Records to mixed reviews. Miller started appearing on Chicago-based comedy Podcast Red Bar Radio in 2006 as a semi-regular co-host. He hosts a podcast with friend and fellow comedian Cash Levy, titled Cashing in With TJ Miller, which began airing in March 2012 on the Nerdist Network. He is also a frequent guest on Doug Benson's podcast Doug Loves Movies.
Personal life
In 2014, Miller became engaged to his longtime girlfriend, actress and installation artist Kate Gorney, who changed her last name to Miller. They were married at the Denver Botanic Gardens on September 6, 2015. Miller described learning about an undiagnosed cerebral arteriovenous malformation on his right frontal lobe on the Pete Holmes podcast You Made It Weird on October 28, 2011. He stated that he became more philosophical, narrated his behaviors, and was unable to sleep while filming Yogi Bear in New Zealand in 2010. His brain surgery was successful, though there was a 10 percent risk of fatality. Miller considers himself a "positive nihilist".
On December 9, 2016, Miller was arrested and jailed in Los Angeles for allegedly assaulting a driver of the Uber car service company following a debate he had with the driver over Donald Trump, of whom Miller is a critic. He was released on his own recognizance after bail was set at $20,000. Miller reached a settlement with the driver in March 2018.
In late 2017, allegations against Miller from his time in college in 2001 resurfaced, part of the Me Too movement and Weinstein effect. An anonymous woman who attended George Washington University with Miller told The Daily Beast reporter Asawin Suebsaeng that Miller became violent with her during a sexual encounter; he allegedly choked, shook, and punched her in the mouth, all without her consent. Suebsaeng attempted to contact witnesses and other people involved with the case, some of whom corroborated the accuser's story, adding that it was brought to the attention of the college at the time. Student conduct proceedings were held, the results of which are sealed, although Suebsaeng wrote that "knowledgeable sources" had said that, despite Miller having already graduated by that time, he was declared to be "expelled" at the conclusion of the proceedings. The Millers responded to the allegations, characterizing the accuser as a vindictive former colleague in a campus comedy troupe who was asked to leave due to inappropriate behavior. The statement said that "adly she is now using the current climate to bandwagon and launch these false accusations again", and also stated that her accusation "undermines the important movement to make women feel safe coming forward about legitimate claims against real known predators".
Transphobic Email Allegations
On December 19, 2017, it was revealed that Miller had sent a transphobic email to film critic, Danielle Solzman. Solzman posted a screenshot of the email months prior on Twitter, with Miller's name removed. She feared that Miller would take harsh legal action against her. Miller, in the emails, continuously referred to Solzman by her old name, and also called her multiple slurs and calling her male. It was revealed that Miller's tirade was in response to Solzman calling him out for using the term "Tranny Dumpster Sex" on his website.
Miller was arrested on the night of April 9, 2018, at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York on federal charges related to a fake bomb threat made while aboard an Amtrak train. According to a Department of Justice press release, he placed an emergency call on March 18, 2018, and reported that a female passenger had "a bomb in her bag" while traveling on Amtrak Train 2256 from Washington, D.C., toward Penn Station in New York City. After authorities evacuated passengers and searched Amtrak Train 2256, it turned out that Miller was actually on Amtrak Train 2258, which was also evacuated of passengers and searched. No evidence of any explosive device or materials was detected after officials stopped and inspected both trains. According to witnesses interviewed by Amtrak investigators, he appeared to be heavily intoxicated and involved, "in hostile exchanges with a woman who was sitting in a different row from him in the first-class car", and that he had been removed from the train prior to his intended stop due to his intoxication. On April 10, 2018, he was released on a $100,000 bond following an appearance at a federal court hearing in New Haven, Connecticut. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison. In September 2018, it was reported that Miller was negotiating a plea deal to avoid a trial. As a result of this and the sexual assault allegations, DreamWorks removed Miller from . The preliminary hearing in the case, after several postponements, was scheduled for March 31, 2020.
Work misconduct accusations
On July 18, 2018, actress Alice Wetterlund, who played a recurring character on Silicon Valley, a show in which Miller starred, took to Twitter to accuse Miller of inappropriate, unprofessional behavior on set, writing, "I hope to not ruin it for you, but TJ Miller was a bully and petulant brat." In response to her post, HBO, the network that produces the series, released a statement declaring that, "While this is the first time we have heard Alice Wetterlund comment on her experiences on 'Silicon Valley', we are disappointed to learn of her concerns. HBO and the producers have always taken very seriously our responsibility to create a welcoming and congenial environment for everyone who works on the show."
