Lance Barber


Lance Barber is an American film and television actor.

Early life

Barber was born and raised in Battle Creek, Michigan and began wanting to be an actor at the age of 7, after seeing a performance of Grease at the Barn Theatre. He acted at Pennfield High School, from which he graduated in 1991, and performed in school productions from Kellogg Community College while earning his associate degree.

Career

After a year at the Barn Theatre, alongside Jennifer Garner, he moved to Chicago and spent five years working his way up in The Second City improvisational comedy troupe. He then moved to Los Angeles and had his first television role in On the Spot, an improv sketch show which ran for five episodes on The WB in 2003. He credits his breakthrough to the 2005 HBO series The Comeback with Lisa Kudrow, in which he played Paulie G., a television writer who he describes as an "asshole". In 2010, he landed the recurring role of Bill Ponderosa on FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He reprised his role as Paulie G. when HBO brought back The Comeback in 2014. He also starred in episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Gilmore Girls, Californication, Monk, The Mentalist, and Grey's Anatomy.
Barber played Jimmy Speckerman, who bullied Leonard Hofstadter at high school, in one episode of The Big Bang Theory. He was cast as George Cooper Sr., father of Sheldon Cooper, in the spin-off Young Sheldon that premiered in 2017, and mentioned in an interview that some fans were confused by his different roles in the two related series.

Personal life

Barber lives in Los Angeles with his wife Aliza, who is a chef, and their two young children.

Filmography

Film

Acting roles in film productions:
YearTitleRoleNotes
TBAEl TontoSide Kick
2019Raunch and RollCrashIn post-production
2017Never Seen You Shine So BrightNeilShort film
2013Gangster SquadComanche
2010Dead Cat–Short film
2010PennyFrankShort film
2008Shades of RayKaraoke Singer
2008LeatherheadsToledo Referee
2006For Your ConsiderationDinkie
2006BreakdownLogan ConnerShort film
2006The Lather EffectPaul Helling
2005The Godfather of Green BayKenny Caruso
2005The Poet of CanisThe PoetShort film
2004Bad MeatBuddy
2003Patching CabbageRyanShort film
2002Like MikeDirector in Commercial
2002TenfoldDunken Boy

Television

Roles and voice acting work in television films and series:
YearTitleRoleNotes
Young SheldonGeorge Cooper Sr.TV series
The Big Bang TheoryGeorge Cooper Sr. / Jimmy SpeckermanTV series

  • The VCR Illumination as 'George Cooper Sr.'
  • The Speckerman Recurrence as 'Jimmy Speckerman'
It's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaBill PonderosaTV series
2017All Hail King JulienBruceTV series
Black-ishDr. GablerTV series :

2016Brooklyn Nine-NinePatrickTV series
Faking ItLucas / Karma's DadTV series
2015Dr. KenPhil StocktonTV series
2014Masters of SexLarryTV series
2014Garfunkel and OatesDrewTV series
2014Hot in ClevelandTylerTV series
2014Bob's BurgersJustgrillin'TV series
2014We Got NextJayTV movie
2013Timms Valley–TV series
2013The Crazy OnesClydeTV series
2013Franklin & BashTeddy LazlowTV series
2013WhitneyNateTV series
2012Baby DaddyTommyTV series
2012The Soul ManMr. RichardsonTV series
2012How I Met Your MotherGuard #1TV series
2012Key and PeeleCopTV series
2011Harry's LawDavid KerwinTV series
2010JustifiedFrankTV series
2010United States of TaraSullyTV series :

  • The Truth Hurts
  • Trouble Junction
2010Grey's AnatomyPhilTV series
2010Men of a Certain AgeHardware Store ManagerTV series
2009Single White MillionaireSeth MortinTV movie
2009Al WayonsTV series
2009MonkBill the DeliverymanTV series
2008The MentalistDaniel CardeiraTV series
2008The MiddlemanJohnny JohnTV series
2007The HillEricTV movie
2007CalifornicationNick LowryTV series
2007InsatiableJerry MarinelliTV series
2006Thick and ThinKevinTV series
2006Untitled Patricia Heaton ProjectPeteTV movie
Gilmore GirlsHugo Gray / the Man at InnTV series :

  • Introducing Lorelai Planetarium as 'Hugo Gray'
  • Like Mother, Like Daughter as 'the Man at Inn'
The ComebackPaulie G.TV series
2005JoeySteveTV series
2004Come to PapaPhillipTV series
2004Faking the VideoBilly the Fake DirectorTV series
2004Yes, DearManTV series
2003On the SpotEnsemble PlayerTV series
2002What I Like About YouPhone GuyTV series
2001ERHoward NordenTV series