Jonathan Silverman

Silverman was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Jewish family. He is the son of Hillel Emanuel Silverman, a rabbi and Devora (née Halaban) Silverman. He is the grandson of famous Conservative Rabbi Morris Silverman. His mother is from Jerusalem, where her family has lived since the establishment of Israel. He graduated Beverly Hills High School in 1984 and is friends with David Schwimmer, who was a classmate. In high school, he acted in theater productions of West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Androcles and the Lion, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. At the age of 17, he was selected for the road company of Brighton Beach Memoirs, which performed in 15 cities.

Silverman is known for his roles the films Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986) (a film version of the first play of Neil Simon's Eugene Trilogy), Caddyshack II (1988), Weekend at Bernie's (1989), Little Sister (1992), and Little Big League (1994). He played the role of Eddie in Beethoven's Big Break, and starred in the film Jam (2006). Silverman began his career on television, with a main role on the sitcom Gimme a Break! from 1984 to 1986. From 1995 to 1997, Silverman played the title role in the television NBC sitcom The Single Guy. In the 2000s, Silverman was a main cast member on the sitcoms In Case of Emergency and Significant Mother. He has also made guest appearances on Friends (in the episode "The One with the Birth"), CSI: Miami, Psych, Hot in Cleveland, and White Collar. In 2014, he guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a controversial standup comedian.

Silverman has been married to actress Jennifer Finnigan since 2007; the two met at a barbecue in 2004. They have a daughter.

In 2004, Silverman participated in the first-ever US television advertising campaign supporting donations to Jewish federations. The program featured "film and television personalities celebrating their Jewish heritage and promoting charitable giving to the Jewish community" and included Greg Grunberg, Marlee Matlin, Joshua Malina, and Kevin Weisman.