Tony Hale

Hale has appeared in feature films including Because I Said So (2007), The Informant! (2009), In My Sleep (2010), The Heat (2013), Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015), Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021), Hocus Pocus 2 (2022), and Quiz Lady (2023). He has provided voice acting work for The Tale of Despereaux (2008), The Angry Birds Movie (2016), The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), the Toy Story franchise (2019–26) as Forky, Lego Star Wars: Terrifying Tales (2021) as Vaneé, and Inside Out 2 (2024) as Fear, replacing Bill Hader from the first film. Hale also created the Netflix and Peacock original series Archibald's Next Big Thing, and voiced the titular character. He plays twin brothers Nicholas Benedict and L.D. Curtain in the Disney+ original The Mysterious Benedict Society (2021).

Tony Hale studied at Regent University, William Esper Studio and Samford University. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is acting. Residence is recorded at Pasadena. Works named in the authority record are Toy Story 4, Arrested Development, Veep and Toy Story 5. Distinctions recorded are Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

• Name — Tony Hale • Born — 30 September 1970 • Birthplace — West Point, New York, U.S. • Education — * Samford University (BA) • Regent University (MA) • Occupation — * Actor • comedian • Years Active — 1997–present • Children — 1 • Awards — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2013, 2015)

Hale was born on September 30, 1970, in West Point, New York. His mother, Rita (Garnett), worked as a staff assistant to State Representative Kathy Ashe, and his father, Mike Hale, taught nuclear and atomic physics and served in the military. Hale grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended the Young Actors Theatre and participated in numerous theatrical and musical productions. He graduated from Leon High School in 1988. He graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, with a journalism degree in 1992. He became a member of Sigma Chi while at the university. He completed graduate studies in 1995 from the School of Communication and the Arts of Regent University in Virginia. After graduating, he lived in New York City for eight years. While in New York, Hale helped found The Haven, an artistically minded community of Christians that meets weekly. He studied acting at The Barrow Group, as well as at the William Esper Studio in the Professional Actor Training Program.

• Illustration — Hale at the 2nd Streamy Awards in 2010 Hale obtained his Screen Actors Guild card when he appeared in a commercial for MCI Inc., though it never aired. He made minor guest appearances in TV shows such as Dawson's Creek, The Sopranos, and Sex and the City.

From 2003 to 2006, and also in 2013, 2018, and 2019, Hale found success in television cast as Buster Bluth, the hapless, neurotic son on Arrested Development. Hale appeared in a season ten episode of MADtv in a parody of Cops, where two British robbers try to stop a domestic dispute among the royal family. In March 2006, Hale was cast in a co-starring role as the video store owner Simon in the NBC sitcom Andy Barker, P.I., starring Andy Richter and co-created by Conan O'Brien. He appeared in minor roles in Stranger Than Fiction and Because I Said So. He was the voice of Furlough in The Tale of Despereaux, an animated children's film released in 2008. Hale had a recurring role as Emmett on Chuck, beginning in October 2008 and ending in January 2010. His departure made room for his starring role on the NBC web series Ctrl, which premiered on July 13, 2009. He appeared in a cameo in the second episode of the first season of Showtime's dramedy United States of Tara, as English teacher Oral Gershenoff. He joined the cast of Numbers in 2009, in the recurring role of Professor Russell Lazlo.

• Illustration — Hale speaking at Pepperdine University in 2019 In 2012, Hale starred in the drama comedy Not That Funny. He guest-starred on NBC's Law & Order: SVU as Rick Simms, a teacher who is fired from his job after being accused of inappropriate behavior with a student. In 2012, Hale was cast in the HBO comedy Veep as Gary Walsh, the personal assistant to Vice President-turned-President Selina Meyer (portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus). On September 22, 2013, Hale won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work in the show's second season. This was his first major award. He earned his second nomination in 2014, but lost the award to Ty Burrell. Hale won his second Primetime Emmy Award with his third nomination in 2015, in the same ceremony where Veep won its first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. In 2017, Hale hosted the 9th Annual Shorty Awards at the PlayStation Theater in New York City. In 2018, Hale played the role of Jerome Squalor on the second season of the Netflix comedy drama series A Series of Unfortunate Events, appearing in episodes adapting The Ersatz Elevator and The Penultimate Peril. He appeared in two more episodes of the series. In 2019, he voiced Forky in Pixar's Toy Story 4 and reprised the role again in the 10-episode short-form educational series Forky Asks a Question.

In 2022, Hale played Jefry Traske and his descendant Reverend Traske in Hocus Pocus 2, a sequel to 1993's Hocus Pocus. In 2024, Hale voiced Fear in Pixar's Inside Out 2, replacing Bill Hader who voiced the character in the first film. Hale reprised his role as Forky in Toy Story 5, released in June 2026. In 2025 he was named alumnus of the year by his alma mater, Samford University, and received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the university on December 13, 2025.

Hale married Emmy Award–winning makeup artist Martel Thompson on May 24, 2003. They have a daughter born in February 2006. Hale and his wife are practicing Christians and reside in Birmingham, Alabama.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1997 — Ghost Stories — Billy Thorpe — Episode: "Personal Demons" • 1998 — Legacy — Hyram — Episode: "The Gift" • 2000 — The Street — Trainee — Episode: "Closet Cases" • 2001 — Sex and the City — Tiger — Episode: "The Real Me" • King Baby (sketch comedy) — Various Roles • The Sopranos — RN/OCN Collins — Episode: "Second Opinion" • Dawson's Creek — Doctor Bronin — Episode: "A Winter's Tale" • 2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019 — Arrested Development — Byron "Buster" Bluth — Main role; 74 episodes • 2005 — Stacked — Brent Lamble — Episode: "Beat the Candidate" • 2007 — Big Day — David — Episode: "Last Chance to Marry Jane" • Andy Barker, P.I. — Simon — 6 episodes • 2008–2010 — Chuck — Emmett Milbarge — 14 episodes • 2008–2009 — ER — Norman — 2 episodes • 2008 — Samantha Who? — Dr. Andy Adams — Episode: "The Pill" • United States of Tara — Oral Gershenoff — Episode: "Aftermath" • Rules of Engagement — Steve — Episode: "May Divorce Be With You" • Ctrl — Stuart — Web series • 2009–2010 — Numbers — Russell Lazlo — 2 episodes • 2010 — The Life & Times of Tim — Vince — Voice; Episode: "Tim's Beard" • Community — Professor Marion Holly — Episode: "Beginner Pottery" • Law & Order — Phillip Shoemaker — Episode: "Brazil" • Justified — David Mortimer — Episode: "The Collection" • Medium — Gil Bureli — Episode: "The Match Game" • 2011 — Human Target — Harry — 2 episodes • Royal Pains — Andy — Episode: "Ta Da For" • NTSF:SD:SUV: — Dr. Karl — Episode: "Dolphinnegan's Wake" • Good Vibes — Wadska — Voice; 12 episodes • Psych — Jerry Kincaid — Episode: "Neil Simon's Lover's Retreat" • 2012 — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Rick Simms — Episode: "Learning Curve" • Up All Night — Dr. Welborn — Episode: "Ma'am'd" • 2012–2019 — Veep — Gary Walsh — Main role • 2013 — The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange — Rutabaga / Caesar — Voice; 2 episodes • Doc McStuffins — Tobias The Elf — Voice; Episode: "A Very McStuffins Christmas" • 2013–2016 — Comedy Bang! Bang! — Himself / King of Cards — 2 episodes • Sanjay and Craig — Mr. Noodman / Various voices — Voice • 2013–2018 — Drunk History — Various — 6 episodes • 2014 — About a Boy — Hugh Womple — Episode: "About a Boy's Dad" • The Birthday Boys — Reginaldo Alphonsy — Episode: "Cerf's Folly" • 2015 — Jake and the Never Land Pirates — Doctor Undergear — Voice; 4 episodes • Childrens Hospital — Brad Lendricks — Episode: "Me, Owen" • 2016 — VeggieTales in the House — Yambot — Voice; Episode: "Yambot" • 2017 — Animals. — Matthew — Voice; Episode: "Worms Birds Possums" • Rick and Morty — Death Stalker Eli — Voice; Episode: "Rickmancing the Stone" • Difficult People — Himself — Episode: "The Silkwood" • Pickle and Peanut — Funwagon — Episode: "Funwagon" • 2018–2019 — A Series of Unfortunate Events — Jerome Squalor — 4 episodes • 2018 — Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — Dr. Alex Noe — Voice; Episode: "Todd Scouts" • Mickey and the Roadster Racers — Dr. Victor Von Goose — Voice; Episode: "Super-Charged" • 2019 — Star vs. the Forces of Evil — The Pie King — Voice; Episode: "Escape from the Pie Folk" • Spirit Riding Free — Bellhop / Waiter — Voice; Episode: "Lucky and the New Frontier" • Ask the StoryBots — The Recycling Plant Owner — Episode: "Why Do We Have To Recycle?" • RuPaul's Drag Race — Himself (Snatch Game contestant, guest judge) — Episode: "Snatch Game at Sea" • 2019–2021 — Archibald's Next Big Thing — Archibald — Voice; also creator and executive producer • 2019–present — Harley Quinn — Doctor Psycho / Felix Faust / Various voices — Voice; main role • 2019–2020 — Forky Asks a Question — Forky — Voice; main role • 2019–2022 — Amphibia — Apothecary Gary — Voice; 3 episodes • 2020 — When the Streetlights Go On — Mr. Boque — 4 episodes • 2020–2021 — Crossing Swords — Blarney — Voice; 17 episodes • 2020 — The Twilight Zone — Tom — Episode: "Downtime" • Game On! — Himself (contestant) — Episode: "Celebrity Guests: Tony Hale and Bobby Moynihan" • Woke — Butter — Voice; 3 episodes • The George Lucas Talk Show — Himself — Episode: "Streamers of the Lost Art (of Conversation)" • 2021–2024 — Rugrats — Chas Finster — Voice; main role • 2021–2022 — Birdgirl — Paul "The Feels" — Voice; main role • The Mysterious Benedict Society — Nicholas Benedict / L.D. Curtain — Main role • The Chicken Squad — Frazz / Bob — Voice; 10 episodes • 2021–2023 — HouseBroken — Diablo / Max — Voice; main role • 2021 — I Heart Arlo — Teeny Tiny Tony — Voice; main role • LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales — Vaneé — Voice; Television film • Centaurworld — Durpletoot / Tony Durpleton — 4 episodes • 2022 — The Legend of Vox Machina — Sir Finance — Voice; 2 episodes • Password — Himself — Episode: "Tony Hale & Jimmy Fallon" • Wolfboy and the Everything Factory — Water Ancient — Voice; Episode: "We Search for Balance" • 2022–2023 — Solar Opposites — Little Buddy — Voice; 3 episodes • 2023 — Family Guy — Allen — Voice; Episode: "Old West" • The Ghost and Molly McGee — Calvin Redtop — Voice; Episode: "Kenny's Falling Star" • Critical Role — Sarge — Episode: "Choose Their Adventure...Again!" • 2024 — The Decameron — Sirisco — 8 episodes • Mickey Mouse Funhouse — Gus — Voice; Episode: "The Giant and the Goof/Call Me Cora!" • Dream Productions — Fear — Voice; 4 episodes • Megamind Rules! — Mel / Mr. Donut — Voice • 2025–present — Iron Man and His Awesome Friends — Ultron — Voice; recurring role • 2025 — Elsbeth — Craig Hollis — 1 episode S3E6 Bunker Down • 2026 — Sofia the First: Royal Magic — Mimsy Fizzlewick — Voice, recurring role

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2024 — Disney Speedstorm — Fear / Forky

• Year — Artist — Song • 2007 — Switchfoot — "Awakening" • 2008 — Fall Out Boy — "Beat It" • 2014 — Lady A — "Bartender" • 2020 — David Cross featuring "Weird Al" Yankovic — "Eat It"

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2001 — King Baby (live sketch comedy) — various roles • 2019 — Wakey, Wakey — Guy

• 2006 Video Interview at About.com • Interview with Tony Hale at burnsidewriters.com