# Drew Tarver
**Drew Tarver** (birth name Andrew Tarver, born 1986) is an American actor and comedian best known for playing Cary Dubek on the Max comedy series *The Other Two* (2019–2023) and Sandy Gordon on the Netflix series *[Running Point](https://www.edgepedia.org/running-point)* (2025). He came to television out of the Los Angeles improv and sketch scene at the [Upright Citizens Brigade](https://www.edgepedia.org/upright-citizens-brigade).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/bio/) • [2](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/running-point-cast/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, Glennville, Georgia, USA (birth name Andrew Tarver)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/bio/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/drew-tarver/bio/3000805040/) |
| Breakthrough role | Cary Dubek on *The Other Two*, 30 episodes, 2019–2023[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/bio/) |
| Comedy roots | Upright Citizens Brigade performer; member of the improv group Big Grande[2](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/running-point-cast/) • [4](https://ucbcomedy.com/people/drew-tarver/) |
| Current series role | Sandy Gordon, the Waves' chief financial officer, in Netflix's *Running Point* (2025), opposite Kate Hudson[2](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/running-point-cast/) |
| Earlier television | *Bajillion Dollar Propertie$* and *The UCB Show* on the short-lived Seeso network; voice and guest roles on *Hoops*, *Inside Job*, *Ghosts*, and *Bless the Harts*[5](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/drew-tarver/umc.cpc.58ny7c7locsapcdcehtqsz3b7) |
| Film work | *Other People* (2016), *Dean* (2017), *The American Society of Magical Negroes* (2024), *Unfrosted* (2024)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/) |
| Recognition | 2024 Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy Series[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/drew-tarver/bio/3000805040/) |
## Early life and comedy training
Tarver grew up in Georgia with his sister [Katelyn Tarver](https://www.edgepedia.org/katelyn-tarver), who became a child star through the *American Idol* spin-off *American Juniors* and a role on Nickelodeon's *Big Time Rush*. He has described watching his sister perform on television, on a family trip from Georgia to Los Angeles, as the moment he caught the performance bug.[7](https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/the-other-two-drew-tarver-interview) IMDb lists his family as including siblings Katelyn and Amanda Tarver.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/bio/)
He trained and performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade, learning improv and sketch writing first in New York and later at the theater's Los Angeles branch.[4](https://ucbcomedy.com/people/drew-tarver/) • [5](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/drew-tarver/umc.cpc.58ny7c7locsapcdcehtqsz3b7) With the group Big Grande he continues to perform a live improv show at the UCB Franklin stage in Los Angeles.[4](https://ucbcomedy.com/people/drew-tarver/) He has described his sketch work of that period as big and loud: "I had spent most of my 20s just putting a mustache on and screaming at an audience at midnight."[8](https://www.gq.com/story/drew-tarver-the-other-two-interview)
## The Other Two
Tarver's leading role came with *The Other Two*, created by former *Saturday Night Live* head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider. The series premiered on [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) in 2019, moved to [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max), and ran for three seasons before its cancellation after the season three finale in June 2023.[9](https://time.com/6291301/the-other-two-series-finale-cancellation/) Tarver plays Cary Dubek, a struggling actor whose teenage brother Chase becomes a viral pop star and whose mother Pat ([Molly Shannon](https://www.edgepedia.org/molly-shannon)) launches a hit talk show; Heléne Yorke co-leads as his sister Brooke.[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/drew-tarver-other-talents) • [9](https://time.com/6291301/the-other-two-series-finale-cancellation/)
**Casting and identification.** When the script reached him, Tarver saw it as a first chance at a grounded role after years of cartoonish sketch parts, and he sent in a self-tape followed by in-person auditions.[11](https://www.out.com/entertainment/2019/2/12/comedy-centrals-drew-tarver-wants-more-messy-gay-characters) The identification with the character ran deep: like Cary, Tarver was a struggling actor who came out as queer later in life, at 26, after growing up in a small, religious community.[8](https://www.gq.com/story/drew-tarver-the-other-two-interview) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/bio/) He identifies as bisexual and has said the show's critical but affectionate commentary on queer life and the industry was what first attracted him to the part.[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/drew-tarver-other-talents)
**The character's arc.** Across three seasons Cary goes from unsuccessful auditions to small victories that always arrive with a complication: in season three he lands a movie premiere that turns into a quest just to find someone to watch it with, a role in a film with [Edie Falco](https://www.edgepedia.org/edie-falco) whose spotlight is fleeting, and a relationship with a method actor named Lucas (Fin Argus) who never breaks character.[9](https://time.com/6291301/the-other-two-series-finale-cancellation/) • [10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/drew-tarver-other-talents) Tarver has described the appeal of playing Cary as his desperation, a quality he says he shares: "I think it is very fun to play a character acting on his worst impulses."[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/drew-tarver-other-talents) He and Yorke called the season's more emotional moments "the hard scenes," separating them from the comedy around them.[12](https://www.grabchicago.com/_files/ugd/4a3c29_6840f7cd410c4f4d91cb9a5e530f029d.pdf)
## Later television and film
After *The Other Two* ended, Tarver appeared in the Hulu sketch series *History of the World, Part II* (2023), playing [Adolf Hitler](https://www.edgepedia.org/adolf-hitler) and Private Tully, and in the films *[The American Society of Magical Negroes](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-american-society-of-magical-negroes)* and *Unfrosted* (both 2024).[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/) In 2025 he joined the Netflix comedy *Running Point* as Sandy Gordon, the ambitious, tight-fisted chief financial officer of the Los Angeles Waves basketball team and youngest son of the family that owns it, starring alongside [Kate Hudson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kate-hudson) and Scott MacArthur.[2](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/running-point-cast/)
His earlier credits include the Seeso shows *Bajillion Dollar Propertie$* and *The UCB Show*, the animated series *Hoops* and *[Inside Job](https://www.edgepedia.org/inside-job-2021-tv-series)*, a guest role on *Ghosts*, and supporting parts in the films *Other People* (2016) and *Dean* (2017), [Demetri Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/demetri-martin)'s directorial debut.[5](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/drew-tarver/umc.cpc.58ny7c7locsapcdcehtqsz3b7) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/)
## Podcasting and live comedy
Alongside his screen work, Tarver is a fixture of the *Comedy Bang! Bang!* podcast world, appearing in dozens of episodes as characters including Martin Sheffield-Lickley and Brantley L. Dean, and he hosts *The Teacher's Lounge*.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/) • [13](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621231158) Between seasons of *The Other Two*, he told the Television Academy, he returned to UCB improv and pursued short-lived hobbies such as building furniture and learning guitar songs.[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/drew-tarver-other-talents)
## References
1. [Drew Tarver – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/bio/)
2. [Meet the 'Running Point' Cast, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/running-point-cast/)
3. [Drew Tarver Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/drew-tarver/bio/3000805040/)
4. [Drew Tarver – Upright Citizens Brigade](https://ucbcomedy.com/people/drew-tarver/)
5. [Drew Tarver Movies and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/drew-tarver/umc.cpc.58ny7c7locsapcdcehtqsz3b7)
6. [Drew Tarver, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3358633/)
7. [For 'The Other Two' Star Drew Tarver, Art Imitates Life, W Magazine](https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/the-other-two-drew-tarver-interview)
8. ['The Other Two' Star Drew Tarver On Playing a Different Type of Queer Character, GQ](https://www.gq.com/story/drew-tarver-the-other-two-interview)
9. ['The Other Two' Captured the Absurdity of Streaming-Era Hollywood Like Nothing Else on TV, Time](https://time.com/6291301/the-other-two-series-finale-cancellation/)
10. [Drew Tarver's Other Talents, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/drew-tarver-other-talents)
11. [Comedy Central's Drew Tarver Wants More 'Messy' Gay Characters, Out.com](https://www.out.com/entertainment/2019/2/12/comedy-centrals-drew-tarver-wants-more-messy-gay-characters)
12. [Grab Chicago interview PDF](https://www.grabchicago.com/_files/ugd/4a3c29_6840f7cd410c4f4d91cb9a5e530f029d.pdf)
13. [Drew Tarver, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621231158)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames T*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license