# Josh Mostel
**Josh Mostel** (born Joshua Elias Mostel, 1946) is an American actor with numerous film and Broadway credits, the son of the Broadway and film star [Zero Mostel](https://www.edgepedia.org/zero-mostel). He is best known for supporting roles in films such as *Jesus Christ Superstar* (1973), *Harry and Tonto* (1974), *Sophie's Choice* (1982), *City Slickers* (1991), *[Billy Madison](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-madison)* (1995), and *Big Daddy* (1999)[1](https://cinemaone.net/actor/33489).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946, New York City, New York, USA[1](https://cinemaone.net/actor/33489) |
| Parents | Zero Mostel and Kathryn Harkin; brother Tobias Mostel[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609215/bio/) |
| Breakout film role | King Herod in *Jesus Christ Superstar* (1973)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609215/bio/) |
| Notable films | *Radio Days* (1987), *Matewan* (1987), *City Slickers* (1991), *Billy Madison* (1995), *Big Daddy* (1999), *State of Play* (2009)[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/215880) |
| Broadway credits | *A Texas Trilogy* (1976), *The Threepenny Opera* (1989), *My Favorite Year* (1992), *The Flowering Peach* (1994), *Getting Away With Murder* (1996)[4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/josh-mostel-53932) |
| Award nomination | Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, 1993, for *My Favorite Year*[4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/josh-mostel-53932) |
| film appearance | Mostel appeared in the documentary *Heavy Petting* (1989), directed by Obie Benz[5](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621228444) • [11](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58109-HEAVY-PETTING) |
| Recent work | Saul in *Bad Shabbos* (2024)[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/josh_mostel) |
## Early life and family
Mostel was born in New York City in 1946, the son of Zero Mostel, the Broadway and film star, and Kathryn Harkin, a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette whom Zero married in 1944[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609215/bio/) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609216/bio/). His younger brother is Tobias Mostel[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609215/bio/). He began performing as a boy soprano for the [Metropolitan Opera](https://www.edgepedia.org/metropolitan-opera) and later graduated from [Brandeis University](https://www.edgepedia.org/brandeis-university) before following his father onto the stage[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609215/bio/).
## Film career
**Early roles.** Mostel's first screen credits came in the early 1970s with *Going Home* (1971) and *The King of Marvin Gardens* (1972)[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/215880). His first major film appearance was as King Herod in *Jesus Christ Superstar* (1973), a part staged with anachronistic psychedelic costuming and go-go girls[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609215/bio/). He followed it with Norman in *Harry and Tonto* (1974)[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/215880).
**The 1980s.** Through the decade he built a steady run of supporting parts: Morris Fink in *Sophie's Choice* (1982), a private detective in *Star 80* (1983), roles in *[The Brother from Another Planet](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-brother-from-another-planet)* (1984), *Compromising Positions* (1985), and *The Money Pit* (1986), and three 1987 releases, *Radio Days*, *Matewan*, and *Wall Street*[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/215880). Rotten Tomatoes' profile describes him as a character player of TV, film, and stage who may be best remembered as the uncle who eats pork on [Yom Kippur](https://www.edgepedia.org/yom-kippur) and gets sick in [Woody Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-allen)'s *Radio Days* (1987), and as the ice cream magnate Barry Shalowitz in Ron Underwood's *City Slickers* (1991) and its sequel[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/josh_mostel).
**Later films.** The 1990s brought *Searching for Bobby Fischer* (1993), *The Basketball Diaries* (1995), Principal Max Anderson in [Adam Sandler](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-sandler)'s *Billy Madison* (1995), Zagosh in *Rounders* (1998), and Arthur Brooks in *[Big Daddy](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-daddy-1999-film)* (1999)[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/215880) • [8](https://www.fandango.com/people/josh-mostel-473301/film-credits). In the 2009 political thriller *State of Play*, starring [Ben Affleck](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-affleck), he played Pete[5](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621228444). Later credits include *The Congressman* (2016), *Beneath the Harvest Sky* (2013), and the short film *Dead Layer* (2019)[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/josh_mostel). He also appeared in the Obie Benz documentary *Heavy Petting* (1989)[5](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621228444) • [11](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58109-HEAVY-PETTING).
## Stage career
Mostel's Broadway credits span three decades. He appeared in the original productions of *A Texas Trilogy* in 1976 as Milo Crawford, the 1989 revival of *The Threepenny Opera* as Matt of the Mint, the original 1992 musical *My Favorite Year* as Sy Benson, the 1994 revival of *The Flowering Peach* as Shem, and the 1996 play *Getting Away With Murder* as Vassili Laimorgos[4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/josh-mostel-53932). His performance in *My Favorite Year* earned him a 1993 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical[4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/josh-mostel-53932). In 2022 he appeared [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) with Richard Masur in the comedy *Two Jews, Talking*[9](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Josh-Mostel/).
## Television
Mostel's regular series work includes the short-lived 1979 sitcom *Delta House*, the *National Lampoon's Animal House* spin-off in which he played Blotto, younger brother of [John Belushi](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-belushi)'s Bluto, a role he has said he is probably least proud of among his three regular series assignments[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609215/bio/). He starred as Pvt. Maxwell in *At Ease* (1983, 14 episodes) and as Wes Harden in *Murphy's Law* (1988, 13 episodes)[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/62018/josh-mostel). Guest appearances include *Cheers*, *Wings*, *Beverly Hills, 90210*, *Law & Order*, *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*, *Blue Bloods*, *The Blacklist* (as Mickey), and *Mr. Robot* (as Bo, two episodes)[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/62018/josh-mostel). In the 2020 Amazon series *Hunters* he played Rabbi Steckler in three episodes[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/62018/josh-mostel).
## Recent work
Mostel played Saul in the comedy *[Bad Shabbos](https://www.edgepedia.org/bad-shabbos)*, released in 2024, which holds an 84 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/josh_mostel). His highest-rated film on that site remains *Searching for Bobby Fischer* (1993) at 98 percent, and his lowest *City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold* (1994) at 12 percent[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/josh_mostel).
## References
1. [Josh Mostel, CinemaOne](https://cinemaone.net/actor/33489)
2. [Josh Mostel Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609215/bio/)
3. [Josh Mostel, AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/215880)
4. [Josh Mostel, IBDB Broadway Cast & Staff](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/josh-mostel-53932)
5. [Josh Mostel, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621228444)
6. [Josh Mostel, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/josh_mostel)
7. [Zero Mostel Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609216/bio/)
8. [Josh Mostel Filmography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/josh-mostel-473301/film-credits)
9. [Josh Mostel, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Josh-Mostel/)
10. [Josh Mostel, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/62018/josh-mostel)
11. [catalog.afi.com](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58109-HEAVY-PETTING)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Mo to N*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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