# Sam Jaeger
**Sam Jaeger** (birth name Samuel Heath Jaeger) is an American actor, writer, and director, born in 1977 in Perrysburg, Ohio, best known for playing stay-at-home dad Joel Graham on the NBC comedy-drama *Parenthood* (2010–2015) and Commander Mark Tuello on the Hulu series *The Handmaid's Tale*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/) • [2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/sam-jaeger/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977, Perrysburg, Ohio; birth name Samuel Heath Jaeger[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/) |
| Education | Otterbein College, Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1999[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/) |
| Breakout role | Joel Graham on *Parenthood* (NBC, 2010–2015), appearing in all 103 episodes[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/sam-jaeger/) |
| Current series role | Mark Tuello on *The Handmaid's Tale*, a season-two guest role that grew into a series regular part[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/) |
| Feature directing | *Take Me Home* (2011), which he wrote, directed, and starred in opposite his wife Amber Jaeger[4](https://scriptmag.com/features/qa-parenthood-actor-in-take-me-home) |
| Notable films | *Traffic*, *Hart's War*, *Lucky Number Slevin*, *American Sniper*, *Inherent Vice*, *The Eyes of Tammy Faye*, *Wolf Man*[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/) |
| Family | Married Amber Jaeger on August 25, 2007; three children[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/bio/) |
## Early life and training
Jaeger grew up in Perrysburg, a small Ohio suburb, and graduated from Perrysburg High School in 1995[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/). He enrolled at Otterbein College in Ohio, where he studied acting and performed in stage productions in and around the university, earning a [Bachelor of Fine Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-fine-arts) degree in 1999[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/sam-jaeger/).
His first professional job came while he was still in college: a guest-starring role on *Law & Order*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/). After graduating he moved to New York, where he supported himself with a job at a casting office while appearing in [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) plays and doing theater for several seasons[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/sam-jaeger/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/).
## Film and television career
**Move to Los Angeles.** After relocating to Hollywood in the late 1990s, Jaeger landed a supporting role in [Steven Soderbergh](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-soderbergh)'s *Traffic* (2000) and a part in *Behind Enemy Lines* (2001)[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/). He then played Capt. R.G. Sisk opposite [Bruce Willis](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-willis) and [Colin Farrell](https://www.edgepedia.org/colin-farrell) in MGM's *Hart's War* (2002)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/). Through the 2000s he built a television resume of guest spots on *ER*, *The West Wing*, *NYPD Blue*, *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*, *Scrubs*, and *That's Life*, and appeared in the A&E biopic *The Riverman* (2004) as Dave Reichert, opposite Cary Elwes and Bruce Greenwood[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/) • [6](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/109764/filmo/). His first recurring television role was on the Fox series *Girls Club* in 2002, which was canceled during its first season[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/sam-jaeger/). Film work in this period included *Lucky Number Slevin* (2006), shown at the Sundance Film Festival and released nationally, and the Susannah Grant romantic comedy *Catch and Release* (2006)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/).
**Parenthood.** In 2010 Jaeger was cast as Joel Graham, a stay-at-home dad, on NBC's *[Parenthood](https://www.edgepedia.org/parenthood-2010-tv-series)*, and played the role on all 103 episodes across the show's six seasons, which ended in the winter of 2015[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/sam-jaeger/). He also directed one episode of the series in 2012[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/).
**Television after Parenthood.** Jaeger went on to lead roles in the NBC series *[Law & Order](https://www.edgepedia.org/law-and-order-franchise): True Crime – The Menendez Murders* (as Detective Les Zoeller), the ABC miniseries *When We Rise*, *Tell Me a Story* for CBS All-Access, Marc Cherry's *Why Women Kill*, Ryan Murphy and [Brad Falchuk](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-falchuk)'s Netflix series *The Politician* opposite [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://www.edgepedia.org/gwyneth-paltrow), and Netflix's limited series *Devil in Ohio*, which premiered in 2022[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/person/sam-jaeger/).
**The Handmaid's Tale.** Jaeger joined the multiple Emmy Award-winning Hulu/MGM series *The Handmaid's Tale* in season two as Mark Tuello, a guest role that developed into a series regular part; he played the character through the show's sixth season in 2025[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/).
**Later films.** His film credits include [Clint Eastwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/clint-eastwood)'s *American Sniper* (2014), [Paul Thomas Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-thomas-anderson)'s *Inherent Vice* (2014), and the Academy Award-winning *The Eyes of Tammy Faye* (2021), opposite [Jessica Chastain](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-chastain) and Andrew Garfield[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/). He played Grady in the Blumhouse feature *Wolf Man* (2025), directed by Leigh Whannell and starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/) • [8](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Sam-Jaeger/). In 2025 he also appeared in the film *The Wilderness*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/).
## Writing and directing
Jaeger began making short films while building his acting career. He co-wrote and co-produced *Quiz Bowl* and *Advantage Hart* (2003), a short starring [Kate Bosworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/kate-bosworth) that premiered at the Hollywood Film Festival[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/). His directorial debut was the short *Untold* (2009), a period piece adapted from a chapter of the 1919 novel *Winesburg, Ohio* and set in his home state[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/) • [9](https://www.theartswireweekly.com/news/the-meters-running-an-interview-with-the-writerdirectorstar.html).
**Take Me Home.** Tired of waiting for someone else to greenlight a project, Jaeger wrote, directed, and starred in *Take Me Home* (2011), an independent romantic comedy about a fake taxi driver and an emotionally distraught woman who end up driving from New York to California; the woman was played by his wife, Amber Jaeger[4](https://scriptmag.com/features/qa-parenthood-actor-in-take-me-home). The idea came from the cross-country drive Jaeger made when he moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, and from a musical he was writing with composer Jordan Beckett of the band Bootstraps, who scored the film and won a best-music award for it at the Nashville Film Festival[4](https://scriptmag.com/features/qa-parenthood-actor-in-take-me-home). The production was a long process: an initial cross-country shoot of about 17 days in 2008, a second 17-day shoot with the supporting cast in 2009, and several weekend pickups, with the crew mixing permitted locations with unplanned ones[9](https://www.theartswireweekly.com/news/the-meters-running-an-interview-with-the-writerdirectorstar.html). The film played a circuit of festivals including Nashville, Las Vegas, Brooklyn, Boston, and Savannah[4](https://scriptmag.com/features/qa-parenthood-actor-in-take-me-home) • [9](https://www.theartswireweekly.com/news/the-meters-running-an-interview-with-the-writerdirectorstar.html).
His other directing credits include a music video for the indie artist Bootstraps starring [Alexandra Daddario](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexandra-daddario) and *Parenthood* alum [Erika Christensen](https://www.edgepedia.org/erika-christensen)[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/).
## Personal life
Jaeger married Amber Jaeger, whom he met at Otterbein College, on August 25, 2007, and they have three children[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/bio/) • [9](https://www.theartswireweekly.com/news/the-meters-running-an-interview-with-the-writerdirectorstar.html). The Ohio native lives in California[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/). In 2025 he signed with Innovative Artists Entertainment for representation in all areas[10](https://nz.news.yahoo.com/sam-jaeger-signs-innovative-artists-174500822.html).
## References
1. [Sam Jaeger, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/)
2. [Sam Jaeger, Hulu Press](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-jaeger/)
3. [Sam Jaeger, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/sam-jaeger/)
4. [Q&A: Parenthood Actor is a Triple Threat in Take Me Home, Script Magazine](https://scriptmag.com/features/qa-parenthood-actor-in-take-me-home)
5. [Sam Jaeger Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415382/bio/)
6. [Filmografie von Sam Jaeger, FILMSTARTS.de](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/109764/filmo/)
7. [Sam Jaeger, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/sam-jaeger/)
8. [Sam Jaeger, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Sam-Jaeger/)
9. [The Meter's Running: An interview with Sam Jaeger, The ArtsWire Weekly](https://www.theartswireweekly.com/news/the-meters-running-an-interview-with-the-writerdirectorstar.html)
10. [Sam Jaeger Signs With Innovative Artists Entertainment, Yahoo](https://nz.news.yahoo.com/sam-jaeger-signs-innovative-artists-174500822.html)
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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: 2000s onward › Surnames Hu to Ji*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; 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