B.J. Novak portrays Ryan Howard, the cool-headed office temp in NBC’s comedy series “The Office.” Novak is also a writer for the series.

Born in Newton, MA outside of Boston, Novak earned his stripes on an episode of the celebrity prankster series “Punk’d,” where he played a driving instructor who nearly brought Hilary Duff to tears. He also served as a staff writer for the network sitcom “Raising Dad.”

Novak is known for his stand-up comedy and was named one of the “Ten Comics to Watch” by the editors of Variety in July 2003. His comedic talents were recently seen on NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend.”

Born in 1979, Novak currently resides in Los Angeles. His birthday is July 31.