Multi-talented Jason Jordan Segel was born in Los Angeles, California, where he was raised by his parents, Jillian (Jordan), a homemaker, and Alvin Segel, a lawyer. His mother is of English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry, and his father is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. He was educated at St. Matthew's Parish School in Pacific Palisades, before moving on to Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. During his education he showed an interest in acting and often performed in plays at the Palisades Playhouse.
His major break came in 1999, when he was cast as Nick Andopolis in
Judd Apatow's well-regarded series
Freaks and Geeks (1999).
Further TV and film roles followed, notably in
How I Met Your Mother (2005) and
Knocked Up (2007). His film breakthrough, however, came in 2008's hit
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) which he wrote and starred in. Segel also co-wrote and starred in
The Muppets (2011).
Segel is also a musician and songwriter, with his songs appearing in many projects including
Freaks and Geeks (1999),
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008),
I Love You, Man (2009),
How I Met Your Mother (2005) and
Get Him to the Greek (2010).