Elliott Gould (born Elliott Goldstein on August 29, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York), a graduate of the Professional Children's School, was one of the most prominent American film actors in the early 1970s, best known for playing Trapper John in Robert Altman's satirical 1970 film MASH. Time magazine placed him on one of its covers in 1970, when he was at the brief height of his long career, calling him a "star for an uptight age."
Other notable film roles include Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, A Bridge Too Far, Capricorn One, and The Lady Vanishes. Gould joined such distinguished company as Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum when he played the detective Philip Marlowe in Altman's 1973 film The Long Goodbye. He hosted Saturday Night Live six times through the 1980 season premiere, although he has not done so since (in the late 1980s he had a cameo role in a sketch about a secret club for people who had hosted five or more times). Also in 1980, Gould filmed two movies for Disney studios, The Last Flight of Noah's Ark and The Devil and Max Devlin, in which he co-starred with Bill Cosby.
His career slowed down after a series of critical and commercial flops in the mid to late 1970s, but he has remained steadily employed in supporting and character roles in television and movies, including a recurring guest role on Friends as Jack Geller, the father of Monica and Ross Geller. He appeared in an episode of the popular television series Touched by an Angel where he played a concentration camp survivor. Gould received critical praise for his role as an aging mobster in Warren Beatty's 1991 film Bugsy. He also co-starred in the popular "caper" film Ocean's Eleven (2001) and its sequel Ocean's Twelve (2004).
He has married three times:
1) Barbra Streisand from 1963 to 1971. They have one son, Jason Gould.
2) Jenny Bogart (1974-1976) and (1978-1979). They have two children.
Kicking and Screaming (2005)
