Brett Gelman

The Humor of Discomfort

Brett Gelman was born in Highland Park in 1976. His training at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York shaped a style that shuns complacency and seeks constant conflict with the audience. On those stages, he learned that the most valuable laughter is the kind that comes from an unbearable situation.

During the first decade of the 2000s, he took any supporting role that would help him pay the rent. These were one-day appearances on TV series where he had barely three lines. But his look and his intense gaze began to catch the attention of casting directors looking for eccentric characters.

He accepted everything he was offered.

In 2010, he landed a role in Eagleheart. This Adult Swim production gave him a chance to experiment with violent, surreal comedy that few actors dared to tackle at the time. Gelman has always preferred risk over the easy applause of family comedies.

In 2014, he wrote and starred in the special Dinner with Friends with Brett Gelman. It was a strange proposal that blended psychological horror with social satire. And the gamble paid off with specialized critics in the United States.

The Move to London and the Murray Phenomenon

Phoebe Waller-Bridge cast him in 2016 to play Martin in Fleabag. His role as the alcoholic, manipulative brother-in-law marked a turning point in his international visibility. In this series, he proved he could be the most hated man on British television without losing an ounce of humanity in his performance.

Nobody wanted to cast him in dramas up to that point.

His big breakthrough came when he joined the cast of Stranger Things in 2017. His character, Murray Bauman, started as a supporting figure obsessed with conspiracy theories. The audience response was so positive that the show's creators decided to extend his contract for the following seasons.

In 2019, his character joined the main cast of the Netflix series. Gelman brought a cynical tone that balanced the show's 80s nostalgia. As a result, his per-episode salary jumped dramatically when he became a regular in the production's cast.

He made a conspiracy theorist somehow endearing.

Independent Projects and the Future in Film

In 2021, he worked on the film Without Remorse alongside Michael B. Jordan. It was a foray into commercial action cinema that allowed him to step away from purely comedic roles. Still, Gelman continues to prioritize stories where he can explore the psychology of men at their limit or emotionally broken.

In 2024, he released Boy Kills World, where he played Gideon. In this dystopian action film, he shared the screen with Bill Skarsgård and reaffirmed his interest in scripts that border on the absurd. For him, a shoot is only worth it if the source material is daring.

He wrote his own short story collection, titled The Terrifying Realm of the Possible, in 2024. Its pages pour out the obsessions that have guided his career, such as the fear of failure and modern alienation. The book received mixed reviews for its dark tone and unconventional structure.

In 2025, his deal with Netflix for the fifth season of Stranger Things closed a chapter of eight years of on-and-off shoots in the state of Georgia.