Childhood & Early Life
Bryan was born on May 24, 1978, in Omaha, Nebraska, to psychologist couple Denise "Denny" and Carl Greenberg. He has a younger sister, Becca. Born into a Jewish family, Bryan attended the 'Beth El Synagogue' in Omaha and is a staunch follower of Conservative Judaism. He also had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony.
Bryan attended 'Parkway Central High School' in Chesterfield, Missouri, and graduated in 1996. After high school, he shifted to New York, where he was trained at the 'Atlantic Theater Company Acting School.' In 2000, Bryan earned his BFA in theater from 'New York University.'
Bryan was quite young when he was cast in the lead role in a production of the two-act ballet 'The Nutcracker' by 'Omaha Ballet.' While touring with the show, Bryan joined a children's theater company in Omaha. At age 12, Bryan moved to St. Louis, Missouri, with his family.
In St. Louis, Bryan appeared in a commercial for 'Cookie Crisp' cereal. In the subsequent years, he received several acting offers. He was part of the 'Herzl Camp,' a Jewish summer camp in Webster, Wisconsin.
While at ‘New York University,’ Bryan took up several jobs. Thus, he worked as a waiter, a bartender, a caterer, and an assistant to a mortgage broker, to support his finances. He simultaneously auditioned for acting projects. Bryan played the lead in his university’s production of 'Romeo and Juliet' and performed with a few theaters, such as the 'Experimental Theater Workshop,' the 'Atlantic Theater Company,' and the 'Amsterdam Experimental Workshop.'
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Career
Bryan began his acting career with a camp-wide production of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' in 1992. He made his TV debut in 1997, with an episode of the 'NBC' legal drama 'Law & Order.' He soon got an agent, and the following year, Bryan ventured into films. However, he made his movie debut with an uncredited role in the film 'A Civil Action.' In 2000, Bryan made an appearance as ‘Mr. Freeman’ in the 'Fox' drama 'Boston Public.' He reprised his role in 2003.
After several guest appearances in TV productions, Bryan had his first recurring role in the drama 'One Tree Hill,' aired on ‘The WB.’ Bryan then appeared as ‘Matty Matthews’ in the 2004 teen comedy-heist film 'The Perfect Score.' He next starred in the romantic comedy 'Prime,' as ‘David Bloomberg,’ the much-younger love interest of Uma Thurman’s character.
Bryan’s next prominent TV project was the 'HBO' comedy–drama 'Unscripted,' in which he played himself for 10 episodes, from 2005 to 2006. In the subsequent years, Bryan continued appearing in recurring roles in series such as 'October Road' (as ‘Nicholson "Nick" Garrett’) and 'How to Make It in America' (as ‘Ben Epstein’).
While pursuing his acting career, Bryan ventured into music, too. He released his debut album, 'Waiting for Now,' in 2007. The following year, he appeared in the Barack Obama-inspired promotional music video 'Yes We Can.’ As part of the 'Clean Energy Legislation,' Bryan made a public service announcement about the 'Gulf Oil Spill’ for the ‘Natural Resources Defense Council,' which was released in July 2010.
Meanwhile, Bryan appeared in the blockbuster romantic comedy 'Friends with Benefits.' The movie featured him in the role of ‘Parker,’ an oncologist and a fleeting date of Mila Kunis’s character, ‘Jamie.’ In 2011, Bryan released his second album, 'We Don't Have Forever,' which included the song 'You Can Run.’ Made in collaboration with rapper Kid Cudi, the song was inspired by his character in 'How to Make It in America.’ The title appropriately reflects the personal and professional experiences Bryan had had while working on the album.
In the subsequent years, Bryan starred in a bunch of movies, such as 'The Kitchen,' 'The Normals,' 'A Short History of Decay,' 'Vice,' and 'A Year and Change.' He essayed real-life record producer, civil rights activist, and music critic John Hammond in the 'HBO' TV film ‘Bessie.’ Bryan co-starred with his wife in the 2015 romance–drama film 'Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong.' The same year, he released his third album, 'Everything Changes.'
In 2016, Bryan began playing ‘Ben,’ the recurring character from the 'Fox' romantic comedy 'The Mindy Project.' He had a starring role in the comedy flick 'Flock of Dudes.' Bryan’s next recurring role was in the ‘Amazon’ web series 'The Tick.' He appeared in the 2018 comedy short 'Fourplay.’ The black-and-white movie was shot in a single take.
Bryan endorses a number of few fashion brands, such as 'Can Fashion' and 'Casio Edifice' watches.
He has contributed to the soundtracks of the series ‘October Road,’ ‘Unscripted,’ and ‘One Tree Hill’ and the movie ‘Nobel Son.’
He has worked as an executive producer for ‘A Year and Change’ and ‘Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong.’
Family & Personal Life
Bryan got engaged to his actor girlfriend, Jamie Chung, in December 2013, while vacationing on the Turks and Caicos Islands. They got married on October 31, 2015, in Santa Barbara, California.
Bryan and Jamie happened to work with the same set of producers. Jamie, who had heard a lot about Bryan from them, wanted to meet him once. She finally met him in 2008 at the ‘Young Hollywood’ party at the 'Chateau Marmont' hotel.
They were both in their respective relationships back then. Nevertheless, a casual conversation between them ended up in a passionate affair. They, however, did not talk for some time after their first date.
Before 'Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong,' Jamie and Bryan had worked together in 'A Year and Change.' Bryan had earlier dated actor Olivia Munn for a couple of years.
When he was 10, actor-producer Michael J Fox made a huge impact on Bryan, and he decided to become an actor. He believes that the actor in him grew up after he began performing on stage.
Bryan loves the 'Olympics' and considers it a factor that makes him more competitive. He was once a big fan of the English rock band 'Oasis.'
