Ricky Dene Gervais (born June 25, 1961) is an English comedian, actor, director, producer, musician and writer. Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant. In addition to writing and directing the shows, Gervais also played the lead roles of David Brent in The Office and Andy Millman in Extras. Gervais has also starred in a number of Hollywood films, assuming leading roles in Ghost Town and The Invention of Lying. He has performed on four sell-out stand-up comedy tours, written the best-selling Flanimals book series and starred with Merchant and Karl Pilkington in the most downloaded podcast in the world as of March 2009, The Ricky Gervais Show. He has won a multitude of awards and honours, including seven BAFTA Awards, five British Comedy Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and the 2006 Rose d'Or, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In 2007 he was voted the 11th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and again in the updated 2010 list as the 3rd greatest stand-up comic. In 2010 he was named on the TIME 100 list of the world's most influential people. Gervais hosted both the 2010 and 2011 Golden Globe Awards.

Filmography

• La oficina — Original Series Creator
• Ricky Gervais Alley Cats — Gus (voice), Executive Producer, Writer, Director, Creator
• 2026The Office: Ricky's Top 25 Brent Moments — Self/David Brent (archive footage)
• 2025Dog Man — Flippy (voice)
• 2025Ricky Gervais: Mortality — Self, Writer
• The Paper — Executive Producer, Original Series Creator
• The Office — Original Series Creator
• 20237 Minutes — Executive Producer, Director
• German Genius — Ricky Gervais, Creator
• 2023Ricky Gervais: Armageddon — Self, Writer
• 2022Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank — Ika Chu (voice)
• 2022Ricky Gervais: SuperNature — Self, Writer, Original Music Composer
• The Office (SA) — Original Series Creator
• The Office PL — Original Series Creator
• 2020The Willoughbys — The Cat (voice), Executive Producer
• After Life — Tony, Executive Producer, Director, Writer, Creator
• Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? — Ricky Gervais (voice)
• The Office — Original Series Creator
• Child Support — Self, Executive Producer
• 2018Ricky Gervais: Humanity — Self, Writer, Executive Producer
• The Office — Original Series Creator
• 2016David Brent: Life on the Road — David Brent, Director, Writer, Producer
• 2016Special Correspondents — Albert Finch, Director, Writer, Producer
• 2015Derek Special — Derek, Director, Writer
• Galavant — Xanax
• 2015The Little Prince — The Conceited Man (voice)
• BoJack Horseman — Hedgehog at Orphanage (voice)
• 2014Muppets Most Wanted — Dominic Badguy
• 2014Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb — Dr. McPhee
• Derek — Derek, Writer, Director, Creator
• 2013Escape from Planet Earth — Mr Bing (voice)
• Learn Guitar with David Brent — David Brent, Creator
• 2013The Office Retrospective — Self, Creator
• 2013The Return of Brent — David Brent, Director, Characters, Writer
• 4funnies — Producer
• 2012Learn English with Ricky Gervais — Self, Director
• 2012Sesame Street: Singing with the Stars — Self, Original Music Composer
• 2012The Office: Secret Santa Pack — Writer
• 2011Brad & Gary — Book
• Life's Too Short — Ricky Gervais, Writer, Director, Executive Producer, Creator
• 2011Spy Kids: All the Time in the World — Voice of Argonaut
• 2011Talking Funny — Self, Executive Producer
• An Idiot Abroad — Self, Producer, Creator
• 2010Cemetery Junction — Len Taylor, Director, Writer, Executive Producer
• HaMisrad — Creator
• Louie — Dr. Ben
• 2010Ricky Gervais Live 4: Science — Self, Director, Writer
• 2010Ricky Gervais: Out of England 2 — Self, Executive Producer, Writer
• The Office — Original Series Creator
• The Ricky Gervais Show — Self, Producer, Creator
• 2010When Karl Met Warwick — Self, Producer, Director
• Horne & Corden
• 2009Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian — Dr. McPhee
• 2009Prequel: The Dawn of Lying — Mark Bellison, Director, Screenplay
• 2009SpongeBob's Truth or Square — Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
• 2009The Invention of Lying — Mark Bellison, Director, Writer, Producer
• 2008Ghost Town — Dr. Bertram Pincus
• 2008How to Lose Friends & Alienate People — Ricky Gervais (uncredited)
• 2008Ricky Gervais: Out of England — Self, Writer, Executive Producer
• 2007Concert for Diana — David Brent
• 2007Ricky Gervais Live 3: Fame — Self, Writer
• 2007Stardust — Ferdy the Fence
• 2007Taping Nigel II: The Gimpening — Self, Director, Camera Operator
• 2006For Your Consideration — Martin Gibb
• La Job — Creator
• Le Bureau — Creator
• 2006Night at the Museum — Dr. McPhee
• Ricky Gervais Meets... — Creator
• Extras — Andy Millman, Executive Producer, Director, Writer, Creator
• 2005Finding Leo — Self, Director
• Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show — Writer
• 2005Pictoplasma: Characters in Motion, Vol. 1 — Audio Sample (Self)
• 2005Taping Nigel — Self, Director, Camera Operator
• The F Word
• The Office — David Brent, Executive Producer, Writer, Original Series Creator, Teleplay
• 2005Valiant — Bugsy (voice)
• 2004Meet Karl Pilkington — Self, Director, Producer
• 2004Ricky Gervais Live 2: Politics — Self, Writer
• Golden Years — Clive Meadows, Writer
• 2003Ricky Gervais Live: Animals — Self, Writer
• 2002Robbie the Reindeer: Legend of the Lost Tribe — Penguin (voice)
• Alias — Daniel Ryan
• 2001Dog Eat Dog — Bouncer
• The Office — David Brent, Writer, Director, Creator
• Bruiser — Additional Writing
• Curb Your Enthusiasm — Ricky Gervais
• Meet Ricky Gervais
• Vic Reeves Examines
• Family Guy — Billy Finn (voice)
• Spaced — Dave
• SpongeBob SquarePants — Narrator (voice)
• The Jim Tavaré Show — Various
• 1998The Office Pre-Pilot — David Brent
• The Simpsons — Charles Heathbar (voice), Ricky Gervais (voice), Writer
• The Wind in the Willows — Mole

Appearances as themselves (64)

• 2026England 2006: The Golden Generation — Self (archive footage)
• Joe & David's Magical Sitcom Tour — Self
• Stand-Up: The Laughing Therapy — Self (archive footage)
• 2022George Michael: Freedom Uncut — Self
• 2022Kick Out the Jams: The Story of XFM — Self
• 2021Classic Albums: Suede - Coming Up — Self
• 2020Out of Shadows — Self (archive)
• Talking Sopranos — Self
• 2019Sesame Street: 50 Years and Counting — Self (archive footage)
• 2019The Nazi Pug: Joke or Hate? — Self (archive footage)
• 2018Suede: The Insatiable Ones — Self
• The Alec Baldwin Show — Self
• 2017George Michael: Freedom — Self
• 2017Jim Norton: Mouthful of Shame — Self (uncredited)
• Michael McIntyre's Big Show — Self - Performer
• 2016The Last Laugh — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter — Self
• Hot Ones — Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self, Self - Guest
• 201450 Years of BBC Two Comedy — Self
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self, Self - Guest
• 2013David Blaine: Real or Magic — Self
• The Last Leg — Self
• 2013The Unbelievers — Self
• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee — Self
• David Haye versus — Self
• 2011The Muppets — Himself (uncredited)
• Conan — Self - Guest
• 2010Meet Karl Pilkington II — Self
• The Marriage Ref — Self - Panelist
• 2010The Simpsons: Mischief & Mayhem — Self - Narrator
• 2010This Side of the Truth, A Truly 'Honest' Making of The Invention of Lying — Self
• Alan Carr: Chatty Man — Self
• Live from Studio Five — Self
• 2009Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants — Self
• 2007Karl Pilkington: Satisfied Fool — Self
• 2007Living with Ricky Gervais 2 — Self
• 2007The Art of Breaking Character — Self
• The Graham Norton Show — Self
• The One Show — Self - Guest
• 2005Alan Partridge Presents: The Cream of British Comedy — Self
• Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List — Self
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson — Self
• 2004Living with Ricky Gervais — Self
• Parkinson — Self - Guest
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self - Guest
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Self
• Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway — Self, Self - Guest Announcer
• 2002How I Made The Office by Ricky Gervais — Self
• 2002Offensive: The Real Derek and Clive — Self
• 2002The Fight — Self
• Parkinson — Self - Guest
• The 11 O'Clock Show — Self
• The View — Self - Guest
• The Daily Show — Self, Self - Guest
• Room 101 — Self
• GMTV — Self
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien — Self - Guest
• Late Show with David Letterman — Self - Guest
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self, Self - Guest
• This Morning — Self
• Saturday Night Live — Self (uncredited)
• Golden Globe Awards — Self - Host