(Not a death notice, but an appreciation.)
An old Law & Order: Criminal Intent went by me this morning, with the tall (6′ 4″) and versatile actor Jeff Goldblum in the role of Detective Zach Nichols. And that brought me to a wonderful GE commercial starring Goldblum that I had somehow missed. Goldblum, shirtless, and with big hair.
The story, (“Jeff Goldblum & His Hair Star In Hilarious New GE Commercial From Tim & Eric” by Emily Thomas) from HuffPo on September 30th:
Jeff Goldblum’s been lighting up the big screen since his break-out role in the 1986 sci-fi thriller “The Fly,” so it’s no wonder why General Electric chose the actor to star in its hilarious new commercial as the ultimate fly guy. [Video with the HuffPo story.]
For GE’s new spot, released on Monday, Goldblum appears as the master of suave Terry Quattro, a “famous person” who can’t stop extolling the virtues of the company’s new LED lightbulb, Link.
“Question: What does it take to live a life of fame on the big screen, the small screen, even the silkscreen?” he asks, turning to show off a jacket featuring his own face. “The answer may surprise you: really good lighting.”
Adult Swim’s comedic duo Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim teamed up with advertising agency BBDO New York to direct the 2-minute long ad, which briefly features Goldblum playing piano in a hot tub while discussing the merits of good lighting.
(Goldblum is a serious and accomplished jazz pianist, by the way.)
A still from the ad:
(#1)
Goldblum, but fortunately not the piano, is indeed in the hot tub. The man is happy to mock himself, and incidentally to show off his beach body — which is quite nice, though not Versace-model, abs-of-death nice. Here’s a shirtless body-tease shot (with unexceptional hair) from earlier in his career:
(#2)
Wikipedia on Goldblum:
Jeffrey Lynn “Jeff” Goldblum (… born October 22, 1952) is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly [1986], Jurassic Park [1993] and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World [1997], and Independence Day [1996]. He starred as Detective Zach Nichols for the eighth and ninth seasons of the USA Network’s crime drama series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Other films: a great favorite of mine, Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) (with Geena Davis, at 6′ 0″ a very tall woman, but a good pairing with Goldblum; the two were married for three years); Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and The Big Chill (1983).
