Jay Paulson's start in entertainment came in the ninth grade, when he missed the school bus and some students talked him into auditioning for the school play. He was cast as a lead in the middle school production of Jean-Claude Van Italie's "Interview," and in every high school production thereafter. In eleventh grade, he starred in Kaufman and Hart's "Once in a Lifetime," caught the eye of a talent manager in the audience, and has been working professionally ever since.
Paulson's first major television role was as the series regular Sean on the comedy "Cybill," which he played for two years. Next he played the detective savant Carl Zernial in the Gary David Goldberg series, "Battery Park." Additional television credits include guest appearances on "Studio 60" and "The West Wing," as well as "NYPD Blue" and "Just Shoot Me." He also collaborated with Christopher Guest in developing the role of "Curtis the Stock Boy" in a Kellogg's Frosted Flakes campaign.
Paulson starred in the film "Rolling Kansas," which premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. He has also appeared in several other films, including the hits "Go" and "Can't Hardly Wait," and he played opposite Sigourney Weaver in "Imaginary Heroes."
Born in New York City, Paulson lived in Brooklyn until 1984, when his father moved the family west to Los Angeles. After spending several years juggling his career with his studies, he graduated UCLA with a bachelor's degree in History.
He currently resides in Venice Beach. An avid reader, he is a nationally ranked, competitive Scrabble player and enjoys distance running.
