The Booming Business of Ricky Gervais: From 'The Office' to 'Muppets'

The Other Films

in addition to his own creations — including Cemetery Junction in 2010 (with Stephen Merchant) — he starred in Ghost Town (2008) and popped up in Night at the Museum (2006) and Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration (2006).

The Return of David Brent

in addition to a blog and Twitter feed (he averages 12 tweets a day), Gervais has revived his Office character for a YouTube series, Learn Guitar With David Brent. He is set to sign a record deal and a series of live gigs for Brent, too. From there: “A possible movie about Brent trying to make it in the music industry,” he says.

Books

Gervais released his first children’s book, Flanimals, in 2004, which spawned follow-ups as well as an animated film adaptation, in the works at Illumination Entertainment.

Hosting

Gervais hosted the Golden Globes for three years from 2010 to 2012, proving his gift for garnering ink and controversy. “But what did I really do? It wasn’t a room full of wounded soldiers,” he jokes of the star-studded audience he attacked.

'The Invention of Lying'

Gervais wrote, directed and starred in The Invention of Lying, which grossed only $18 million domestically in 2009.

'Muppets Most Wanted'

He stars opposite Tina Fey in 2014’s Muppets Most Wanted. “Ricky’s got this ability to straddle the line very seamlessly between acting in something and acting slightly outside of it,” says Muppets producer Todd Lieberman, revealing that Gervais will sing and dance in the film.

'The Office'

Gervais catapulted onto the scene with his 2001 BBC creation, The Office, which he co-wrote, directed and starred in. At last count, the mockumentary, as brilliant as it was uncomfortable, has aired in more than 100 countries, with seven remakes including the since-ended U.S. iteration, making it easily the most successful adaptation of a British sitcom in 30 years.

Philanthropy

Gervais is passionate about cancer causes (his mother died of lung cancer) and animal causes, including a campaign against cosmetic testing on animals. PETA Europe named a rescued bullock after him for his fervent support of animal rights.

Podcasts

The Ricky Gervais Show, a multiple-part podcast series in collaboration with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington, landed in the 2007 edition of the Guinness World Records as the world’s most downloaded podcast. the trio later would transform it into an animated series for HBO. Gervais has released other podcasts, too, including The Podfather Specials.

Stand-Up

“It’s a turbo version of me,” says Gervais of his stand-up persona, which can make his Golden Globe bomb-throwing look tame. With his live shows — of which there have been four (Animals, Politics, Fame, Science) — Gervais prepares new material and often puts out a DVD and TV special, too. He’s in the early stages of writing material for a not-yet-scheduled international tour.