Erik Charles Nielsen

Nielsen was born in West Sayville, New York. He is of Danish descent.^{[citation needed]} Nielsen graduated from Palm Bay High School in 1999. While attending Boston University, he was named the funniest comedian on campus.^[1] After continuing to hone his act at The Comedy Studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he moved to Los Angeles, California to do a Ph.D. program at the University of California, Los Angeles, but withdrew before completion. Turning to comedy full-time, he got his first big break at the 2007 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado.^[2]

Nielsen is best known for his recurring role as Garrett Lambert in the television comedy series Community from 2009 to 2015.^[3] His other acting credits include Bad Milo (2013) and the pilot episode of IFC's Maron. He also starred in Erik the Librarian,^[4] a web series created by Brent Forrester.^[5]

Nielsen has appeared on Just for Laughs, Conan, and on HBO Canada's stand-up series Funny as Hell.

On December 10, 2014, he appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor Podcast.

On September 25, 2025, Nielsen appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy!. On December 15, 2025, he returned to Jeopardy! for the Second Chance Tournament.