Simon Maxwell Helberg (born December 9, 1980) is an American actor, comedian, and musician, best known for his role as Howard Wolowitz in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. 　　He has appeared on the sketch comedy series MADtv and is also known for his role as Moist in Joss Whedon's web miniseries Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. 　　Helberg was born on December 9, 1980, in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of actor Sandy Helberg and casting directorHarriet Helberg. He was raised in Judaism, "Conservative to Reform but more Reform as time went on." 　　Helberg attended middle and high school at the Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, with Jason Ritter, who later became his roommate at New York University. He attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he trained at the Atlantic Theater Company.