Tamberelli's first performance was in a
Huggies commercial, according to a 1994 interview. His first regular television role, at age 4, was as Sean Novak on the
ABC daytime soap opera ''
Ryan's Hope. He originally appeared from 1986 to 1987, when his character, along with his on-screen parents, were written off the show. However, he returned to the role in the fall of 1988 when the Novak family was brought back, to help close up storylines in preparation for the Ryan's Hope'' finale in January 1989. Afterwards, Tamberelli played Jackie Rodowsky on the television series
The Baby-Sitters Club. It was around this time that he was cast as Little Pete Wrigley on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete, which first began as a series of 60-second shorts on
Nickelodeon in 1989. After progressing to a batch of specials,
Pete & Pete became a regular half-hour sitcom in 1993, and brought Tamberelli more recognition. During his time in the show, he met the musicians
Iggy Pop and
Mark Mulcahy, who inspired him to become a musician too; Iggy would teach him how to play the song "T.V. Eye" (from
The Stooges' album
Fun House) on bass in between breaks, when Tamberelli was 11. Around that time he provided the voice for
Arnold in
The Magic School Bus, as well as appearing in the films
Igby Goes Down and
The Mighty Ducks. He was also on Nickelodeon's
All That from 1997 to 2000 and
Figure It Out from 1997 to 1999, and guest starred in the
Space Cases episode "All You Can Eaty". In the 2013 video game
Grand Theft Auto V, he provided the voice and motion capture for Jimmy De Santa. Tamberelli is the bassist and vocalist for the rock band Jounce, formed in Northern New Jersey. He is also a founding member of the sketch comedy group Manboobs, along with Jeremy Balon. In May 2024, he and his wife Kate Tamberelli published their book
The Road Trip Rewind. ==Personal life==