Urbaniak's first media appearance occurred in 1983 when, at the age of 20, he went onstage from the audience of
Late Night with David Letterman to try his hand at a monologue joke that Letterman had flubbed. One of his first noteworthy roles was in the avant-garde playwright/director
Richard Foreman's
The Universe, for which Urbaniak won an
Obie. He has also been acclaimed for his acting in the films
Henry Fool and
American Splendor, in the latter of which he played legendary cartoonist
R. Crumb. He was nominated for a
Drama Desk Award for his role in
Thom Pain (based on nothing). He provides the voice for main character
Dr. Thaddeus Venture on
The Venture Bros. as well as the Doctor's brother
Jonas Venture Junior, (in his first appearance, the role of Jonas Venture Junior was played by
Paul Boocock for all subsequent appearances) and the super-villain
Phantom Limb. Urbaniak played a pizza guy in the famous "
Whassup?" television commercials for
Budweiser. The commercial was especially prominent on commercial television networks in the
United Kingdom, where it became a cultural phenomenon. He also portrayed the moderator in "Human Centipede Anonymous", a
Funny or Die short depicting three men who grapple with their past as a
human centipede. Urbaniak appeared on
Ken Reid's
TV Guidance Counselor podcast on May 13, 2015. From 2015 to 2017, Urbaniak played Arthur Tack for all three seasons of the critically-acclaimed
Hulu comedy series
Difficult People, opposite
Julie Klausner and
Billy Eichner. In 2017, Urbaniak played Dr. Kincaid in the film
Wonderstruck, directed by
Todd Haynes. Also in 2017, he played the Maaldorian Doctor on the hit series
Supergirl. In 2018, Urbaniak played the recurring role of Special Agent Owen Quinn on the
CBS series
Criminal Minds. In 2019, Urbaniak played Marcus Strang in the film ''
Where'd You Go, Bernadette, written and directed by Richard Linklater. Also in 2019, he played the recurring role of Gavin Donahue on the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind''. In 2020, Urbaniak played Professor Anthony in the film
Tesla, opposite
Ethan Hawke. Also in 2020, he played The Trinket Man on the
Netflix series
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. In 2021, Urbaniak played Bram in the film
Things Heard & Seen, opposite
Amanda Seyfried. Also in 2021, he appeared on the television shows
Dickinson,
9-1-1: Lone Star, and as the Backstage Manager on
The Morning Show. In 2022, Urbaniak played the Principal of Grand View High School in the film
The Fabelmans, directed by
Steven Spielberg. Also in 2022, he appeared on the television series
Made for Love and appeared as Norm Wakely in an episode of the series
Better Call Saul. In 2023, Urbaniak played
Kurt Godel in the film
Oppenheimer, directed by
Christopher Nolan. The film won 7
Academy Awards, including
Best Picture. In 2024, Urbaniak played the character Kirby in the independent film
Breakup Season, alongside an ensemble cast which included
Chandler Riggs,
Samantha Isler, and
Jacob Wysocki. Urbaniak won Best Actor at the Mystic Film Festival for his work on the film. ==Filmography==