Jude Merkel

Jude Merkel is an actor, writer, and comedian who grew up on a 130-acre farm in Walkersville, Maryland. As the second youngest of nine children in a big Irish Catholic family, he draws much of his material—and mischief—from his upbringing. After high school, Jude played football at the U.S. Naval Academy before serving as a Naval Officer, deploying twice overseas. In early 2022, he relocated to Los Angeles and has quickly begun carving out a career in entertainment. This year, he booked his first feature film (Shark Terror on Apple TV ) and TV role (Wild West Chronicles on Amazon Prime). He also worked as Executive Assistant to Joe Wengert (Big Mouth, Kroll Show, New Girl) on the upcoming adult animated series KEVIN, premiering this fall. Beyond acting, Jude is an active performer in the stand-up scene—regularly traveling to San Diego and co-producing his monthly variety show, Tickles & Tunes, at the Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica.