Dax Randall Shepard is an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. He is best known for his work in the feature films Employee of the Month , Without a Paddle , Let's Go to Prison , and Hit and Run , the last of which he also wrote and directed, and the MTV practical joke reality series Punk'd . He has portrayed the character of Crosby Braverman in the NBC comedy-drama series Parenthood from 2010 to 2015.