Paul Giamatti
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Born: | June 06, 1967 (age 39) New Haven, Connecticut |
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Occupation: | Actor |
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (born June 6, 1967) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor.
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[edit] Biography
Giamatti was born in New Haven, Connecticut to A. Bartlett Giamatti, a Yale University professor who later became president of the university and commissioner of Major League Baseball. His mother, Toni Smith, was a teacher at Hopkins School. Giamatti's father was of half Italian descent, while his mother was Irish American.[1]
Giamatti has a brother, Marcus, who is also an actor. Giamatti attended Humberside Collegiate Institute as a young boy and says the reason he started acting was because of a red haired temptress named Luka. Giamatti attended the elite boarding school Choate Rosemary Hall, was an English major at Yale, and has a Master's degree in Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama. Following his graduation, he performed in numerous theatrical productions (including Broadway) before appearing in some small television and film roles in the early 1990s.
[edit] Career
Giamatti's first high profile role was in the film adaptation of Howard Stern's Private Parts. He played Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton, Stern's antagonistic program director at WNBC. Stern praised Giamatti's performance often on his radio program, calling for him to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. That didn't happen, but Giamatti's career received a boost. He appeared in a number of supporting roles in big-budget movies such as The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, and The Negotiator (all 1998). In 1999 he played Bob Zmuda (and Tony Clifton) in the Andy Kaufman biopic, Man on the Moon. Giamatti continued to appear in major studio releases such as Big Momma's House (2000) and the Planet of the Apes remake (2001), and co-starred in Big Fat Liar (2002). He recently appeared as a building superintendent who discovers a water nymph in M. Night Shyamalan's supernatural thriller Lady in the Water. He can currently be seen on screen in the animated film The Ant Bully as well as in Neil Burger's drama The Illusionist co-starring Edward Norton. He is also the voice behind the audiobook of the novel A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick, released in the summer of 2006. Most recently it was announced that he will play Santa Claus in the upcoming comedy Fred Claus (which also stars Kevin Spacey and Vince Vaughn), and will co-star alongside Bruce Campbell in Bubba Nosferatu, the prequel to Bubba Ho-Tep. Giamatti will also play noted science fiction author Philip K. Dick in the semi-biopic The Owl In Daylight, which he is also producing through his production company, Touchy Feely Productions.
He is most often confused in public as Rob Schneider. When he guest hosted for Saturday Night Live, he had a sketch reflecting this.
[edit] Awards
Giamatti's most acclaimed performances were in lead roles in American Splendor (2003) and Sideways (2004). He was nominated for a Golden Globe for the latter (but did not win) and was not nominated for an Oscar in one of the most mystifying and well-publicized snubs in recent Oscar history. Giamatti received his first Academy Award-nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2005 for his role in Cinderella Man. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe and won the SAG award for Best Supporting Actor for the film. However, he lost both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award to George Clooney in Syriana. (Upon winning the Golden Globe, Clooney commented in his acceptance speech that he had expected Giammati to win the award that evening.)
[edit] Personal life
Giamatti has been married to Elizabeth Cohen since 1997 and they have a son, Samuel, born in 2001.
[edit] Filmography
- The Owl In Daylight (release date unknown)... Philip K. Dick
- Bubba Nosferatu (2008)... Colonel Parker
- Fred Claus (2007)... Santa Claus
- Untitled John Adams miniseries (2007)... John Adams
- Tender Interface (2007)
- Shoot 'em Up (2007)
- The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2007)... Dr. Satan (voice)
- The Nanny Diaries (2007)... Mr. X
- The Amazing Screw-On Head (TV) (2006)... Screw-On Head (voice) (pilot episode)
- The Ant Bully (2006)... Stan Beals (voice)
- Lady in the Water (2006)... Cleveland Heep
- The Illusionist (2006)... Chief Inspector Uhl
- Asterix and the Vikings (English dubbing: voice of Asterix, 2006)
- The Hawk Is Dying (2005)... George Gattling
- Cinderella Man (2005)... Joe Gould
- The Fan and the Flower (2005)... Narrator
- Robots (2005)... Tim the Gate Guard (voice)
- Saturday Night Live (2005)... Host (episode 30.10)
- Sideways (2004)... Miles Raymond
- Paycheck (2003)... Shorty
- The Pentagon Papers (2003) (TV)... Anthony Russo
- Confidence (2003)... Gordo
- American Splendor (2003)... Harvey Pekar
- Thunderpants (2002)... Johnson J. Johnson
- Big Fat Liar (2002)... Marty Wolf
- Planet of the Apes (2001)... Limbo
- Storytelling (2001)... Toby Oxman (segment "Non-Fiction")
- King of the Hill (2001)... Mr. McKay (episode "It's Not Easy Being Green")
- Duets (2000)... Todd Woods
- Big Momma's House (2000)... John
- If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000) (TV)... Ted Hedley (segment "1961")
- Man on the Moon (1999)... Bob Zmuda/Tony Clifton
- Cradle Will Rock (1999)... Carlo
- Winchell (1998) (TV)... Herman Klurfeld
- Safe Men (1998)... Veal Chop
- The Negotiator (1998)... Rudy Timmons
- Saving Private Ryan (1998)... Sergeant Hill
- Dr. Dolittle (1998)... Blaine (uncredited)
- The Truman Show (1998)... Control Room Director
- Tourist Trap (1998) (TV)... Jeremiah Piper
- Homicide: Life on the Street (1998)... Harry Tjarks (episode "Pit Bull Sessions")
- A Further Gesture (1997)... Hotel Clerk
- Deconstructing Harry (1997)... Professor Abbot
- My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)... Richard the Bellman
- Private Parts (1997)... Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton
- Donnie Brasco (1997)... FBI Technician
- Arresting Gena (1997)... Detective Wilson
- Breathing Room (1996)... George
- The Show (1996)... Jeffrey Roffman (pilot episode)
- Before and After (1996)... Courtroom Audience (uncredited)
- Ripper (1996)... Dr. Bud Cable (video game)
- Sabrina (1995)... Scott
- New York News (1995)... Dr. Wargner (episode "Past Imperfect")
- Mighty Aphrodite (1995)... Extras Guild Researcher
- NYPD Blue (1994)... Man In Sleeping Bag (episode "You Bet Your Life")
- Singles (1992)... Kissing Man
- Past Midnight (1992)... Larry Canipe
- She'll Take Romance (1990) (TV)... Heckler #2