Greg Kinnear
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| Greg Kinnear | |
 Greg Kinnear in May 2006 |
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| Born | Gregory Kinnear June 17, 1963 Logansport, Indiana, USA |
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| Occupation | Actor/TV personality |
| Years active | 1988 – present |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Labdon (1999-present) |
Greg Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and television personality, who first rose to stardom as the first host of E!'s Talk Soup. He has frequently appeared in low box-office but critically praised films.
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[edit] Early life
Gregory Kinnear was born in Logansport, Indiana, the son of Suzanne, a homemaker, and Edward Kinnear, a career diplomat who worked for the U.S. State Department.[1][2] He has two brothers, James and Steven. As a child, the Kinnear family moved around a lot, from Beirut to Athens, part of a group sometimes referred to as the "Foreign Service Brats". While a student at the American Community Schools in Athens, Greg Kinnear first ventured into the role of talk show host with his radio show "School Daze With Greg Kinnear". Returning to the States for a college education, he attended the University of Arizona, where he graduated in 1985 with a degree in broadcast journalism.
[edit] Career
From Arizona, Kinnear headed out to Los Angeles, where he landed his first job as a marketing assistant with Empire Entertainment. Following this job he auditioned to be an MTV VJ, but failed and became a host and on-location reporter for Movietime, the precursor to E! Entertainment Television. He also had bit parts on such television shows as L.A. Law and Life Goes On.
[edit] Talk shows
Later, he would host a short-lived game show, College Mad House, which was spun-off from the kids' show, Fun House. After that, he would later become the creator, co-executive producer, and host of Best of the Worst which aired from 1990 to 1991. In 1991, Kinnear's third television exposure immensed when he became the first host of Talk Soup until 1995, when he left the show for the NBC late-night talk show, Later with Greg Kinnear (1994).
[edit] Film roles
It was in 1994 that Kinnear had his first big screen role, as a talk show host yet again in the Damon Wayans comedy Blankman. In 1995 he won the part of the David Larrabee in Sydney Pollack's remake of Billy Wilder's 1954 classic Sabrina. He later played the lead role in the 1996 comedy Dear God. In 1997, he was cast in James L. Brooks' blockbuster comedy-drama, As Good as It Gets, for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His next film, A Smile Like Yours, had him starring opposite Lauren Holly as part of a couple trying to have a baby. His next film, You've Got Mail, in which he played Meg Ryan's significant other, was very successful, as was his next character, that of Captain Amazing in the 1999 summer action film Mystery Men. His next films were Nurse Betty, Loser, and Someone Like You.
In 2002, Kinnear starred in the movie Auto Focus about the life and murder of actor Bob Crane. In 2003 he starred in Stuck On You, a comedy in which he played a conjoined twin who pursues his dream of becoming a Hollywood actor. In 2005 he starred in the black comedy The Matador opposite Pierce Brosnan.
In 2006, Kinnear co-starred with Steve Carell in the Oscar-winning comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine, and with Mark Wahlberg in Invincible, based on the true story of a bartender who tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles football team. He also appeared in Fast Food Nation, playing a fast food executive who discovers secrets about his company. In 2008 starred in the movie "Flash of Genius", a docudrama about Robert Kearns who invented the intermittent windshield wiper. In 2010, Kinnear will star as the estranged father of Miley Cyrus' character in The Last Song.
His portrayal of then-Major Bruce P. Crandall in 2002's We Were Soldiers brought public attention to Crandall's heroism during the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang. (On February 26, 2007, Crandall was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bush for his actions depicted by Kinnear.)
[edit] Personal life
Kinnear married Helen Labdon, a native of Great Britain, in 1999. They have two daughters, Lily Katherine (born September 2003) and Audrey Mae (June 2006).
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | Blankman | Talk Show Host | |
| 1995 | Sabrina | David Larrabee | |
| 1996 | Dear God | Tom Turner | |
| Beavis and Butt-Head Do America | ATF Agent Bork | Uncredited Voice Role | |
| 1997 | A Smile Like Yours | Danny Robertson | |
| As Good as It Gets | Simon Bishop | Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor |
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| 1998 | You've Got Mail | Frank Navasky | |
| 1999 | Mystery Men | Captain Amazing/Lance Hunt | |
| 2000 | What Planet Are You From? | Perry Gordon | |
| Nurse Betty | Dr. David Ravell/George McCord | ||
| Loser | Professor Edward Alcott | ||
| The Gift | Wayne Collins | ||
| 2001 | Someone Like You | Ray Brown | |
| 2002 | We Were Soldiers | Maj. Bruce "Snake" Crandall | |
| Auto Focus | Bob Crane | ||
| 2003 | Stuck on You | Walt Tenor | |
| 2004 | Godsend | Paul Duncan | |
| 2005 | The Matador | Danny Wright | |
| Robots | Phineas T. Ratchet | Voice Role | |
| Bad News Bears | Roy Bullock | ||
| 2006 | Fast Food Nation | Don Anderson | |
| Little Miss Sunshine | Richard Hoover | ||
| Invincible | Dick Vermeil | ||
| Unknown | Broken Nose | ||
| 2007 | Feast of Love | Bradley Smith | |
| 2008 | Baby Mama | Rob Ackerman | |
| Ghost Town | Frank Herlihy | ||
| Flash of Genius | Bob Kearns | ||
| 2009 | Green Zone | Clark Poundstone | awaiting release |
| 2010 | The Last Song | Steve Miller | filming |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | What Price Victory | ABC TV-Movie | |
| 1989 | Life Goes On | Corey | Episode: Break a Leg, Mom |
| 1990 | Murder in Mississippi | News Reporter | NBC TV-Movie |
| Mancuso, FBI | Photographer | Episode: Adamant Eve | |
| 1991 | Dillinger | Arizona Legislator | ABC TV-Movie |
| L.A. Law | Reporter | Episode: Spleen It to Me, Lucy | |
| 1991–1995 | Talk Soup | Host | |
| 1993 | Based on an Untrue Story | Orlando Chang Stein | FOX TV-Movie |
| 2000 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Prince Gavin | Voice Role Episode: The Frog Princess |
| 2001 | Dinner With Friends | Tom | HBO TV-Movie |
| 2003 | Friends | Benjamin Hobart | Episode: The One with Ross' Grant |
[edit] Awards and nominations
- 1998: Nominated, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" - As Good as It Gets
Blockbuster Entertainment Award
- 1999: Won, "Favorite Supporting Actor in a Comedy/Romance" - You've Got Mail
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
- 1996: Won, Most Promising Actor - Sabrina
- 1995: Won, "Outstanding Special Class Program" - "Talk Soup" (shared w/producers)
- 1996: Won, "Male Discovery of the Year"
- 1998: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture" - As Good as It Gets
- 2006: Nominated, "Best Ensemble Cast" - Little Miss Sunshine (shared w/castmembers)
National Board of Review Awards
- 1997: Won, "Best Supporting Actor" - As Good as It Gets
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
- 2006: Won, "Best Ensemble Cast" - Little Miss Sunshine (shared w/castmembers)
- 1998: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy/Musical Motion Picture" - As Good as It Gets
- 1998: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role" - As Good as It Gets
- 2007: Won, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture" - Little Miss Sunshine (shared w/castmembers)
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards
- 1998: Won, "Best Supporting Actor" - As Good as It Gets
[edit] References
- ^ "Greg Kinnear Biography (1963-)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/84/Greg-Kinnear.html. Retrieved on 2008-10-28.
- ^ "Greg Kinnear Biography". Movies.yahoo.com. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019194/bio. Retrieved on 2008-10-28.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Greg Kinnear |
- Greg Kinnear at the Internet Movie Database
- "Greg Kinnear interview". Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080211114234/http://www.moviehole.net/news/20031126_2795.html.
- Greg interview on WHO.com
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