Paul Giamatti

Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (born June 6, 1967) is an American actor.

His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globes, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.

After studying acting at the Yale School of Drama he performed in numerous theatrical productions.

Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti was born June 6, 1967, in New Haven, Connecticut, the youngest of three children.

His father, Angelo Bartlett Giamatti, was a Yale University professor who later became president of the university and later commissioner of Major League Baseball.

His mother, Toni Marilyn Giamatti (née Smith), was a homemaker and English teacher who taught at the Hopkins School and had also previously acted.

His paternal grandfather's family were Italian emigrants from Telese Terme; the family surname was originally spelled "Giammattei" before immigrating to the United States.

His paternal grandmother had deep roots in New England, dating back to the colonial era.

Giamatti's brother, Marcus, is also an actor, and his sister, Elena, was a jewelry designer.

Giamatti was first educated at The Foote School and later graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1985.

He attended Yale, where he was active in the undergraduate theater scene and worked with fellow actors and Yale students Ron Livingston and Edward Norton.

He graduated in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in English and went on to earn a master of fine arts degree from the Yale School of Drama, where he studied with Earle R. Gister.

He performed in numerous theatrical productions, including on Broadway and a stint from 1989 to 1992 with Seattle's Annex Theater, before appearing in some small television and film roles in the early 1990s.

In 2023, Giamatti was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Yale.

He made his television debut in the ABC made for television film She'll Take Romance (1990).

After minor roles in the neo-noir Past Midnight (1991) and the romantic comedy Singles (1992) he acted in Woody Allen's comedy film Mighty Aphrodite (1995) and Sydney Pollack's romantic comedy remake Sabrina (1995).

That same year in March, he made his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia portraying Ezra Chater.

Vincent Canby describe the role as being "a helplessly funny subsidiary" one.

In November he portrayed The Rev. Donald Bacon in David Hare's Racing Demon.

Both of these productions took place at the Lincoln Center Theater.

Giamatti made his Broadway debut portraying Ezra Chater in the Tom Stoppard play Arcadia (1995).

Later that year he played the Rev. Donald "Streaky" Bacon in the David Hare play Racing Demon (1995).

He returned to theatre in the revivals of Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters (1997) and Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (1999).

Giamatti's breakout role in film was in Private Parts (1997), which led to supporting roles in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Man on the Moon (1999).

In 1997, Giamatti landed his first high-profile role as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton in the film adaptation of Howard Stern's Private Parts.

Stern praised Giamatti's performance often on his radio program, calling for him to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times described Giamatti's performance as being "well played".

That same year he reunited with Woody Allen, acting in the comedy Deconstructing Harry (1997).

He also took a small but memorable role as Richard the Bellman in the Julia Roberts-led romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding (1997).

That same year he returned to Broadway, playing Andrei Prozorov in the revival of Anton Chekov's Three Sisters.

Greg Evans of Variety wrote, "[Giamatti,] as the sisters’ pensive, dispirited brother Andrei, plays urban neurosis like a Richard Lewis stand-up routine, then slides into shaky-voiced melodrama when the going gets tough".

In 1998, Giamatti appeared in a number of supporting roles in the big-budget films including Peter Weir's drama The Truman Show, Steven Spielberg's World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, and the action thriller The Negotiator.

In 1999, he played Bob Zmuda and Tony Clifton in Miloš Forman's Andy Kaufman biopic, Man on the Moon.

Giamatti continued working steadily during the early 2000s by appearing in major studio releases including Duets (2000), Big Momma's House (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001) and Big Fat Liar (2002).

He also portrayed Limbo in Planet of the Apes (2001), Eugene Landy in Love & Mercy (2014) and Jerry Heller in Straight Outta Compton (2015).

He won acclaim for his leading roles in American Splendor (2003), Sideways (2004), Win Win (2011), and Private Life (2018).

He earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Joe Gould in Cinderella Man (2005) and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as disgruntled teacher Paul Hunham in The Holdovers (2023).

He has also acted in The Illusionist (2006), Fred Claus (2007), The Ides of March (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013), and Saving Mr. Banks (2013).

On television, Giamatti played the title role in the HBO miniseries John Adams (2008), which earned him acclaim and several awards including a Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe.

He starred as U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades Jr in the Showtime television series Billions (2016–2023), and earned Emmy nominations for his roles as Ben Bernanke in the HBO film Too Big to Fail (2011), and Harold Levinson in the ITV series Downton Abbey (2013).