Adrien Brody biography
Adrien Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an Academy Award-winning United States actor. He received widespread recognition when he was cast as the lead in Roman Polanski's
The Pianist (2002 film) (2002). The role won him an Academy Award for Best Actor, the youngest actor ever to win the award, and a César Award for Best Actor, the only American actor to win one.
Biography
Early life
Brody was born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York, the son of Sylvia Plachy, a photojournalist, and Elliot Brody, a retired history professor and painter. Brody's father is Jewish and Brody's mother was born in Budapest, Hungary to a Catholic father and Jewish mother. As a child, Brody performed magic shows at children's birthday parties as "The Amazing Adrien". Brody attended New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (famous as the inspiration for television's
Fame (1982 TV series)). His parents enrolled him in acting classes to distance him from the dangerous kids with whom he associated.
In 1992, Brody was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident in which he flew over a car and crashed head-first into a crosswalk. He spent months recuperating. An avid daredevil, he has broken his nose three times doing off-the-wall stunts. His nose was also broken once again during the filming of
Summer of Sam.
Career
Taking acting classes as a youth, by age thirteen, he had done an off-Broadway play and a PBS-TV-movie. Brody hovered on the brink of stardom, receiving an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his role in the 1998 film
Restaurant and later praise for his roles in Spike Lee's
Summer of Sam and Terrence Malick's
The Thin Red Line (1998 film). He received widespread recognition when he was cast as the lead in Roman Polanski's
The Pianist (2002 film) (2002). To prepare for the role, Brody withdrew for months, gave up his apartment and his car, learned how to play Frédéric Chopin on the piano, and lost 29 lbs (13 kg). The role won him an Academy Award for Best Actor, making him, at 29, the youngest actor ever to win the award. He also won a César Award for his performance, becoming the only American actor to win one. Throughout his career, Brody has been compared to Al Pacino for his unique looks and method acting. He is also widely known for giving presenter Halle Berry a back-breaking kiss after winning his Best Actor Oscar, and as the spokesman for fashion brand Ermenegildo Zegna.
Brody appeared on
Saturday Night Live on May 10, 2003, his first TV work, but he was banned from the show after giving an improvised introduction while wearing faux dreadlocks for Jamaican reggae musical guest Sean Paul (the show's producer, Lorne Michaels, is notorious for hating unscripted performances). However, the unscripted intro remains in reruns of the episode. Other TV appearances include NBC's
Today (NBC program) and on MTV's
Punk'd after being tricked by Ashton Kutcher.
After
The Pianist (2002 film) Brody has appeared in four very different movies. He played Noah Percy, a mentally disabled young man in the movie
The Village (film) by M. Night Shyamalan, shell-shocked war veteran Jack Starks in
The Jacket, writer Jack Driscoll in the 2005
King Kong (2005 film) remake, and father-to-be Peter Whitman in
The Darjeeling Limited by Wes Anderson.
King Kong was a box office success; it grossed $550 million worldwide and is Brody's most successful movie to date. He also played a detective in
Hollywoodland. He has also appeared in Diet Coke commercials and Tori Amos' music video for "A Sorta Fairytale".
On January 5, 2006, Brody confirmed speculation that he indeed was interested and very willing to play the role of The Joker (comics) in 2008's
The Dark Knight (film). However, Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. eventually decided to cast Heath Ledger as The Joker. He was also in talks with Paramount to play Spock in J.J. Abrams
Star Trek (film), but it ultimately went to Zachary Quinto. Brody has been confirmed to star as a con man in Rian Johnson's
The Brothers Bloom, which is slated to be released on October 24, 2008. Brody will also star in
Splice, a science fiction film directed by Vincenzo Natali that is slated for a 2009 release. Brody is currently filming
Cadillac Records, directed by Darnell Martin, which is slated for a 2008 release.
Personal life
Brody is currently dating Elsa Pataky.
Brody has been linked to famous starlet Keira Knightley, his costar in The Jacket.
Adrien Brody in the news
Advocate Reporter Treats Adrien Brody Like a Piece of Meat - Queerty
Advocate Reporter Treats Adrien Brody Like a Piece of MeatQueerty, NY - 5 hours agoWell, The Advocate's Brandon Voss is that guy and he lets loos on actor Adrien Brody in the magazine's latest installment of "Big Gay Following" or as we ...
read moreBig Gay Following: Adrien Brody - Advocate.com
Advocate.comBig Gay Following: Adrien BrodyAdvocate.com, CA - Nov 19, 2008By Brandon Voss Adrien Brody is a serious actor. After all, he won an Academy Award for his portrayal in The Pianist of a Polish Jewish musician struggling ...
read moreAdrien Brody's gay flirt joy - MyParkMag
MyParkMagAdrien Brody's gay flirt joyMyParkMag, UK - 13 hours agoThe Oscar-winning actor - who plays a homosexual in 1997's 'The Last Time I Committed Suicide' - insists he doesn't mind attracting attention from other men ...
read moreBeyoncé: Worker B - Billboard
WJBF-TVBeyoncé: Worker BBillboard, NY - Nov 18, 2008On a brisk March day in Rahway, NJ, Beyoncé and Adrien Brody are filming a crucial scene for their upcoming movie "Cadillac Records. ...Beyoncé'stwo sides: The fierce, the banal Philadelphia InquirerBeyonce's #1 in Japan! MarketWatchBeyonce: shy big sister by day, wild girl by night Times OnlineStarpulse.comall 319 news articles
read moreSexiest 20 Men Alive - phillyBurbs.com
phillyBurbs.comSexiest 20 Men AlivephillyBurbs.com, PA - 12 hours agoAdrien Brody— There is just something so different about the way Adrien Brody looks. He has the mysterious, intelligent thing going on. ...
read moreAdrien Brody's Fairytale Castle - Jaunted
JauntedAdrien Brody's Fairytale CastleJaunted - Nov 13, 2008If you’ve been following our Chasing Michigan series, you know that right now Adrien Brody is in Howell, Michigan filming the movie "High School. ..."School" Is In Session Jauntedall 2 news articles
read moreTrailer Hitch - Box Office Prophets
iFMagazineTrailer HitchBox Office Prophets - Nov 19, 2008It's Cadillac Records, an R-rated musical based around the early days of Chicago-based record company Chess Records, headed by Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), ...Clip of the Day: WATCH THE TRAILER FOR 'CADILLAC RECORDS' iFMagazineall 2 news articles
read moreAdrien Brody Turns Action Hero For ‘The Courier’ - MTV.com
Adrien Brody Turns Action Hero For ‘The Courier’MTV.com - Oct 28, 2008Adrien Brody is one unpredictable guy. After he shot to fame in “The Pianist,” I expected him to be the dramatic actor, one of those stars who is legendary ...Adrien Brody The Courier CanMagBrody Delivers The Courier IGNAdrien Brody to star in 'The Courier' VarietyReuters UK - Cinema Blendall 24 news articles
read moreBid now on film-premiere packages for Cadillac Records, starring .....
Bid now on film-premiere packages for Cadillac Records, starring ...Auction Central News, NY - Nov 14, 2008Cadillac Records, the new film starring Adrien Brody and a stellar supporting cast that includes Beyoncé Knowles, chronicles the rise of Chess Records and ...
read moreAdrien Brody's Home Is His Castle - Concierge
Adrien Brody's Home Is His CastleConcierge, NY - Nov 14, 2008by Beata Loyfman Adrien Brody has a lot to brag about: He won an Oscar for The Pianist. His girlfriend is the lovely Spanish actress Elsa Pataky (you might ...
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