Greg Kinnear Biography

Gregory Buck "Greg" Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor and television personality who first rose to stardom in 1991. He has appeared in more than 20 motion pictures, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in As Good as It Gets.

He has appeared in other notable films, including Sabrina, You've Got Mail, Nurse Betty, We Were Soldiers, Little Miss Sunshine, Invincible and Green Zone. Notable TV roles include Friends and his Emmy nominated roles for Talk Soup, The Kennedys and Modern Family.

Early life

Kinnear was born in Logansport, Indiana, United States, the son of Suzanne (née Buck), a homemaker, and Edward Kinnear, a career diplomat who worked for the US State Department. He has two brothers, James and Steven. He grew up a "Foreign Service brat", having moved around frequently, from Beirut to Athens. 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 United States for a college education, he attended the University of Arizona, where he graduated in 1985 with a degree in broadcast journalism. Kinnear was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity at Arizona.

Career

Talk shows

Kinnear hosted a short-lived game show, College Mad House, which was spun off from the kids' show, Fun House. Later he would become the creator, co-executive producer, and host of Best of the Worst which aired from 1990 to 1991. Unfortunately, due to a series of events caused by Rooster Teeth founder Burnie Burns, the show was canceled; Burnie recounts the tale of impersonating his college friend Dal as a candidate for Best of the Worst Jobs, where it escalated to the point that Dal had actually won the competition. The truth of his entry was later revealed, and the issue is believed to have caused the end of the series. In 1991, Kinnear became the first host of Talk Soup, which he did until 1995, when he left the show for the NBC late-night talk show, Later with Greg Kinnear (1994).

Film roles

It was in 1994 that Kinnear had his first big screen role, as a talk show host in the Damon Wayans comedy Blankman. In 1995 he won the part of 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' 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 was the popular You've Got Mail, in which he played Meg Ryan's significant other. His following films were Mystery Men, Nurse Betty, Loser, The Gift, and Someone Like You. Kinnear often alternated roles, often playing good guys like a playboy in Sabrina or a gay painter in As Good as It Gets, to bad guys such as a sleazy college professor in Loser, a womanizer in Someone Like You and an egotistical soap opera star in Nurse Betty.

Kinnear starred in the movie Auto Focus about the life and murder of actor Bob Crane in 2002. In 2003 he starred in Stuck On You, a comedy in which he played opposite Matt Damon as a conjoined twin who pursues his dream of becoming a Hollywood actor in spite of his joined brother's desire for a different kind of life. In 2005 he starred in the black comedy The Matador opposite Pierce Brosnan and voiced the main antagonist, Ratchet in the compter-animated film Robots.

Kinnear co-starred with Steve Carell in the Oscar-winning comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine in 2006, 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.

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.)

Greg also appeared in the movie Baby Mama with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. He played a man working in a local smoothie shop and sparked a romantic interest in Tina Fey's character. In 2010, Kinnear starred as the estranged father of Miley Cyrus' character in The Last Song.

In 2011 Kinnear starred in the miniseries The Kennedys playing the lead role as John F. Kennedy. It was originally planned to air on the History Channel, however, it was announced in January 2011 that the miniseries had been pulled from that network. It was subsequently picked up by ReelzChannel and then first aired on April 3, 2011.

Kinnear starred as a famous novelist in the directorial debut of Josh Boone, Stuck in Love. The film followed his relationships with his ex-wife (Jennifer Connelly) and teenage children.

Personal life

Kinnear married British model, Helen Labdon, in 1999. Labdon was previously a former Page 3 glamour model. They have three daughters, Lily Kathryn (born September 2003), Audrey Mae (born June 2006) and Kate "Katie" Grace (born fall 2009).

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Blankman	Talk Show Host
1995	Sabrina	David Larrabee	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor
1996	Dear God	Tom Turner
1996	Beavis and Butt-head Do America	ATF Agent Bork	Uncredited Voice Role
1997	A Smile Like Yours	Danny Robertson
1997	As Good as It Gets	Simon Bishop	National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor " Motion Picture Nominated "? Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor " Motion Picture Nominated "? Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
1998	You've Got Mail	Frank Navasky	Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor " Comedy/Romance
1999	Mystery Men	Captain Amazing/Lance Hunt
2000	What Planet Are You From?	Perry Gordon
2000	Nurse Betty	Dr. David Ravell/George McCord
2000	Loser	Professor Edward Alcott
2000	The Gift	Wayne Collins
2001	Someone Like You	Ray Brown
2002	We Were Soldiers	Maj. Bruce "Snake" Crandall
2002	Auto Focus	Bob Crane	Nominated "? New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (3rd place)
2003	Stuck on You	Walt Tenor
2004	Godsend	Paul Duncan
2005	The Matador	Danny Wright
2005	Robots	Phineas T. Ratchet	Voice Role
2005	Bad News Bears	Roy Bullock
2006	Fast Food Nation	Don Anderson
2006	Little Miss Sunshine	Richard Hoover	Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated "? Central Ohio Film Critics Association for Best Ensemble (2nd place) Nominated "? Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2006	Invincible	Dick Vermeil
2006	Unknown	Broken Nose
2007	Feast of Love	Bradley Smith
2008	Baby Mama	Rob Ackerman
2008	Ghost Town	Frank Herlihy
2008	Flash of Genius	Bob Kearns	Boston Film Festival Award for Best Actor
2010	Green Zone	Clark Poundstone
2010	The Last Song	Steve Miller
2011	Thin Ice	Mickey Prohaska
2011	That's What I Am	Narrator	Uncredited
2011	Salvation Boulevard	Carl Vanderveer
2011	I Don't Know How She Does It	Richard Reddy
2012	Stuck in Love	Bill Borgens
2013	Movie 43	Griffin Schraeder	Segment "The Pitch"
2013	The English Teacher	Dr. Tom Sherwood
2013	Anchorman: The Legend Continues	TBD	filming
2014	Heaven Is for Real	Todd Burpo	filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	What Price Victory	Assistance	Television movie
1989	Life Goes On	Corey	Episode: "Break a Leg, Mom"
1990	Murder in Mississippi	News Reporter	Television movie
1990	Mancuso, FBI	Photographer	Episode: "Adamant Eve"
1991	Dillinger	Arizona Legislator	Television movie
1991	L.A. Law	Reporter	Episode: "Spleen It to Me, Lucy"
1991"1995	Talk Soup	Host	2 episodes Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Program
1993	Based on an Untrue Story	Orlando Chang Stein	Television movie
2000	Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child	Prince Gavin	Episode: "The Frog Princess"
2001	Dinner With Friends	Tom	Television movie
2003	Friends	Benjamin Hobart	Episode: "The One with Ross' Grant"
2011	The Kennedys	John F. Kennedy	8 episodes Nominated "? Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated "? Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2012	Modern Family	Tad	Episode: "Me? Jealous?" Nominated "? Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

• 1997: 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

Daytime Emmy Awards

• 1995: Won, "Outstanding Special Class Program" " "Talk Soup" (shared w/producers)

Emmy Awards

• 2012: Nominated, "Guest Actor in a Comedy Series" - Modern Family

Golden Apple Awards

• 1996: Won, "Male Discovery of the Year"

Golden Globe Awards

• 1998: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture" " As Good as It Gets

Gotham Awards

• 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

The last song Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards

• 2006: Won, "Best Ensemble Cast" " Little Miss Sunshine (shared w/castmembers)

Satellite Awards

• 1998: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy/Musical Motion Picture" " As Good as It Gets

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 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