Adam Driver facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adam Driver
Driver at the Tokyo premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017
Born	Adam Douglas Driver (1983-11-19) November 19, 1983 (age 41) Fontana, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Juilliard School (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2009–present
Spouse(s)	Joanne Tucker ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	2
Awards	Full list
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Rank	Lance corporal

Adam Douglas Driver (born November 19, 1983) is a well-known American actor. He is famous for his roles in many different kinds of movies. You might know him best as Kylo Ren from the Star Wars movies.

Before becoming a big movie star, Adam Driver served in the United States Marine Corps. He also started a group called Arts in the Armed Forces. This group helps military members and their families enjoy free art programs.

Adam Driver's Early Life and Military Service

Adam Driver was born in Fontana, California, on November 19, 1983. His family moved around a bit when he was young. He spent some time in San Diego before moving to Mishawaka, Indiana, where he grew up. He went to Mishawaka High School and graduated in 2001.

As a teenager, Adam was very energetic. He was active in his school's choir and theater programs. He tried to get into Juilliard School, a famous acting school, but wasn't accepted at first. After high school, he worked different jobs, like selling vacuum cleaners.

After the September 11 attacks, Adam Driver decided to join the United States Marine Corps. He served for almost three years. He was a mortar man, which means he worked with a type of military weapon. He had to leave the Marines after getting injured while mountain biking. He was given the rank of Lance Corporal.

After his time in the military, Adam tried again to get into Juilliard. This time, he was accepted! He studied acting there from 2005 to 2009. It was a big change from military life, and he worked hard to fit in. While at Juilliard, he met his future wife, Joanne Tucker.

Adam Driver's Acting Career

Adam Driver at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival

After finishing school at Juilliard, Adam Driver moved to New York City. He started acting in plays both on and off Broadway. Like many new actors, he also worked other jobs, like being a busboy. He appeared in some TV shows and short films. His first movie role was in J. Edgar in 2011.

Breaking Through on TV and Film (2009–2014)

In 2012, Adam Driver got a big role in the HBO TV show Girls. He played Adam Sackler, a character who was sometimes a bit unpredictable. His acting in Girls was very popular, and he was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

During this time, he also acted in several movies. He was in Steven Spielberg's historical film Lincoln. He also appeared in movies like Frances Ha and Inside Llewyn Davis. In 2014, he won an award called the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 71st Venice International Film Festival for his role in the movie Hungry Hearts.

Becoming a Global Star (2015–2019)

Adam Driver promoting Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con

Adam Driver became famous around the world when he was cast as the villain Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). He played this character in two more Star Wars movies: The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Many people praised his acting as Kylo Ren.

He also took on other important roles during these years. He played a bus driver who writes poetry in the movie Paterson (2016). For this role, he won several awards from film critics. He also appeared in Silence (2016), where he played a priest.

In 2018, Adam Driver starred in Spike Lee's movie BlacKkKlansman. He played a police detective who goes undercover to learn about a hate group. His performance earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2019, he returned to Broadway in the play Burn This. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his acting in this play. That same year, he starred in the movie Marriage Story with Scarlett Johansson. He played a theater director going through a divorce. This role earned him another Academy Award for Best Actor nomination.

Recent Projects (2020–present)

Adam Driver continues to act in many different types of films. In 2021, he starred in the musical film Annette. He also worked with director Ridley Scott on two historical films: The Last Duel and House of Gucci.

In 2022, he was in the movie White Noise. In 2023, he played Enzo Ferrari in the biopic film Ferrari. He also hosted Saturday Night Live several times, showing his comedic side. In 2024, he starred in Francis Ford Coppola's movie Megalopolis. He is also set to return to the stage in an off-Broadway play.

Adam Driver's Personal Life

Adam Driver married his long-time girlfriend, Joanne Tucker, in June 2013. They met while they were both studying at Juilliard. They have two children, a son born in 2018 and a daughter born in 2023. They like to keep their family life private. The family lives in Brooklyn Heights with their dog.

Adam Driver founded Arts in the Armed Forces (AITAF). This is a non-profit group that brings theater performances to military members and their families around the world.

He has mentioned that he doesn't like to watch or listen to his own performances. He prefers to act and then move on to the next project.

Acting Credits

Film

Key

Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2011	J. Edgar	Walter Lyle
2012	Gayby	Neil
	Not Waving But Drowning	Adam
	Frances Ha	Lev Shapiro
	Lincoln	Samuel Beckwith
2013	Bluebird	Walter
	Inside Llewyn Davis	Al Cody
	Tracks	Rick Smolan
	The F Word	Allan
2014	Hungry Hearts	Jude
	While We're Young	Jamie Massey
	This Is Where I Leave You	Phillip Altman
2015	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	Kylo Ren
2016	Midnight Special	Paul Sevier
	Paterson	Paterson
	Silence	Father Francisco Garupe
2017	The Meyerowitz Stories	Randy
	Logan Lucky	Clyde Logan
	Star Wars: The Last Jedi	Kylo Ren
2018	BlacKkKlansman	Det. Philip "Flip" Zimmerman
	The Man Who Killed Don Quixote	Toby Grummett
2019	The Report	Daniel J. Jones
	The Dead Don't Die	Officer Ronald Peterson
	Marriage Story	Charlie Barber
	Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker	Ben Solo / Kylo Ren
2021	Annette	Henry McHenry	Also producer
	The Last Duel	Jacques le Gris
	House of Gucci	Maurizio Gucci
2022	White Noise	Jack Gladney
2023	65	Commander Mills
	Ferrari	Enzo Ferrari	Also executive producer
2024	Megalopolis	Cesar Catilina
2025	Father, Mother, Sister, Brother	TBA	Post-production

Television

Theater

Video games

Theme park attractions

Awards and Nominations

Adam Driver has received many awards and nominations for his acting. For his TV work, he was nominated four times for a Primetime Emmy Award. Three of these were for his role in Girls. He also got an Emmy nomination for hosting Saturday Night Live.

For his movie roles, he has been nominated twice for an Academy Award. These nominations were for his performances in BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Marriage Story (2019). He also received nominations from the British Academy Film Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for these films. In 2019, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his acting in the Broadway play Burn This.

Images for kids

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  Adam Driver at the premiere of Paterson at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival

See Also

In Spanish: Adam Driver para niños