John Malkovich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Malkovich
|
|
|---|---|
Malkovich in 2023
|
|
| Born | December 9, 1953 Christopher, Illinois, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | William Esper Studio |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1976–present |
|
Works
|
Full list |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Partner(s) | Nicoletta Peyran (1989–present) |
| Children | 2 |
John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for his many roles in movies, TV shows, and plays. He has won several awards, including an Emmy Award, and has been nominated for two Oscars. He has also received nominations for a BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Awards.
Malkovich began his acting journey in 1976 as one of the first members of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. He later moved to New York City to perform in a play called True West. He made his first appearance on Broadway in 1984 in the play Death of a Salesman. He also directed plays and acted in others, showing his talent both on and off stage.
John Malkovich has been nominated for two Oscars for his roles in Places in the Heart (1984) and In the Line of Fire (1993). Some of his other well-known movies include The Killing Fields (1984), Empire of the Sun (1987), Of Mice and Men (1992), and Being John Malkovich (1999). He has also worked as a producer for films like Juno (2007).
On television, he won an Emmy Award for his role in the TV version of Death of a Salesman (1985). He has also appeared in TV series such as Billions (2018–19) and Space Force (2020–2022).
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Malkovich was born in Christopher, Illinois, on December 9, 1953. He grew up in Benton, Illinois. His father, Daniel Leon Malkovich, was a director for state conservation efforts. His mother, Joe Anne, owned a local newspaper and a conservation magazine. John grew up with an older brother and three younger sisters.
His grandparents on his father's side were immigrants from Ozalj, Croatia. He also has English, Scottish, French, and German family roots. During his high school years, John Malkovich performed in many plays and musicals. He was also part of a folk gospel music group that sang at churches and community events.
After high school, Malkovich went to Eastern Illinois University and then Illinois State University. He studied theater but later left college. He continued to study acting at the William Esper Studio.
Acting Career Highlights
In 1976, John Malkovich became a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. He moved to New York City in 1980 to act in a play called True West, which earned him an Obie Award. One of his first movie roles was a small part in the film A Wedding (1978).
He made his big movie debut as Mr. Will in Places in the Heart (1984). For this role, he received his first Oscar nomination. He also played Al Rockoff in the movie The Killing Fields (1984).
Malkovich made his Broadway debut in Death of a Salesman in 1984, acting alongside Dustin Hoffman. He won an Emmy Award when this play was made into a TV movie in 1985. He continued to work steadily in films like Empire of the Sun (1987), directed by Steven Spielberg.
In 1992, Malkovich starred in the movie Of Mice and Men as Lennie. He received another Oscar nomination for his role in In the Line of Fire (1993). He also hosted the TV show Saturday Night Live three times.
Malkovich played the French king Charles VII in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). He also played a funny version of himself in the unique movie Being John Malkovich (1999).
His first time directing a film was with The Dancer Upstairs, released in 2002. He also played the character Tom Ripley in Ripley's Game (2002).
Other movies he has appeared in include The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Eragon (2006), Beowulf (2007), and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). In 2014, he was the voice of Dave the Octopus in the animated movie Penguins of Madagascar.
In 2008, Malkovich directed a play in French called Good Canary in Paris, for which he won a Molière Award for best director. He later directed this play in Spanish and English.
In 2016, Malkovich wrote and starred in a movie called 100 Years. This movie is locked away in a vault and will not be seen by anyone until the year 2115!
In 2018, Malkovich played the famous detective Hercule Poirot in a TV series based on Agatha Christie's The A.B.C. Murders. He also starred in the HBO drama series The New Pope (2020) and the Netflix comedy series Space Force.
Malkovich has worked many times with Lithuanian actress Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė. They have performed together in plays and other productions over the years.
Fashion Design
John Malkovich also has a passion for fashion. In 2002, he started his own fashion company called Mrs. Mudd. He released his first menswear collection, "Uncle Kimono," in 2003. His second clothing line, "Technobohemian," came out in 2011. Malkovich designed the clothes himself. He has since stopped designing fashion but still enjoys seeing new collections from other designers.
In the Media
In 2014, a photographer named Sandro Miller created a project called Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographer Master. In this project, John Malkovich recreated 35 famous portraits, posing as the subjects in the original photos.
Malkovich also appeared in his first video game role in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. He has been in music videos, including "Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox and "Phenomenal" by Eminem. In 2017, he appeared in some funny Super Bowl commercials where he tried to get control of the website domain johnmalkovich.com.
Personal Life
John Malkovich married actress Glenne Headly in 1982, but they divorced in 1988. He then began dating Nicoletta Peyran in 1989. They met on the set of a movie where she was an assistant director. They have two children, Amandine and Loewy.
Malkovich has a very unique voice that has been described as "wafting, whispery, and reedy." He is fluent in French and lived in southern France for almost 10 years. He and his family later moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Malkovich is a co-owner of a restaurant and a nightclub in Lisbon, Portugal. He also owns a farm in France where he grows grapes and produces his own wine. He has helped raise money for the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which is his main charity.
Malkovich has said that he is not a "political person" and does not have a strong political viewpoint. He has also mentioned that he is an atheist or agnostic, meaning he is not sure if there is a "great creator" controlling everything.
Awards and Nominations
John Malkovich has received many awards and nominations throughout his career.
- He won a Primetime Emmy Award for his role in Death of a Salesman (1985).
- He was nominated for two Oscars for Places in the Heart (1984) and In the Line of Fire (1993).
- He also received nominations for BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
- In 2008, he won a Molière Award for best director for the play Good Canary.
- He received the Golden Eye Award at the Zurich Film Festival in 2014.
He has also been honored with the Order of Danica Hrvatska from Croatia in 2003 and the Order of Merit (Ukraine) in 2018.
See also
In Spanish: John Malkovich para niños
