Kieran Culkin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kieran Culkin
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Culkin in 2024
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Kieran Kyle Culkin
September 30, 1982 New York City, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1988–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Jazz Charton
(m. 2013) |
| Children | 2 |
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| Awards | Full list |
Kieran Kyle Culkin (born September 30, 1982) is an American actor. He is known for playing interesting characters in movies and TV shows. Kieran has won many awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Kieran started acting when he was a child in plays. He first appeared in a movie with his older brother, Macaulay, in the Christmas comedy Home Alone (1990). He became well-known for his role as a smart teenager in the movie Igby Goes Down (2002). This role earned him his first Golden Globe Award nomination. After this, Kieran took a break from acting on screen. He returned to movies six years later, playing Wallace Wells in the action comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010). Kieran won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Real Pain (2024).
On television, Kieran became very popular for playing Roman Roy in the HBO drama series Succession (2018–2023). For this role, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He has also done voice acting for shows like Solar Opposites (2022–present) and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023). On stage, Kieran has starred in plays like This Is Our Youth in London and on Broadway. He also played Richard Roma in the Broadway play Glengarry Glen Ross (2025).
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Early Life and Family
Kieran Kyle Culkin was born on September 30, 1982, in New York City. He was the fourth of seven children born to Christopher "Kit" Culkin and Patricia Brentrup. His father was a stage actor, and his mother worked as a road traffic controller. Kieran was raised Roman Catholic with his six brothers and sisters: Shane, Dakota, Macaulay, Quinn, Christian, and Rory. He also had a half-sister, Jennifer. Actress Bonnie Bedelia is his aunt. Kieran's family has German, Irish, and Norwegian roots.
For his first nine years, Kieran and his family lived in a small apartment in Yorkville. Kieran attended a Catholic school for free until third grade. He later studied theater, film, and television at the Professional Children's School, but he left before finishing high school.
Kieran's mother always showed him great love and support. She managed all the children's needs while working night shifts. His parents separated in 1995. After this, Kieran kept a good relationship with his mother but has not been close with his father.
Acting Career
Starting Out in the 1990s
Kieran started acting at a very young age. Some of his first memories are posing for photos for acting jobs. His career began when a theater company needed children for their plays. Kieran started auditioning with his older brothers and sisters when he was six. His first professional job was in a TV commercial.
When he was seven, Kieran made his first movie appearance as Fuller McCallister in Home Alone (1990). He played the youngest cousin of the main character, Kevin, who was played by his brother Macaulay. Kieran said he didn't fully understand the movie while filming. Home Alone became a very popular Christmas movie.
In 1991, Kieran had small roles in the romantic comedies Only the Lonely and Father of the Bride. He was nominated for a Young Artist Award for his role in Father of the Bride. Kieran played Fuller McCallister again in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). He also appeared in other films like Nowhere to Run (1993), My Summer Story (1994), and Father of the Bride Part II (1995).
Becoming Well-Known with Igby Goes Down
As Kieran grew older, he took on lead roles in independent films and smaller parts in bigger movies. In 1996, he starred in Amanda and was a guest on the TV show Frasier. He then played a boy with a rare condition in The Mighty (1998). For this role, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award. The director of The Mighty treated Kieran like a serious actor, which helped him learn more about acting.
The next year, Kieran appeared in Music of the Heart, a movie about a violinist. He also had supporting roles in She's All That and The Cider House Rules. In 2000, Kieran returned to the stage in an off-Broadway play called The Moment When.
Kieran had his first regular role in a TV series with the show Go Fish (2001). In 2002, he starred in two films: The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and Igby Goes Down. Critics praised Kieran's performance in Igby Goes Down, calling it his breakthrough role. For this movie, Kieran won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Break from Screen and Theater Work
After Igby Goes Down, Kieran realized acting had become his career. He decided to take a break from movies and TV to figure out if he truly wanted to be an actor. During this time, he focused mostly on theater.
He took over a role in the London play This Is Our Youth (2002–2003). This play was very important to him. For the play After Ashley (2005), he played a young man in a difficult family. This role earned him an Obie Award. In 2006, Kieran starred in another play called SubUrbia and made his Broadway debut in First Tree in Antarctica. He also performed in other plays like The Starry Messenger (2009) and more runs of This Is Our Youth.
Kieran slowly returned to movies with Lymelife (2008) and Paper Man (2009). In Edgar Wright's action comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Kieran played Wallace Wells, the main character's cool roommate. Many critics said he was one of the best parts of the movie. Kieran also had a small role in Margaret (2011) and appeared in the comedies Movie 43 (2013) and Quitters (2015). On TV, he had a guest role in the series Fargo (2015). In 2016, he was part of the cast in the film Wiener-Dog. By the time he filmed Infinity Baby (2017), Kieran felt comfortable with acting and decided it was what he wanted to do.
Succession and Recent Work
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From 2018 to 2023, Kieran became widely recognized for his lead role as Roman Roy in the HBO series Succession. He says this show made him sure he wanted to be an actor. Kieran's performance, especially in the final season, received high praise and many awards. These include the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, the Golden Globe Award, and two Critics' Choice Television Awards.
In 2020, Kieran reunited with the Father of the Bride cast for a short film. He played a supporting role in the crime thriller No Sudden Move (2021). He also hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live in 2021, thirty years after his brother Macaulay hosted. In 2022, Kieran narrated the documentary series Gaming Wall Street and joined the animated show Solar Opposites. He returned to voice Wallace Wells in the animated series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023).
In 2024, Kieran starred in the comedy film A Real Pain. He played Benjamin "Benji" Kaplan, a free-spirited character who travels to Poland with his cousin. Critics highly praised Kieran's performance. He won several awards for his work, including the Academy Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Golden Globe Award.
In 2025, Kieran returned to Broadway in the play Glengarry Glen Ross. He will also voice Squealer in the animated movie Animal Farm and play Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (2026).
Personal Life
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Kieran briefly dated his co-star Anna Paquin in 2005. He was in a relationship with his co-star Emma Stone from 2009 to 2011. They remained good friends after their split. In 2012, Kieran met Jazz Charton, a British advertising specialist. They got married on June 22, 2013, during a road trip in Iowa. The couple has two children: a daughter born in September 2019, and a son born in August 2021. Kieran's Succession co-star Sarah Snook is the godmother to their son. The family lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Kieran enjoys cooking, playing retro video games, and watching professional wrestling. His co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. once called him an "encyclopedia" of wrestling knowledge. Kieran has attended many WrestleMania events. He also knows American Sign Language.
Kieran became friends with singer Michael Jackson around the time Home Alone was released. He often visited Michael Jackson's home, Neverland Ranch, with his siblings. Kieran has chosen not to speak about his relationship with Michael Jackson due to its sensitive nature.
Acting Credits and Awards
Some of Kieran Culkin's most praised films include Father of the Bride (1991), The Mighty (1998), The Cider House Rules (1999), The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002), Igby Goes Down (2002), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Wiener-Dog (2016), Infinity Baby (2017), No Sudden Move (2021), and A Real Pain (2024).
Among his major awards, Kieran has won an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. He is the first actor since 2012 to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for a film that was not nominated for Best Picture. Kieran is also the third actor to win the "Big Four" film critics awards for a supporting role.
Images for kids
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Kieran Culkin in 2024
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Kieran Culkin at a panel for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World in 2010
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Kieran Culkin at the screening of A Real Pain during the 2024 New York Film Festival
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Kieran Culkin and his wife, Jazz Charton, at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2024
See also
In Spanish: Kieran Culkin para niños
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
