Peter Dinklage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Dinklage
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Dinklage in 2023
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| Born |
Peter Hayden Dinklage
June 11, 1969 Jersey Shore, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Bennington College |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Height | 4 ft 5 in (1.35 m) |
| Spouse(s) |
Erica Schmidt
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
Peter Hayden Dinklage (born June 11, 1969) is a famous American actor. He is best known for playing Tyrion Lannister in the TV series Game of Thrones. For this role, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series four times. This is a record! He also won a Golden Globe Award in 2011.
Dinklage has a common type of dwarfism called achondroplasia. He is 4 feet 5 inches tall. He uses his fame to help people learn more about dwarfism.
He studied acting at Bennington College. He appeared in many plays there. His first movie was Living in Oblivion (1995). He became well-known after starring in The Station Agent (2003). He has also been in movies like Elf (2003), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018). He also does voice acting for video games and animated movies.
Contents
Peter Dinklage: An Amazing Actor
Early Life and Acting Dreams
Peter Dinklage was born on June 11, 1969, in Jersey Shore, New Jersey. His father, John Carl Dinklage, sold insurance. His mother, Diane Dinklage, was a music teacher. He grew up in Mendham Township with his parents and older brother, Jonathan. Peter is the only one in his family with achondroplasia.
When he was a child, Peter and his brother put on puppet shows for their neighbors. Peter said his brother, Jonathan, was the "real performer." Jonathan is now a violinist for the musical Hamilton.
Peter first acted in a fifth-grade play called The Velveteen Rabbit. He loved how the audience reacted. He went to Delbarton School, where he improved his acting skills. A play called True West inspired him to become an actor in 1984.
He then went to Bennington College to study drama. He acted in many plays and graduated in 1991. He moved to New York City to start a theater company. Before becoming a full-time actor, he worked at a data-processing company for six years.
Starting His Acting Career (1995–2002)
At first, Dinklage found it hard to get acting jobs. He didn't want to play typical roles for actors with dwarfism, like "elves or leprechauns."
His first movie role was in Living in Oblivion (1995). In this film, he played an actor with dwarfism who was tired of playing the same old roles. The next year, he was in the crime drama Bullet. Even after his good performance in Living in Oblivion, he struggled to find an agent. Later, he was cast in the comedy 13 Moons (2002). He once said his dream role was to be the "romantic lead" who gets the girl.
Becoming a Star (2003–2010)
Dinklage's big break came in 2003 with the movie The Station Agent. He played Finbar McBride, a quiet man who loves trains. The director, Tom McCarthy, wrote the role for Dinklage. Peter liked that the character was not a stereotype. McBride had "romantic feelings" and "flaws." This role earned him nominations for acting awards. Critics praised his performance. The Station Agent was a success, earning over $8 million.
In 2003, Dinklage also appeared in the movie Tiptoes. He also starred in several plays. That same year, he was in the Christmas comedy Elf. He played Miles Finch, a children's author. In 2005, he was in the TV series Threshold and the movie The Baxter. He also appeared in Lassie.
In 2006, Dinklage co-starred with Vin Diesel in Find Me Guilty. He played a lawyer named Ben Klandis. Critics liked his performance. He also appeared in TV shows like Nip/Tuck, Entourage, and 30 Rock. He was also in the romantic comedy Penelope.
Dinklage was in the 2007 comedy film Death at a Funeral. He played the same role in the 2010 American remake. In 2007, he voiced the villain Simon Bar Sinister in Underdog.
In 2008, Dinklage played Trumpkin in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Later that year, he played the main role in the play Uncle Vanya. In 2010, he was in the Australian movie I Love You Too.
Huge Success with Game of Thrones (2011–Present)
From 2011 to 2019, Dinklage played Tyrion Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones. This show is based on the A Song of Ice and Fire books. Game of Thrones is about noble families fighting for power in a fantasy world. Tyrion is from a rich family, House Lannister. He uses his intelligence to deal with how people treat him because of his dwarfism.
Dinklage was the first actor cast for the show. The creators, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, wanted him because he was funny, smart, and witty. They said he had a "core of humanity" and a "sardonic dry wit," just like the character.
Dinklage was careful at first because he didn't want to play typical fantasy roles. But Benioff and Weiss told him Tyrion was "a different kind of fantasy little person." He was "No beard, no pointy shoes, a romantic, real human being." Dinklage agreed to the role quickly. The author, George R. R. Martin, said he didn't know what they would have done if Dinklage hadn't taken the part.
Critics loved Dinklage's performance. Many said he was charming and smart. Some even said Game of Thrones belonged to him. Tyrion became one of the most popular characters in the series.
For his role, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2019. He also won a Golden Globe Award in 2012. Because of his great acting, he got top billing starting in the second season. In 2015, he also voiced Tyrion in a Game of Thrones video game.
Other Notable Performances
In 2011, Dinklage was in the film A Little Bit of Heaven. The next year, he voiced Captain Gutt in Ice Age: Continental Drift. He prepared by resting his voice, as it was his first voice acting role.
In 2014, he played the villain Bolivar Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past. He didn't want to play Trask as just a bad guy. He felt Trask believed he was doing good. He also voiced the AI Ghost in the video game Destiny in 2014.
In 2015, Dinklage starred in the science fiction comedy Pixels. He played a former arcade champion named Eddie Plant. Critics didn't like the movie much, but they praised Dinklage's acting.
In 2016, he voiced The Mighty Eagle in The Angry Birds Movie. He also sang a song for the movie's soundtrack.
His next film was Rememory (2017). Critics liked his performance as Sam Bloom. Also in 2017, he had a role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. This film was very successful with critics. In 2018, Dinklage produced and starred in I Think We're Alone Now. This drama is about two people after the end of the world.
In 2016, Dinklage and his manager, David Ginsburg, started their own production company, Estuary Films. I Think We're Alone Now was their first film.
Dinklage appeared in the 2018 Marvel Studios film Avengers: Infinity War. He played Eitri, a giant dwarf.
Dinklage also spent years writing a film about actor Hervé Villechaize. In 2018, Dinklage starred as Hervé in My Dinner with Hervé.
In 2018, he starred in the musical play Cyrano. His wife, Erica Schmidt, wrote it. He played the role again in a 2021 movie version. For this, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
In 2020, Dinklage played a mobster named Roman Lunyov in the thriller I Care a Lot. His acting was highly praised.
In 2023, Dinklage voiced Terrorcon Scourge in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. He also starred in She Came to Me and played Casca Highbottom in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. In 2024, he will voice Dr. Dillamond in the movie Wicked. He also had a small role in Jerry Seinfeld's movie Unfrosted.
Dinklage bought the rights to a novel called The Thicket in 2017. The movie, The Thicket, will be released in 2024. He will star in it.
He will also voice Hitpig in an upcoming animated film. He will also voice Hercule Poirot in an Audible audio adaptation of a book.
Peter's Life Outside of Acting
Personal Life
In 2005, Dinklage married Erica Schmidt, who is a theater director. They have two children, a daughter born in 2011 and a son born in 2017. They live in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, and also have a home in Upstate New York.
Dinklage got a scar on his face in the 1990s. He was playing in his band, Whizzy, at a nightclub. He was accidentally kneed in the face and started bleeding. The scar goes from his neck to his eyebrow.
He became a vegetarian when he was 16. While filming Game of Thrones in Croatia, he started eating fish and chicken again because he felt tired on set. He supports Farm Sanctuary, which helps farm animals. He also appeared in a PETA campaign, asking people to adopt pets from shelters.
In 2017, Dinklage attended the Women's March in Park City, Utah. He was there to support human rights.
Living with Dwarfism
Dinklage has achondroplasia, a genetic condition that affects bone growth. This is why he is 4 feet 5 inches tall. He has an average-sized head and body, but shorter limbs. He has learned to accept his condition. He said that when he was younger, he was sometimes angry. But as he got older, he realized he needed "a sense of humor." He understood that his height was "not your problem. It's theirs."
In 2012, he was asked if he was a "spokesman for the rights of little people." Dinklage said that everyone is different. He felt he couldn't tell others how to feel about their own experiences. However, many people see him as a role model.
At the 2012 Golden Globe ceremony, Dinklage won an award. He asked everyone to look up the name Martin Henderson. Henderson was a man with dwarfism who was hurt after being thrown by a rugby fan. Dinklage's words brought attention to this issue. He later said he had said what he wanted to say.
Awards and Achievements
Some of Dinklage's most praised films include Living in Oblivion (1995), The Station Agent (2003), Lassie (2005), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).
Dinklage won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Game of Thrones. He also won four Primetime Emmy Awards for the same role. He is the only actor from the Game of Thrones cast to win a Primetime Emmy. He has won 32 awards from 76 nominations in total.
Discography
| Year | Title | Album |
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| 2024 | "Something Bad" (featuring Cynthia Erivo) | Wicked: The Soundtrack |
See also
In Spanish: Peter Dinklage para niños
