Adrien Brody

Infobox actor

---

imagesize =175px
caption = Brody in New York City, September 2007
birthdate = birth date and age|1973|4|14
birthplace = Woodhaven, Queens,
New York, U.S.
yearsactive = 1988–present
academyawards = Best Actor
2002 "The Pianist"
cesarawards = Best Actor
2002 "The Pianist"
spouse =

Adrien Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. He received widespread recognition and subsequent acclaim when he was cast as the lead in Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" (2002). He is notable as the youngest actor ever to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor and the only American actor ever to win a Cesar Award.

Biography

Early life

Brody was born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York, the son of Sylvia Plachy, a photojournalist, and Elliot Brody, a retired history professor and painter. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/18/Adrien-Brody.html Adrien Brody Biography (1973-) ] ] Brody's father is Jewish and Brody's mother was born in Budapest, Hungary to a Catholic father and Jewish mother.cite news | last =Meyers| first =William| coauthors=| title =Rescuing Beauty From History's Dark Corners| pages=| publisher =The New York Sun| date =2005-01-27 | url =http://www.nysun.com/article/8302?page_no=2| accessdate =2006-12-13 ] cite news | last =| first =| coauthors=| title =The prime of Adrien Brody| pages=| publisher =Guardian Unlimited| date =2006-11-12 | url =http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,1942508,00.html| accessdate =2006-12-13 ] As a child, Brody performed magic shows at children's birthday parties as "The Amazing Adrien". [ [http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0314,musto,43008,15.html The Village Voice] ] Brody attended New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (famous as the inspiration for television's "Fame"). His parents enrolled him in acting classes to distance him from the dangerous kids with whom he associated.

In 1992, Brody was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident in which he flew over a car and crashed head-first into a crosswalk. He spent months recuperating. An avid daredevil, he has broken his nose three times doing off-the-wall stunts. His nose was also broken once again during the filming of "Summer of Sam".

Career

Taking acting classes as a youth, by age thirteen, he had done an off-Broadway play and a PBS-TV-movie. Brody hovered on the brink of stardom, receiving an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his role in the 1998 film "Restaurant" and later praise for his roles in Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam" and Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line". He received widespread recognition when he was cast as the lead in Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" (2002). To prepare for the role, Brody withdrew for months, gave up his apartment and his car, learned how to play Chopin on the piano, and lost 29 lbs (13 kg). The role won him an Academy Award for Best Actor, making him, at 29, the youngest actor ever to win the award. He also won a César Award for his performance, becoming the only American actor to win one. Throughout his career, Brody has been compared to Al Pacino for his unique looks and method acting.fact|date=August 2008 He is also widely known for giving presenter Halle Berry a back-breaking kiss after winning his Best Actor Oscar, and as the spokesman for fashion brand Ermenegildo Zegna.

Brody appeared on "Saturday Night Live" on May 10, 2003, his first TV work, but he was banned from the show after giving an improvised introduction while wearing faux dreadlocks for Jamaican reggae musical guest Sean Paul (the show's producer, Lorne Michaels, is notorious for hating unscripted performances). However, the unscripted intro remains in reruns of the episode. Other TV appearances include NBC's "The Today Show" and on MTV's "Punk'd" after being tricked by Ashton Kutcher.

After "The Pianist" Brody has appeared in four very different movies. He played Noah Percy, a mentally disabled young man in the movie "The Village" by M. Night Shyamalan, shell-shocked war veteran Jack Starks in "The Jacket", writer Jack Driscoll in the 2005 "King Kong" remake, and father-to-be Peter Whitman in "The Darjeeling Limited" by Wes Anderson. "King Kong" was a box office success; it grossed $550 million worldwide and is Brody's most successful movie to date. He also played a detective in "Hollywoodland". He has also appeared in Diet Coke commercials and Tori Amos' music video for "A Sorta Fairytale".

On January 5, 2006, Brody confirmed speculation that he indeed was interested and very willing to play the role of The Joker in 2008's "The Dark Knight". However, Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. eventually decided to cast Heath Ledger as The Joker. [ [http://www.batman-on-film.com/batmovienews.html ::The Latest BATMAN movie news from BATMAN ON FILM - The Net's #1 "BATMAN" movie website! (Est. 1998):: ] ] He was also in talks with Paramount to play Spock in J. J. Abrams "Star Trek XI", but it ultimately went to Zachary Quinto. [ [http://trekmovie.com/2007/02/26/casting-rumor-damon-brody-sinise-for-kirk-spock-mccoy/#more-536 Casting Rumor: Damon, Brody & Sinise for Kirk, Spock & McCoy | TrekMovie.com ] ] [] Brody also starred as a con man named "Bloom" (no first name given) in Rian Johnson's "The Brothers Bloom", which is slated to be released in late December, 2008. [http://www.cinemafusion.com/index.php?/weblog/comments/brick_writer_and_directors_latest_flick/ Cinema Fusion] Brody will also star in "Splice", a science fiction film directed by Vincenzo Natali that is slated for a 2009 release. Brody is currently filming "Cadillac Records", directed by Darnell Martin, which is slated for a 2008 release.

Personal life

Brody is currently dating Elsa Pataky. [ [http://www.hellomagazine.ca/film/2007/09/04/adrien-brody-venice/ Snap happy lovers Adrien and Elsa capture glitzy premiere ] ] [ [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20159781,00.html Adrien Brody & Elsa Pataky's 'Private' Rings - Couples, Adrien Brody : People.com ] ]

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

Won
* Academy Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* BSFC Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* Caesar Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* NSFC Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* VFAA Award for Best Actor for "Love the Hard Way"

Nominated
* BAFTA Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* CFCA Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* European Film Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* OFCS Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* Polish Film Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* SAAG Award for Best Actor for "The Pianist"
* Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for "Restaurant"

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0004778|name=Adrien Brody
*amg name|id=2:8639|name=Adrien Brody
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Tamas_Szabo/Brunsviga Vilmos Plachy, Adrian Brody's grandfather 1940 in Budapest]