Paul Giamatti | |
|---|---|
 Giamatti in 2024 | |
| Born | Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (1967-06-06)June 6, 1967 (age 58) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University (BA,MFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Works | List of performances |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Father | Bart Giamatti |
| Relatives | Marcus Giamatti (brother) |
| Awards | Full list |
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (/ˌdʒiːəˈmɑːti/JEE-ə-MAH-tee; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor.His accolades include aPrimetime Emmy Award and threeGolden Globes, as well as nominations for twoAcademy Awards and aBritish Academy Film Award.
After studying acting at theYale School of Drama, he performed in numerous theatrical productions. Giamatti made hisBroadway debut portraying Ezra Chater in theTom Stoppard playArcadia (1995). Later that year, he played the Rev. Donald "Streaky" Bacon in theDavid Hare playRacing Demon (1995). He returned to theatre in the revivals ofAnton Chekhov'sThree Sisters (1997) andEugene O'Neill'sThe Iceman Cometh (1999).
Giamatti's breakout film role was inPrivate Parts (1997), followed by roles inMy Best Friend's Wedding (1997),Saving Private Ryan (1998), andMan on the Moon (1999). He won acclaim for his leading roles inAmerican Splendor (2003),Sideways (2004),Win Win (2011), andPrivate Life (2018). He has also acted inPlanet of the Apes (2001),Robots (2005),The Illusionist (2006),Fred Claus (2007),The Ides of March (2011),12 Years a Slave (2013),Saving Mr. Banks (2013),Love & Mercy (2014), andStraight Outta Compton (2015). He has earnedAcademy Award nominations forBest Supporting Actor for his portrayal ofJoe Gould inCinderella Man (2005), andBest Actor for playing a disgruntled teacher inThe Holdovers (2023).
On television, Giamatti played thetitle role in theHBO miniseriesJohn Adams (2008), which earned him acclaim and several awards including a Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe. He starred asU.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades Jr. in theShowtime television seriesBillions (2016–2023), and earned Emmy nominations for his roles asBen Bernanke in theHBO filmToo Big to Fail (2011), andHarold Levinson in the ITV seriesDownton Abbey (2013). He played a grieving lover in theNetflix anthology seriesBlack Mirror episode "Eulogy" (2025).
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti[1] was born June 6, 1967,[2] inNew Haven, Connecticut, the youngest of three children. His father,Angelo Bartlett Giamatti, was aYale University professor who later became president of the university and latercommissioner ofMajor League Baseball.[3] His mother, Toni Marilyn Giamatti (née Smith), was a homemaker andEnglish teacher who taught at theHopkins School and had also previously acted.[1][4]
His paternal grandfather's family wereItalian emigrants fromTelese Terme,Campania; the family surname was originally spelled "Giammattei" (Italian pronunciation:[dʒammatˈtɛi]) before immigrating to the United States.[5] His paternal grandmother had deep roots inNew England, dating back to thecolonial era.[6] Giamatti's brother,Marcus, is also an actor, and his sister, Elena, was a jewelry designer.
Giamatti attended Yale, where he was active in the undergraduate theater scene and worked with fellow actors and Yale studentsRon Livingston andEdward Norton. He graduated in 1989 with abachelor's degree in English, and performed in numerous theatrical productions, including onBroadway and a stint from 1989 to 1992 with Seattle's Annex Theater.[7] Giamatti also briefly worked as an animator before returning to Yale and earn amaster of fine arts degree from theYale School of Drama in 1994, where he studied withEarle R. Gister.[8]
He made his television debut in the ABC made for television filmShe'll Take Romance (1990). After minor roles in the neo-noirPast Midnight (1991) and the romantic comedySingles (1992) he acted inWoody Allen's comedy filmMighty Aphrodite (1995) andSydney Pollack's romantic comedy remakeSabrina (1995). That same year in March, he made hisBroadway debut inTom Stoppard'sArcadia portraying Ezra Chater.Vincent Canby describe the role as being "a helplessly funny subsidiary" one.[9] In November he portrayed The Rev. Donald Bacon inDavid Hare'sRacing Demon. Both of these productions took place at theLincoln Center Theater.
In 1997, Giamatti landed his first high-profile role as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton in the film adaptation ofHoward Stern'sPrivate Parts. Stern praised Giamatti's performance often onhis radio program, calling for him to be nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor.Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times described Giamatti's performance as being "well played".[10] That same year he reunited with Woody Allen, acting in the comedyDeconstructing Harry (1997). He also took a small but memorable role as Richard the Bellman in theJulia Roberts-led romantic comedyMy Best Friend's Wedding (1997). That same year he returned to Broadway, playing Andrei Prozorov in the revival ofAnton Chekov'sThree Sisters.
In 1998, Giamatti appeared in Season 6, Episode 15 of “Homicide: Life on the Street." He played Harry Tjarks, who raised pit bulls and was more concerned about his dogs than the fact that they had mauled his grandfather to death. He also appeared in a number of supporting roles in the big-budget films includingPeter Weir's dramaThe Truman Show,Steven Spielberg'sWorld War II dramaSaving Private Ryan, and the action thrillerThe Negotiator. In 1999, he playedBob Zmuda andTony Clifton inMiloš Forman'sAndy Kaufman biopic,Man on the Moon. Giamatti continued working steadily during the early 2000s by appearing in major studio releases includingDuets (2000),Big Momma's House (2000),Planet of the Apes (2001) andBig Fat Liar (2002).
In 2003, Giamatti began to earn critical acclaim after his lead role in the filmAmerican Splendor. In 2004, Giamatti gained mainstream recognition and fame with the independent romantic comedySideways. His portrayal of a depressed writer vacationing in the Santa Barbara wine country garnered him aGolden Globe nomination and anIndependent Spirit Award and he was named Best Actor in a Leading Role by several significant film critics groups (New York, Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, Online Film Critics).
Following the commercial success ofSideways, Giamatti appeared inCinderella Man, for which he earned anAcademy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated for aGolden Globe and won theScreen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture. In 2006, Giamatti was the lead inM. Night Shyamalan'sLady in the Water, a supernatural thriller, followed by the animated filmThe Ant Bully, and Neil Burger's dramaThe Illusionist co-starringEdward Norton.
Giamatti had his first major role in an action movie in the 2007 filmShoot 'Em Up, while starring inThe Nanny Diaries andFred Claus. In 2008, Giamatti received anEmmy Award[11] forOutstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for histitle performance in the 2008HBO miniseriesJohn Adams, as well as his firstGolden Globe Award[12] forBest Actor - Miniseries or Television Film, and also earned aScreen Actors Guild award. Barry Garron ofThe Hollywood Reporter praised his performance, writing "Giamatti is brilliant as Adams. He is fearless in his portrayal, confident that the character’s all-consuming sacrifices for his fledgling nation will more than compensate for his numerous character flaws".[13] William Thomas ofEmpire agreed, adding "The acting, especially from Giamatti as the irascible Adams and Laura Linney as his wife Abigail, who steered him clear of vanity...has the tang of authenticity, even when burdened with great gulps of politicking".[14] That same year, he starred in the independent filmPretty Bird, which is a fictionalized retelling about the drama behind the invention of arocketbelt.[15]
Giamatti received his secondGolden Globe[16] win forBest Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for his role in the 2010 film,Barney's Version.The Associated Press praised Giamatti, describing it as "pitch perfect", adding, "the picture undoubtedly will draw kudos in its home and native land and likely beyond, buoyed by that virtuoso Giamatti performance".[17] Giamatti starred as the lead in the comedy-drama filmWin Win, which earned positive reviews from critics.[18] Scott Tobias ofNPR wrote of his performance, "By now, the Giamatti persona has been well-defined — exasperation and despair, tempered by mordant wit—but the actor's every performance is like a snowflake, and here McCarthy provides him a role that's subtly down-to-earth".[19] The same year he had small roles inIronclad,The Hangover Part II andThe Ides of March.
In 2012, Giamatti became the voiceover actor forLiberty Mutual insurance commercials.[20] He was the narrator for thePBSNature episodeAn Original DUCKumentary.[21] Giamatti produced and starred inJohn Dies at the End, which is based on the book of the same name. He also had roles in the filmsRock of Ages andCosmopolis.
In 2013, Giamatti returned to hisalma mater,Yale University, to perform thetitle role inShakespeare'sHamlet, for which he won rave reviews in a sold-out,modern dress stage production of the play at theYale Repertory Theatre inNew Haven.[22] He also had supporting roles in several films, including the animatedTurbo andThe Congress, as well asParkland,Saving Mr. Banks, and the critically acclaimed12 Years a Slave.[23][24] In addition, Giamatti played the role of New Yorker Harold Levinson, the brother of Cora, the Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern), in the 2013 Christmas special of theperiod drama,ITV Studios/Carnival Films television series,Downton Abbey.[25] For his performance he received aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series nomination.
In 2014, Giamatti played villainThe Rhino inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2.[26] Also in 2014, Giamatti portrayed psychologistEugene Landy in theBrian Wilson biopicLove & Mercy. In 2015, Giamatti portrayedN.W.A managerJerry Heller in the biographical dramaStraight Outta Compton. He also played a scientist in the disaster filmSan Andreas.[27]
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From 2016 to 2023, Giamatti played a lead role in the Showtime seriesBillions, portraying theU.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The show, debuting in 2016, is loosely based on a real event.[28] For the role he received a nomination for theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. In 2016, Giamatti began appearing in commercials forPrism TV, the IPTV service owned byCenturyLink; the spots are the first-ever on-camera TV commercial appearances for Giamatti.[29] In 2022, Giamatti appeared asScrooge andEinstein inVerizon commercials.[30] He served as an executive producer of theWGN America seriesOutsiders (2016–2017). He also lent his voice toBoJack Horseman,Rick and Morty andBig Mouth.
In 2018, he starred in theTamara Jenkins directed filmPrivate Life, acting alongsideKathryn Hahn. The film, distributed byNetflix, received positive reviews. Alissa Wilkinson ofVox praised the performances of the two leads, writing "Hahn and Giamatti bring their characteristic warmth-with-an-edge to their characters, and as their relationship unpacks itself onscreen, it feels authentic and lived-in".[31] That same year he acted inReed Morano'spost-apocalyptic romance dramaI Think We're Alone Now and portrayedSamuel Goudsmit in the war filmThe Catcher Was a Spy. He returned to film in 2021, acting in the action thrillerGunpowder Milkshake and the family adventure filmJungle Cruise.
He reunited withAlexander Payne in thecoming-of-age filmThe Holdovers (2023), which premiered at theTelluride Film Festival. The film, distributed byFocus Features, received positive reviews, with critics praising Giamatti's performance as a curmudgeonly teacher. Pete Hammond ofDeadline Hollywood declared, "Giamatti, who so memorably starred in Payne’s 2004Sideways, has never been better", adding "this is perfect casting for Giamatti."[32] For his performance inThe Holdovers, Giamatti received anAcademy Award for Best Actor nomination and won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy[33] and theCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor.[34]
In 2023, Giamatti was awarded anhonoraryDoctor of Fine Arts degree from Yale.[35]
In 2024 it was announced that Giamatti would star in a TV series based on theHostel film series.[36]
Giamatti is the subject of the viral "Wax Paul Now" campaign, which pushes for the actor to get aMadame Tussauds wax statue in his likeness.[37] The movement first achieved national prominence when Giamatti appeared onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert and discussed the campaign with hostStephen Colbert.[37] After this and subsequent articles inBuzzFeed[38] andThe A.V. Club[37] among others, Madame Tussauds New York announced that they would host a party in Giamatti's honor to coincide with the premiere ofBillions Season 3 on March 25, 2018, at which the founders of the Wax Paul Now movement would speak.[39]
Tussauds announced that if a Change.org petition garnered 500,000 signatures in the nine days leading up to the party, they would agree to create the wax statue of Giamatti.[39] As the petition was unable to garner enough signatures in time, the Wax Paul Now campaign is still ongoing.[40] A short film chronicling the campaign premiered at theVirginia Film Festival in October 2019.[41]
Giamatti resides in theBrooklyn Heights neighborhood ofBrooklyn, New York[42] and was married to Elizabeth Cohen from 1997 to an undisclosed date in the 2000s. They have a son, Samuel. Though not religious, he stated: "My wife isJewish. And I'm fine with my son being raised as a Jew".[43] Giamatti is anatheist, although for him "religion features more now in my life than it did when I was a kid".[44]
Giamatti has receivedvarious accolades throughout his career. Hisbreakthrough role inAmerican Splendor (2003) won him theNational Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Actor and earned him a nomination for theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.The following year, he received nominations for theCritics' Choice,Golden Globe andSAG Award for Best Actor for his role in the comedy-dramaSideways (2004), which won him theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead as well as theCritics' Choice andSAG Award for Best Cast.
Giamatti then won theCritics' Choice andSAG Award and received nominations for theAcademy Award andGolden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his performance inCinderella Man (2005). He won another twoScreen Actors Guild Awards, forOutstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his roles in the miniseriesJohn Adams (2008) and the television biopicToo Big to Fail (2011), the former of which also won him theEmmy andGolden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film. His performances inToo Big to Fail,Downton Abbey andInside Amy Schumer also earned him Emmy nominations, forOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie,Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series andOutstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, respectively. With these achievements, Giamatti is one of few actorsto receive Emmy nominations across all threeperformance (lead, supporting and guest) and genre (comedy, drama and miniseries or movie) categories.
As a member of theensemble casts of12 Years a Slave (2013) andStraight Outta Compton (2015), Giamatti received nominations for both theCritics' Choice andSAG Award for Best Cast. His performance in the drama seriesBillions (2016–2023) earned him a nomination for theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series.
Giamatti won twoGolden Globe Awards for Best Actor for his performances inBarney's Version (2010) andThe Holdovers (2023). The latter also won him theCritics' Choice and earned him nominations for theAcademy Award,BAFTA andSAG Award for Best Actor. He is amongthe group of actors to achieve Oscar nominations in both acting categories.
Angelo Giamattei.
