John Burke Krasinski was born on October 20, 1979, in the Boston suburb ofNewton, Massachusetts,[3] the youngest of three boys of nurse Mary Clare (née Doyle) and internist Ronald Krasinski.[4][5][6][7][8] His mother is ofIrish ancestry, and his father is of Polish descent. He was raisedCatholic.[9]
Krasinski made his stage debut asDaddy Warbucks in a sixth-grade school production of the musicalAnnie. He co-starred in a satirical play written and cast by his futureThe Office co-starB. J. Novak when they were high school seniors. Krasinski and Novak graduated fromNewton South High School in 1997.[10][11]
Before entering college, Krasinski taught English as a foreign language instructor inCosta Rica for six months.[12] While there, he saved a woman from drowning when she was caught in arip tide at a beach inManuel Antonio National Park. Krasinski said that what he learned from his mother, who was a lifeguard, helped him save the woman.[13] Krasinski attendedBrown University, where he studied English and playwriting, and wrote an honors thesis, "Contents Under Pressure." He graduated from Brown in 2001.[14][15]
In 2000, Krasinski interned as a scriptwriter on the showLate Night with Conan O'Brien.[18][19] After graduating from Brown University, he moved to New York to pursue acting. He appeared in commercials, guest-starred on television shows, and did readings ofoff-Broadway plays while working as a waiter.[20] He starred in the playWhat the Eunuch Saw, written and directed by his former college classmates Emily O'Dell and Isaac Robert Hurwitz.[21]
2005–2009: Breakthrough withThe Office and directorial debut
Krasinski withThe Office co-starJenna Fischer in 2009
Krasinski's breakthrough came in 2004 when he was cast in theNBC sitcomThe Office, a remake of the successfulBritish TV series. In the series, amockumentary about life at a mid-sized paper supply company, he playedJim Halpert, an intelligent and mild-mannered sales representative and, in later seasons, co-manager of the paper distribution companyDunder Mifflin inScranton, Pennsylvania.[22] Krasinski andJenna Fischer's characters were also the series' love interests.[23]To prepare for the role, Krasinski visited Scranton and interviewed employees at actual paper companies. He also shot the footage of Scranton used in the opening credits.[24] He appeared in every episode of the series and also directed several, including "Sabre". For his work in the series (2005–2013), he earned approximately$100,000 per episode of the third season ofThe Office, four times his salary for the previous two seasons.[25]
In 2008, Krasinski appeared withRenée Zellweger andGeorge Clooney in the latter's directorial ventureLeatherheads (2008), a period comedy about the early years of professional American football. He portrayed Carter "the Bullet" Rutherford,Princeton University's college football star and a decorated hero of the First World War.MTV.com praised his acting, describing him as "an actor who's able to project both boyish warmth and intellectual concern" while also stating that he "manages the considerable feat of holding the screen opposite Clooney without melting in the heat of [Clooney's] trademark movie-star mega-wattage."[30]
Krasinski in 2009
In 2009, Krasinski made his directorial debut in the comedy-drama filmBrief Interviews with Hideous Men. He wrote the screenplay for the film based onDavid Foster Wallace's collection of short stories, played a minor role in it and also served as producer. The film premiered on January 19, 2009, at theSundance Film Festival and was nominated for theGrand Jury Prize[31] and received mostly positive reviews.[32] Film criticA.O. Scott wrote that "though this experiment doesn't quite succeed, there's enough intelligence and insight in this movie to make it worth the attempt" while Elizabeth Weitzman fromNew York Daily News felt that "Krasinski deserves credit for having the ambition to adapt material as difficult as David Foster Wallace's short stories."[32]
Krasinski starred oppositeDrew Barrymore in the biopic filmBig Miracle (2012), which coversOperation Breakthrough, the 1988 international effort to rescuegray whales from being trapped in ice nearPoint Barrow, Alaska.[39] The film saw him play Adam Carlson, a news reporter.[40] The same year, Krasinski starred inRy Russo-Young's independent dramaNobody Walks withOlivia Thirlby andRosemarie DeWitt.[41] In the film, Krasinski plays Peter, a sound-designer, husband and father of two who starts developing romantic feelings for a young artist while collaborating on her first art film. His performance was praised by critics. Peter Debruge ofVariety wrote: "Krasinski is such an appealing actor that his likability serves to complicate Peter's behavior in interesting ways."[42]Nobody Walks premiered in Competition at the2012 Sundance Film Festival and won a special Jury Prize.[43]
Krasinski at the Toronto Film Festival 2012
Next, Krasinski starred in, co-produced and co-wrote the screenplay for the dramaPromised Land withMatt Damon based on a story by Dave Eggers that released on December 28, 2012.[44] Based on a New York Times series by Ian Urbina called Drilling Down,[45] the film follows two corporate salespeople who visit a rural town in an attempt to buy drilling rights from the local residents and was directed byGus Van Sant. Krasinski came up with the film's premise and developed the idea with Eggers. They later pitched the idea to Damon.[46] It received Special Mention Award at the63rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2013. He also narrated the documentary television seriesHead Games (2012) on theDiscovery Channel.[47]
In 2013, Krasinski founded the production company Sunday Night production with Allyson Seeger. The company has an overall deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television.[48] Under the banner, Krasinski and Seeger along withStephen Merchant, became executive producers of the live-action/animated sitcomDream Corp, LLC created by Daniel Stessen onAdult Swim.Lost starJon Gries co-starred.[49] Krasinski along with Merchant are also executive producers of the musical reality competition television seriesLip Sync Battle which debuted on the American cable networkSpike, on Thursday April 2, 2015.[50] The show is a spin-off of a bit first introduced onLate Night with Jimmy Fallon. Merchant, Krasinski and Krasinski's wife,Emily Blunt, were brainstorming ideas for Krasinski's upcoming appearance onLate Night when the idea took shape.[51]Jimmy Fallon then developed it into a recurring segment on his show. The show proved to be a major success for Spike; its series premiere was the highest-rated non-scripted premiere in Spike's history.[52] In July 2016, the show received aPrimetime Emmy Award nomination in theOutstanding Structured Reality Program category.[53]
In 2014, Krasinski collaborated with hisPromised Land co-star and co-writerMatt Damon on the critically acclaimed 2016 dramaManchester by the Sea which starredCasey Affleck andMichelle Williams. The film was written and directed byKenneth Lonergan and is based on an original idea of Krasinski's.[54] The film received six nominations at the 89th Academy Awards including Best Picture.[55] Next, Krasinski co-starred inCameron Crowe's romantic comedy-dramaAloha withRachel McAdams,Bradley Cooper andEmma Stone.[56] The film received a negative reaction and controversy from critics and audiences alike.[57]
Krasinski starred in the world premiere of theOff-Broadway playDry Powder withHank Azaria,Claire Danes, andSanjit De Silva which was directed byThomas Kail. The play ran from March to May 2016 atThe Public Theater in New York City which sold out its run before opening. His performance was widely praised by critics and, later that year, he received theTheatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance.[61][62] He also co-starred in the black and white short filmPast Forward for Italian luxury fashion housePrada which was directed byDavid O. Russell and premiered in September 2016 at Milan Fashion Week.[63] In October 2016, he directed a live reading of theGood Will Hunting (1997) screenplay at New York'sSkirball Theater in a one-off stage appearance of both the original starsBen Affleck andMatt Damon along withEmily Blunt.[64]
Krasinski's only release in 2017 wasKathryn Bigelow'sDetroit.[65] The film was set during the1967 Detroit riots and was released in July 2017, around the time of the 50th anniversary of the events, and on the anniversary day of theAlgiers Motel incident, which is depicted in the film.[66]
2018–present:A Quiet Place film series andJack Ryan
Krasinski produces and stars as the title character in the television seriesJack Ryan, making him the fifth actor to portray the character afterAlec Baldwin,Harrison Ford,Ben Affleck andChris Pine from thefilm series.Jack Ryan premiered onAmazon Video on August 31, 2018. Four months before the series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season, after the critical and commercial success ofA Quiet Place.[2]
In March 2020, Krasinski started a web series titledSome Good News (SGN) on YouTube as a response to the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic. The series focused on highlighting good news at the time, while featuring celebrities includingSteve Carell,Robert De Niro, the entire original Broadway cast ofHamilton,Brad Pitt,Samuel L. Jackson,Oprah Winfrey,Emma Stone,Ryan Reynolds,Steven Spielberg,Jon Stewart,Malala Yousafzai and the cast ofThe Office.[71][72] On April 17, 2020, Krasinski hosted a livestream virtual prom for high schoolers whose proms were cancelled due to the pandemic; 210,000 viewers tuned into the event, which included live performances fromBillie Eilish,Finneas, theJonas Brothers, andDJ D-Nice.[73] Krasinski became ordained as a minister in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to officiate a virtual wedding as part of the series.[74] The nine-episode series attracted 72 million views and 2.58 million subscribers.[75] On May 22, 2020,ViacomCBS announced they had acquired the show to air onCBS All Access, but Krasinski later confirmed that he and ViacomCBS did not move forward with development plans for the company's streaming platform. Instead, Krasinski would keep Some Good News in its original format onYouTube and secondary video platforms established in the show's original run, such asSnapchat.[76][77]
On January 20, 2021, Krasinski spoke atPresidentJoe Biden andVice PresidentKamala Harris's inauguration celebration via a remote address from his home office.[78] Krasinski hosted his first episode ofSaturday Night Live later that month, which was watched by 6.69 million viewers and received positively by critics.[79][80][81]
Krasinski directed and wrote the sequelA Quiet Place Part II, in which he also had a supporting role. Initially scheduled for March 20, 2020, it was delayed due to COVID-19 (theatres began to shut down the week of March 16).[82] It was eventually released on May 28, 2021, to positive reviews, becoming a box office success, and the first film of the pandemic era to cross$100 million at the domestic box office.[83][84] OnRotten Tomatoes, the sequel earned a 91% rating based on 355 reviews, with the website's consensus stating that the "nerve-wracking" film expanded "the terrifying world of the franchise without losing track of its heart".[85]
In October 2019, Krasinski's fantasy comedyIF was picked up byParamount Pictures; in addition to writing, directing, and producing the project, Krasinski co-starred withRyan Reynolds, who also served as producer.[92] The project also co-starredPhoebe Waller-Bridge,Fiona Shaw,Louis Gossett Jr., and Krasinski'sThe Office co-starSteve Carell, and was set to be released on November 17, 2023.[93][94] In July 2022, the film was further delayed to May 24, 2024.[95]
In 2024, Krasinski received criticism for appearing in a Canadian televised commercial forRogers, while the corporation was locking out Canadianunion actors amid a labour dispute. His appearance in this commercial was seen asscabbing, and undermining the efforts of the Canadian actors union, ACTRA, to end the lockout.[106]
In May 2020, Krasinski partnered with Sevenly, 5th Element, and the Starbucks Foundation to launchSome Good Merch, an online merchandise store designed to raise financial support for multiple social causes during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Store items, including shirts, mugs, tote bags, ornaments, and reusable face masks, featured donated fan art of Krasinski'sSome Good News web show, as well as artwork made for the show by Krasinski's daughters.[112][113] All sales profits went to one of six charities of the buyer's choosing, with The Starbucks Foundation agreeing to match up to one million dollars.Some Good Merch raised nearly$500,000 within one month and over$2 million by 2021.[114] Initial donations were made toWorld Central Kitchen, theRestaurant Employee Relief Fund,Direct Relief,Trauma Free World, and theBoys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). Financial donations fromSome Good Merch toDirect Relief, in coordination with a team at the First Nations Fund, were channeled into thousands of COVID-19PPE, face masks and sanitizer, and other medical relief supplies for theNavajo Nation and White River Indian Hospital inFort Apache Indian Reservation, a facility serving over 17,000 tribal members and run by the Indian Health Service (IHS).[115][116] Additional PPE donations were made toSelfHelp Community Services, a home and community-based healthcare service for elderly Holocaust survivors and homebound seniors.[117]
In June 2020, following widespread public protests against racial injustice in the United States,Some Good Merch added donation options for theBlack Lives Matter organization and theNAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, a civil and human rights legal organization dedicated to fighting racial injustice and eliminating structural racial disparities.[118] In October,Some Good Merch donations to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America assisted in the remote re-opening of the Metro Atlanta BGCA and the creation of new distance learning programs after the clubs were forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[119] At this time, donations toTrauma Free World also went towards the international "Signs for Hope" program, which assists in the training of trauma-informed care for deaf children and orphans.[120] In December 2020, following the release of the ninth episode of Some Good News,Toys for Tots was made available as an additional charitable option on Sevenly, which is an organization that provides toys to children whose families cannot afford to buy them around the Christmas holiday.[121]
For his 40th birthday in October 2019, Krasinski launched a viral fundraising campaign for Family Reach, a non-profit, Boston-based organization designed to provide financial assistance to families coping with cancer treatment. While onJimmy Kimmel Live!, Krasinski explained "I wanted to do something good with my 40th birthday, ’cause as I was going over the hill I thought I’d do something nice. So I actually just begged people for money.” The campaign raised more than$500,000, with Krasinski and his wife continuing to spearhead fundraising efforts for the organization afterwards via Family Reach's Hope for the Holidays campaign.[122][123] Partnering with the Omaze foundation in 2018, Krasinski and his wife also raised money for theMalala Fund, which advocates for education rights for girls and women.[124] In 2020, Krasinski and Blunt raised an additional$456,000 for the Family Reach organization.[125]
From March to December 2020, Krasinski and hisSunday Night Productions team created multiple fundraising and donation opportunities through theirSome Good News web show. This included providing three months of free cellphone service for all nurses and doctors in the United States throughAT&T and lifetime season pass tickets for Boston-based front-line medical workers toBoston Red Sox baseball games.[126] Krasinski's daughters also helped to design a T-shirt with Sevenly andPepsiCo to help raise money for restaurant employees struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic; through SGN, PepsiCo also agreed to donate an additional$3 million to the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.[127] On the show's ninth episode, a "holiday special" in December 2020,FedEx committed to donating$5 million toToys for Tots Holiday Drive.[128]
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