Paul Dano | |
|---|---|
 Dano in 2024 | |
| Born | Paul Franklin Dano (1984-06-19)June 19, 1984 (age 41) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations | Actor Director |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Partner | Zoe Kazan (2007–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
Paul Franklin Dano (/ˈdeɪnoʊ/DAY-noh;[1]) born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. His work includes bothindependent film andblockbusters, andhis accolades include nominations for aBritish Academy Film Award, aGolden Globe Award and twoPrimetime Emmy Awards.
Dano made his film acting debut inL.I.E. (2001) and gained wider recognition for playing Dwayne Hoover inLittle Miss Sunshine (2006). He was nominated for theBAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for playing Paul and Eli Sunday inPaul Thomas Anderson's period dramaThere Will Be Blood (2007). After supporting roles in mainstream films such asKnight and Day (2010),Cowboys & Aliens (2011), andLooper (2012), Dano had critically acclaimed roles in12 Years a Slave andPrisoners (both 2013). For his portrayal ofBeach Boys founderBrian Wilson inLove & Mercy (2014), he earned a nomination for theGolden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. In 2018, he starred as a convicted murderer in theShowtime miniseriesEscape at Dannemora, for which he received a nomination for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 2022, he playedThe Riddler inThe Batman and afictionalized version ofArnold Spielberg inThe Fabelmans, receiving aScreen Actors Guild Award nomination for the latter.
Dano made his directorial debut with the drama filmWildlife (2018), which he also co-wrote with his partner,Zoe Kazan. He has also written the comic bookThe Riddler: Year One (2022). OnBroadway theatre, Dano has starred in productions ofA Free Man of Color (2010–2011) andTrue West (2019).
Paul Franklin Dano was born on June 19, 1984,[2] in New York City, the son of a homemaker and a financial advisor.[3] He has a younger sister named Sarah.[4][5][6]
Dano spent the first few years of his childhood in New York City and initially attended theBrowning School.[5][7] While he was a child, Dano's family moved toNew Canaan, Connecticut, finally settling inWilton, Connecticut.[5] Dano continued his education atWilton High School, graduating in 2002, and attendedEugene Lang College in New York City.[5]
He was involved in community theater, and while he was performing in New Canaan, his parents were encouraged to take him to New York.[5]
In 1996, Dano portrayed The Little Boy (Edgar) in the world premiere ofTerrence McNally's musicalRagtime at the Ford Center of the Performing Arts (now theMeridian Arts Centre) inToronto.[8]
Dano made hisBroadway debut at age twelve inJohn Tillinger's revival ofInherit the Wind, alongsideGeorge C. Scott andCharles Durning.[9] He appeared in an episode of the sitcomSmart Guy and had a minor role in the 2000 family dramaThe Newcomers. He played the part of Patrick Whalen in several episodes ofThe Sopranos (season 4).
Dano acted in his first major film role when he was sixteen, playing Howie Blitzer, a teenage boy who becomes involved with a middle-agedephebophile (Brian Cox) inL.I.E. (2001).[10] He then appeared in the television filmToo Young to Be a Dad as a high school student whose life is disrupted when his girlfriend becomes pregnant. He appeared inThe Emperor's Club in 2002 as Martin Blythe. In 2004, he played a small role as the young Martin Asher inTaking Lives, withAngelina Jolie andEthan Hawke. Additionally, Dano starred inThe Girl Next Door, alongsideElisha Cuthbert,Emile Hirsch, andChris Marquette. In 2005, he played supporting roles inThe King andThe Ballad of Jack and Rose.
He came to greater attention in 2006, when he played Dwayne, a voluntarily mute teenager as part of an ensemble in the comedic dramaLittle Miss Sunshine, which received critical acclaim and collective awards for its cast. He also had a supporting role in the 2006 filmFast Food Nation, based on thenonfiction book byEric Schlosser. Dano had a dual role in the 2007 period filmThere Will Be Blood, which earned him positive reviews and aBAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor.Texas Monthly said that his performance was "so electric that the movie sags whenever he's not around."[11]Peter Travers remarked, "All praise to the baby-faced Dano...for bringing sly cunning and unexpected ferocity to Plainview's most formidable opponent."[12]Rolling Stone magazine included Dano in its Hot List for 2007, calling his performance style "Daniel Day-Lewis +Billy Crudup ×Johnny Depp."[13]
Dano appeared in several additional Broadway productions, includingA Thousand Clowns at theRoundabout Theatre, and inEthan Hawke’s directorial debut,Things We Want, during its 2007Off-Broadway run.
In 2008, he starred inGigantic, a poorly-reviewed film about a man seeking to adopt a Chinese baby, co-starringZooey Deschanel. He reunited with Brian Cox in 2009'sGood Heart, a low-budget English-language Icelandic film. He provided the voice of one of the creatures in the film adaptation ofWhere the Wild Things Are (2009).
He played a genius inventor in 2010'sKnight and Day, an action thriller starringTom Cruise andCameron Diaz. The same year, he appeared inMeek's Cutoff, a well-reviewed historical drama. In 2011, he had a supporting role in the big-budget science fiction filmCowboys and Aliens.
Dano appeared in three feature films in 2012:Ruby Sparks, as a writer whose fictional character (played byZoe Kazan, the film's writer and Dano's partner) inexplicably appears as a real person; in a supporting role alongsideJoseph Gordon-Levitt andBruce Willis in the time-travel thrillerLooper; and as the writerNick Flynn, alongsideRobert De Niro, inBeing Flynn, a film based on Flynn's memoir about his relationship with his father. In 2013, Dano appeared inSteve McQueen's period-drama biopic12 Years a Slave, based on the memoirs ofSolomon Northup. Dano portrayed John Tibeats, an overseer at the plantation Northup is sold to. The film was a critical success and won theAcademy Award for Best Picture and numerous other award. Dano also featured in the 2013Denis Villeneuve filmPrisoners. He portrayed Alex Jones, a tormented man who was kidnapped by a nihilistic couple 26 years ago and initially framed as a suspect in a separate kidnapping.[14][15]
In 2014, Dano played a younger version of theBeach Boys founderBrian Wilson (withJohn Cusack as an older version of Wilson) in the biopicLove & Mercy, for which he received aGolden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
In 2015, Dano appeared withMichael Caine andHarvey Keitel in the Italian comedy-dramaYouth; Dano portrayed Jimmy Tree, an actor doing research for an upcoming role who is frustrated to be best known for a previous role as a robot. In January 2016, Dano appeared asPierre Bezukhov in theBBC's six-partadaptation ofTolstoy'sWar and Peace.[16]
In Fall 2016, he appeared in a video as an onstage "stand-in" during theNostalgic for the Present concert tour of Australian singerSia, for her song "Bird Set Free."[17]
In July 2016, it was announced that Dano would make his directorial debut with the movieWildlife, based on the 1990 novel of the same title byRichard Ford.[18] The movie was set to be produced by June Pictures and to starCarey Mulligan andJake Gyllenhaal. Dano stated, "I have always wanted to make films and have always known I would make films about family. I couldn't be happier to have such beautiful collaborators like Carey and Jake leading the way."[19] The film received critical acclaim when it premiered at theSundance Film Festival. It also screened at theCannes Film Festival, theToronto Film Festival and theMill Valley Film Festival.[20] The film has earned a 94% onRotten Tomatoes with the consensus reading, "Wildlife's portrait of a family in crisis is beautifully composed by director Paul Dano -- and brought brilliantly to life by a career-best performance from Carey Mulligan".[21]
In 2016, Dano played the role of Hank Thompson inDaniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan's absurdist black-comedy filmSwiss Army Man, alongsideDaniel Radcliffe andMary Elizabeth Winstead.[22] His character is a suicidal man, stranded on an island, who befriends a farting corpse. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, and opened in theaters on June 24. Although some viewers walked out of the film viewing due to its bizarre humor,[23] critics left generally favorable reviews of the film. Paul won theCritics' Choice Award twice in 2007, and was nominated in 2014 and 2016.
In 2018, he portrayed escaped inmate David Sweat in the Showtime miniseriesEscape at Dannemora alongsidePatricia Arquette andBenicio del Toro, for which he received a nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series.
From December 27, 2018, to March 17, 2019, Dano starred in the critically acclaimed Broadway revival ofSam Shepard'sTrue West, withEthan Hawke, at theRoundabout Theater Company'sAmerican Airlines Theater in New York.[24]
In October 2019, Dano was cast asThe Riddler inMatt Reeves's 2022 superhero filmThe Batman.[25] Reeves wrote the role with Dano in mind after seeing Dano's portrayal of Brian Wilson inLove & Mercy.[26]
In April 2021, Paul Dano was cast inSteven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age filmThe Fabelmans as Burt Fabelman, a character loosely based on Spielberg's fatherArnold.[27][28] The film was released in 2022 to universal acclaim;[29] with Dano's performance earning praise from Pete Hammond ofDeadline Hollywood describing him as "terrific as the genuinely nice and loving father torn between following his own career and caring for his wife and family under increasingly difficult circumstances" andStephanie Zacharek ofTime including Dano inTime's Top 10 movie performances of 2022 describing his portrayal as "the sum of all the things that so many men of that generation just didn't know how to be; we also see a deep well of love, no less real for being left unexpressed."[30] Dano would subsequently receive nominations for Best Supporting Actor at theScreen Actors Guild Awards andCritics' Choice Movie Awards.
In 2022, Dano starred inAMC's animated dramaPantheon.[31] In March 2022, it was announced that Dano would make his comic debut writingThe Riddler: Year One for DC'sBlack Label imprint. The six issue limited series is set in the continuity ofThe Batman and showcase the rise of Edward Nashton / Patrick Parker into becoming the Riddler.[32]
In September 2022, it was announced that Dano would star inCraig Gillespie'sDumb Money, an adaptation ofBen Mezrich'sThe Antisocial Network, alongsideSeth Rogen,Sebastian Stan andPete Davidson.[33] The film was released in theaters in September 2023.[34] The same year, Dano was a member of the Feature Film Jury at the2023 Cannes Film Festival.[35][36]
Dano joinedAdam Sandler andCarey Mulligan inNetflix'sSpaceman, an adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfař's novelSpaceman of Bohemia, directed byJohan Renck.[37] The film was released in March 2024 onNetflix.[38] The same year, Dano appeared in thetelevision seriesMr. & Mrs. Smith withDonald Glover,Maya Erskine,Michaela Coel andJohn Turturro.[39] He received his second Emmy nomination forOutstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his appearance in the series.[40]
In March 2025, Dano appeared inThe Studio as a guest star.[41]
In June 2025, it was announced that Dano would write and potentially direct and produce "a high-concept comedy" forUniversal Pictures, produced byThe Daniels.[42] In November 2025, it was announced that Paul Dano would star inThe Chaperones, an upcomingA24 drama directed byIndia Donaldson.[43]
In December 2025, Dano was reported to have joined the cast ofFlorian Zeller's psychological thrillerBunker.[44]
Dano has been in a relationship with actress and screenwriterZoe Kazan since 2007.[45][46] They have a daughter, born in August 2018, and a son, born in October 2022.[47][48] They reside inBoerum Hill,Brooklyn.[49]
Dano was the vocalist and lead guitarist of the band Mook.[50]
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Newcomers | Joel | |
| 2001 | L.I.E. | Howie Blitzer | Credited as Paul Franklin Dano |
| 2002 | The Emperor's Club | Martin Blythe | |
| Too Young to Be a Dad | Matt Freeman | ||
| 2004 | Taking Lives | Young Asher | |
| The Girl Next Door | Klitz | ||
| 2005 | The Ballad of Jack and Rose | Thaddius | |
| The King | Paul | ||
| 2006 | Little Miss Sunshine | Dwayne | |
| Fast Food Nation | Brian | ||
| 2007 | Weapons | Chris | |
| There Will Be Blood | Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday | ||
| 2008 | Explicit Ills | Rocco | |
| Light and the Sufferer | Don ("Light") | ||
| Gigantic | Brian Weathersby | Also executive producer | |
| 2009 | Taking Woodstock | VW Guy | |
| The Good Heart | Lucas | ||
| Where the Wild Things Are | Alexander (voice) | ||
| 2010 | The Extra Man | Louis Ives | |
| Meek's Cutoff | Thomas Gately | ||
| Knight and Day | Simon Feck | ||
| 2011 | Cowboys & Aliens | Percy Dolarhyde | |
| 2012 | Being Flynn | Nick Flynn | |
| Ruby Sparks | Calvin Weir-Fields | Also executive producer | |
| Looper | Seth | ||
| For Ellen | Joby | Also executive producer | |
| 2013 | 12 Years a Slave | John Tibeats | |
| Prisoners | Alex Jones | ||
| 2014 | Love & Mercy | Brian Wilson | |
| 2015 | Youth | Jimmy Tree | |
| 2016 | Swiss Army Man | Hank | |
| 2017 | Okja | Jay | |
| 2018 | Wildlife | N/a | Director, writer, and producer[51] |
| 2021 | The Guilty | Matthew Fontenot (voice) | |
| 2022 | The Batman | Edward Nashton / The Riddler | |
| The Fabelmans | Burt Fabelman | ||
| 2023 | Dumb Money | Keith Gill | |
| 2024 | Spaceman | Hanuš | Voice |
| 2025 | The Wizard of the Kremlin | Vadim Baranov | |
| TBA | The Chaperones † | Post-production | |
| Bunker † | Post-production | ||
| Vegas: A Love Story†[52] | Ryder | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Smart Guy | Nicholas | Episode: "She Got Game" |
| 2002–2004 | The Sopranos | Patrick Whalen | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | War & Peace | Pierre Bezukhov | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 2018 | Escape at Dannemora | David Sweat | Miniseries, 7 episodes |
| 2022 | Saturday Night Live | Himself | Episode: "Zoë Kravitz/Rosalía" |
| 2022–2023 | Pantheon | Caspian Keyes | Voice role, 16 episodes |
| 2024 | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Hot Neighbor / Harris Materbach | 3 episodes |
| Fantasmas | Jeff | Episode: "Cookies and Spaghetti"[53] | |
| 2025 | The Studio | Himself | Episode: "The Promotion"[54] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | A Month in the Country | understudy (Kolia)[55] | Criterion Center Stage Right |
| 1995–1998 | A Christmas Carol | Scrooge at 12/Street Urchin | The Theater at Madison Square Garden |
| 1996 | Inherit the Wind | Howard | Royale Theatre |
| 1996 | Ragtime | The Little Boy | World premiere,Toronto[56] |
| 2007 | Things We Want | Charles | Acorn Theatre[57] |
| 2010–2011 | A Free Man of Color | Meriwether Lewis | Vivian Beaumont Theater |
| 2019 | True West | Austin | American Airlines Theater |
With Mook
