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Greg Kinnear

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Greg Kinnear
Kinnear at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
Gregory Buck Kinnear

(1963-06-17) June 17, 1963 (age 61)
Logansport, Indiana, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Arizona
OccupationActor
Years active1988–present
Spouse
Helen Labdon
​
(m. 1999)​
Children3

Gregory Buck Kinnear[1] (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor and former talk show host. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in As Good as It Gets (1997).

Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including Sabrina (1995), You've Got Mail (1998), Nurse Betty (2000), Someone like You (2001), We Were Soldiers, Auto Focus (both 2002), Stuck on You (2003), Robots (2005), Little Miss Sunshine, Invincible (both 2006), Green Zone, The Last Song (both 2010), Heaven Is for Real (2014), and Misbehaviour (2020). His television roles include Friends, Talk Soup, Modern Family, House of Cards, Rake, and the miniseries The Stand (2020). Kinnear portrayed John F. Kennedy in The Kennedys (2011), and Joe Biden in Confirmation (2016).

Early life

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Kinnear was born on June 17, 1963, in Logansport, Indiana, to Suzanne (née Buck), a homemaker, and Edward Kinnear, a career diplomat who worked for the US State Department.[2][3][4] He has two older brothers, James (born 1957) and Steven (born 1959). He is of Scottish-Irish descent.[5] Kinnear grew up a "Foreign Service brat", having moved around frequently, from Beirut to Athens. While a student at the American Community Schools in Athens, Kinnear first ventured into the role of talk show host with his radio show School Daze With Greg Kinnear.[5] Returning to the United States for a university education, he attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 1985 with a degree in broadcast journalism. While there, he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.[6]

Career

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Kinnear hosted a short-lived game show, College Mad House, which was spun off from the kids' show Fun House. He became the creator, co-executive producer and host of Best of the Worst, which aired from 1991 to 1992. In 1991, Kinnear became the first host of Talk Soup, which he hosted until 1995, when he left the show for the NBC late-night talk show Later with Greg Kinnear (1994).

After his film debut, Blankman, Kinnear won the part of David Larrabee in Sydney Pollack's 1995 remake of Billy Wilder's 1954 classic Sabrina. He played the lead role in the 1996 comedy Dear God. In 1997, he was cast in James L. Brooks' comedy-drama As Good as It Gets, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also starred in A Smile Like Yours with Lauren Holly, as part of a couple trying to have a baby. His next film was the popular You've Got Mail as Kathleen's (Meg Ryan) significant other. Other films are Mystery Men, Nurse Betty, Loser, The Gift and Someone Like You. Kinnear often alternated roles, often playing good guys like a righteous principal in The Gift or a gay painter in As Good as It Gets, to bad guys such as a sleazy college professor in Loser, a womanizer in Someone Like You as well as Sabrina and an egotistical soap opera star in Nurse Betty.

In 2002, Kinnear starred in Auto Focus about the life and murder of actor Bob Crane. Kinnear portrayed Crane. In 2003, he starred in the comedy Stuck on You, with Matt Damon as a conjoined twin who pursues his dream of becoming a Hollywood actor in spite of his joined brother's desire for a different kind of life. In 2005, he starred in the black comedy The Matador with Pierce Brosnan and voiced Phineas T. Ratchet in the animated film Robots. Kinnear co-starred with Steve Carell in the Oscar-winning comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine in 2006, and with Mark Wahlberg in Invincible, based on the true story of a bartender who tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles football team. He also appeared in Fast Food Nation, playing a fast food executive who discovers secrets about his company. In 2008, he starred in Flash of Genius, a docudrama about Robert Kearns who invented the intermittent windshield wiper. His portrayal of then-Major Bruce P. Crandall in 2002's We Were Soldiers brought public attention to Crandall's heroism during the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang. (On February 26, 2007, Crandall was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bush.) In Baby Mama, Kinnear played Rob, a local smoothie shop owner and the romantic interest of Kate (Tina Fey).

In 2010, he starred as the estranged father of Miley Cyrus' character in The Last Song. In 2011, Kinnear starred in the miniseries The Kennedys playing the lead role as John F. Kennedy. It was originally planned to air on the History Channel; however, it was announced in January 2011, that the miniseries had been pulled from that network.[7] It was subsequently picked up by ReelzChannel and first aired on April 3, 2011. Kinnear played a famous novelist in Josh Boone's directorial debut film Stuck in Love, which followed his relationships with his former wife (Jennifer Connelly) and teenage children.[8]

On March 9, 2023, Netflix announced that Kinnear will guest star in Part 2 of Season 4 of You as Tom Lockwood, the father of Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) latest love interest, Kate Galvin (Charlotte Ritchie).[9]

Personal life

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On May 1, 1999, Kinnear married Helen Labdon, a retired British glamour model.[10] They have three daughters.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1994 Blankman Talk Show Host Film role debut
1995 Sabrina David Larrabee
1996 Dear God Tom Turner
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America ATF Agent Bork Voice; uncredited
1997 A Smile Like Yours Danny Robertson
As Good as It Gets Simon Bishop
1998 You've Got Mail Frank Navasky
1999 Mystery Men Captain Amazing / Lance Hunt
2000 What Planet Are You From? Perry Gordon
Nurse Betty Dr. David Ravell / George McCord
Loser Professor Edward Alcott
The Gift Wayne Collins
2001 Someone like You Ray Brown
2002 We Were Soldiers Maj. Bruce "Snake" Crandall
Auto Focus Bob Crane
2003 Stuck on You Walter Tenor
2004 Godsend Paul Duncan
2005 The Matador Danny Wright
Robots Phineas T. Ratchet Voice
Bad News Bears Ray Bullock
2006 Fast Food Nation Robert Anderson
Little Miss Sunshine Richard Hoover
Invincible Dick Vermeil
Unknown Broken Nose
2007 Feast of Love Bradley Miller
2008 Baby Mama Rob Ackerman
Ghost Town Frank Herlihy
Flash of Genius Bob Kearns
2010 Green Zone Clark Poundstone
The Last Song Steve Miller
2011 Thin Ice Mickey Prohaska
That's What I Am Narrator Uncredited
Salvation Boulevard Carl Vanderveer
I Don't Know How She Does It Richard Reddy
2012 Stuck in Love Bill Borgens
2013 Movie 43 Griffin Schraeder Segment: "The Pitch"
The English Teacher Dr. Richard Riker
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Gary Bragger
2014 Heaven Is for Real Todd Burpo
Murder of a Cat Al Ford
2016 Little Men Brian Jardine
2017 Brigsby Bear Detective Vogel
Same Kind of Different as Me Ron Hall
2018 Brian Banks Justin Brooks
2019 Frankie Gary
Strange but True Richard Chase
Phil Phil Also director and executive producer
The Red Sea Diving Resort Walton Bowen
2020 Misbehaviour Bob Hope
2021 Crisis Dean Geoff Talbot
2024 Sight Misha Bartnovsky
The Present Eric Diehl
You Gotta Believe Coach Jon Kelly Post-production

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1988 What Price Victory Teacher's Assistant Television film
1989 Life Goes On Corey Episode: "Break a Leg, Mom"
1990 Murder in Mississippi News Reporter Television film
Mancuso, F.B.I. Photographer Episode: "Adamant Eve"
1991 L.A. Law Reporter Episode: "Spleen It to Me, Lucy"
Best of the Worst Himself (host)
Dillinger Arizona Legislator Television film
1991–1995 Talk Soup Himself (host) Also executive producer
1993 Based on an Untrue Story Orlando Chang Stein Television film
1994–1996 Later with Greg Kinnear Himself (host) Also executive producer
1998 The Larry Sanders Show Greg Kinnear Episode: "Flip"
2000 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Prince Gavin Episode: "The Frog Princess"
2001 Dinner with Friends Tom Television film
2003 Friends Benjamin Hobart Episode: "The One with Ross's Grant"
2011 The Kennedys John F. Kennedy Main role
2012 Modern Family Tad Episode: "Me? Jealous?"
2014 Rake Keegan Deane Main role; also executive producer
2015 Drunk History Thaddeus Lowe Episode: "New Jersey"
2016 Confirmation Joe Biden Television film
BoJack Horseman Greg Kinglear Voice role; episode: "Start Spreading the News"
2018 Electric Dreams Father Episode: "Father Thing"
House of Cards Bill Shepherd 7 episodes
2018, 2019 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Himself 2 episodes
2019 The Twilight Zone Captain Lane Pendleton Episode: "A Traveler"[11]
2020–2021 The Stand Glen Bateman 5 episodes
2022 Black Bird Brian Miller Miniseries
2022–2023 Shining Vale Terry Phelps 16 episodes
2023 You Tom Lockwood 3 episodes
2024 Curb Your Enthusiasm Earl Mack Episode: "No Lessons Learned"
TBA Firebug TBA Upcoming miniseries

Theatre

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Year Title Role Theatre Refs.
2012 The Power of Duff Charles Duff Powerhouse Theater [12]
2022 To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch Shubert Theatre, Broadway [13]

Awards and nominations

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Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Greg Kinnear

References

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  1. ^ 20 Other Stuff You Might Want to Know (Greg Kinnear). Stason.org. Retrieved on June 5, 2014.
  2. ^ "Greg Kinnear". TV Guide. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "Greg Kinnear Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  4. ^ Logansport Pharos Tribune, July 2, 1955; engagement announcement of Edward Kinnear and Suzanne Buck
  5. ^ a b kevinpollakschatshow (January 9, 2018), KPCS: Greg Kinnear #338, archived from the original on November 11, 2021, retrieved February 5, 2018
  6. ^ "Famous ATO's". Alpha Tau Omega. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  7. ^ Belloni, Matthew (January 7, 2011). "EXCLUSIVE: History Channel Pulls 'The Kennedys'; Says Controversial Miniseries 'Not a Fit'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Kilday, Gregg (January 26, 2012). "Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly to Star in 'Writers'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  9. ^ "Greg Kinnear Is a (Very) Bad Dad in 'You' Season 4". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  10. ^ Pringle, Gill (March 13, 2009). "Greg Kinnear – 'We all lead double lives'". The Independent. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (December 13, 2018). "'The Twilight Zone': Greg Kinnear To Star In Episode Of CBS All Access Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  12. ^ Hetrick, Adam (July 18, 2012). "The Power of Duff, Starring Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Westfeldt, Debuts at Powerhouse Theater July 18". Playbill. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  13. ^ Evans, Greg (November 3, 2021). "Greg Kinnear To Make Broadway Debut As Atticus Finch In 'To Kill A Mockingbird'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
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