Gregory Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and television personality, who first rose to stardom as the first host of E!'s Talk Soup. He has frequently appeared in low box-office but critically praised films.

Early life

Kinnear was born in Logansport, Indiana, the son of Suzanne, a homemaker, and Edward Kinnear, a career diplomat who worked for the U.S. State Department.^[1][2] He has two brothers ? one named James, Vice President-Investments at Wachovia Securities in Arizona (born in 1957), and the other named Steve. As a child, Greg and his family moved around a lot, from places as far as Beirut, Lebanon to Athens, Greece, and was therefore part of a group sometimes referred to as Foreign Service Brats. While a student at the American Community Schools in Athens, Greg first ventured into the role of talk show host with his radio show "School Daze With Greg Kinnear". Returning to the States for a college education, he attended the University of Arizona, where he graduated in 1985 with a degree in broadcast journalism.

Career

From Arizona, Kinnear headed out to Los Angeles, where he landed his first job as a marketing assistant with Empire Entertainment. Following this job he auditioned to be an MTV VJ, but failed and became a host and on-location reporter for Movietime, the precursor to E! Entertainment Television. He also had bit parts on such television shows as L.A. Law and Life Goes On.

Talk shows

Later, he would host a short-lived game show, College Mad House, which was spun-off from the kids' show, Fun House. After that, he would later become the creator, co-executive producer, and host of Best of the Worst which aired from 1990 to 1991. In 1991, Kinnear's third television exposure immensed when he became the first host of Talk Soup until 1995, when he left the show for the NBC late-night talk show, Later with Greg Kinnear (1994).

Film roles

It was in 1994 that Kinnear had his first big screen role, as a talk show host yet again in the Damon Wayans comedy Blankman. In 1995 he won the part of the David Larrabee in Sydney Pollack's remake of Billy Wilder's 1954 classic Sabrina. He then received the lead role in the 1996 comedy Dear God. In 1997, Greg was cast in James L. Brooks' blockbuster comedy-drama As Good as It Gets, for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His next film, the romantic comedy A Smile Like Yours, had him starring opposite Lauren Holly as part of a couple trying to have a baby. The film met with lukewarm reviews and a low box office, but his next film, You've Got Mail, struck gold. He played Meg Ryan's significant other, a newspaper columnist wholly unlike what was to be his next character, that of Captain Amazing in the 1999 summer action film Mystery Men. His next films were Nurse Betty, Loser, and Someone Like You.

In 2002, Kinnear starred in the movie Auto Focus about the life and murder of actor Bob Crane. In 2005 he starred in the black comedy The Matador opposite Pierce Brosnan. In 2006, Kinnear co-starred with Steve Carell in the Oscar-winning comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine, 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 starred in the movie "Flash of Genius", a docudrama about Robert Kearns who invented the intermittent windshield wiper. In 2010, Kinnear will star as the estranged father of Miley Cyrus' character in The Last Song.

Personal life

Kinnear married Helen Labdon in 1999. In 2001, Labdon miscarried when she was seven months pregnant. Their daughter, Lily Katherine, was born in September 2003 and then Audrey Mae in June 2006.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

• 1998: Nominated, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" - As Good as It Gets

Blockbuster Entertainment Award

• 1999: Won, "Favorite Supporting Actor in a Comedy/Romance" - You've Got Mail

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

• 1996: Won, Most Promising Actor - Sabrina

Daytime Emmy Awards

• 1995: Won, "Outstanding Special Class Program" - "Talk Soup" (shared w/producers)

Golden Apple Awards

• 1996: Won, "Male Discovery of the Year"

Golden Globe Awards

• 1998: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture" - As Good as It Gets

Gotham Awards

• 2006: Nominated, "Best Ensemble Cast" - Little Miss Sunshine (shared w/castmembers)

National Board of Review Awards

• 1997: Won, "Best Supporting Actor" - As Good as It Gets

Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards

• 2006: Won, "Best Ensemble Cast" - Little Miss Sunshine (shared w/castmembers)

Satellite Awards

• 1998: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy/Musical Motion Picture" - As Good as It Gets

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 1998: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role" - As Good as It Gets
• 2007: Won, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture" - Little Miss Sunshine (shared w/castmembers)

Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards

• 1998: Won, "Best Supporting Actor" - As Good as It Gets

Pop-culture references

Kinnear is mentioned in the "Roswell That Ends Well" episode of the animated series Futurama when the main character Fry believes he's "fading away like Greg Kinnear" after an attempt at saving his grandfather's life while Fry was traveling in the past. Many believed the statement referenced a "Back To The Future" theme where Fry/Michael J. Fox would have faded out of existence due to changes made in the past that would have eliminated his existence in the future. But instead, Futurama's writers referenced a nonsensical no name like Greg Kinnear when any of the fictional McFly children from Back To The Future would have been better comedy. i.e., the picture of the McFly children fading away due to interfering in the sequence of events in the past. "Back To The Future Part I"

He is mentioned in an episode of a popular "Lone Sausage" web-series called Dr. Tran. The episode is called "Toy Cack." The slogan for the toy store, "Toy Cack," is "Take off your top and get killed by Greg Kinnear." This phrase is also uttered twice by Leland's grandmother, who is driving Leland and Dr. Tran to the toy store.

He is also mentioned in the episode of "Family Guy": "There's Something About Paulie". Peter owes the Mafia Don a favor in return for the mob getting him a new car. "What are you gonna make me do?" Peter nervously asks, "Whack a guy? Off a guy? Whack off a guy? 'Cause I'm married...." It turns out the Don just wants Peter to take his obnoxious nephew, Big Fat Paulie, to the movies on the eve of the Don's daughter's wedding. "Wait a minute. What movie?" Peter asks, "'cause if it's anything with Greg Kinnear, you can just whack me off right now."

References

External links

• Greg interview on WHO.com

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