| Greg Kinnear |
Greg Kinnear in May 2006 |
| Born |
Gregory Kinnear
June 17, 1963 (1963-06-17) (age 45)
Logansport, Indiana |
| Years active |
1988 - present |
| Spouse(s) |
Helen Labdon (1999-present) |
|
|
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.
Biography
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.12 He has two brothers — one named James, Vice President-Investments at Wachovia Securities in Arizona (born in 1957), and one 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 he received his breakthrough 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 also 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 an Oscar nomination 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.
Personal life
Kinnear married Helen Labdon in 1999. In 2001, Labdon was seven months pregnant when she suffered a miscarriage with their first child. The couple welcomed a daughter, Lily Katherine, in September 2003, and another daughter, 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 he causes the death of his grandfather while traveling to the past.
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."
to kinnear
"Kinnear" has also made it into "buzzwords" for 2007. First coined3 by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee of the Yarn Harlot blog,4 the word made it into the Urban Dictionary:5
1. kinnear (1) To take a picture of someone/something without looking through the viewfinder; usually done on the sly. (2) To secretly take a photo of the unsuspecting in a sneaky manner. (3) A method of photography developed by the Yarn Harlot. I saw this woman wearing the worlds worst sweater, so I decided to kinnear her to show my friends. 2. kinnear To surreptitiously photograph a celebrity or person of interest because you are too nervous or respectful of their privacy to ask for a photo. Coined by The Yarn Harlot. I saw Tiger Woods at the airport and I knew you wouldn't believe me so I kinneared him for photographic proof.
And then made it into the New York Times, Words in Review, 2007.6
kinnear v. To take a candid photograph surreptitiously, especially by holding the camera low and out of the line of sight. Coined in August by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee of the Yarn Harlot blog when she attempted to take a photograph during an encounter with the actor Greg Kinnear at an airport.
References
External links
