JON FAVREAU
Date of Birth: October 19, 1966
The only child born to two teachers in Queens, New York, Jon Favreau became interested in acting
in high school. Weighing in then at a whopping 280 lbs, it's no surprise that his heroes were John
Belushi and John Candy.
Heading out to Chicago's Second City in hopes of becoming the next fat funny guy, he ended up
washing dishes in their restaurant. Eventually he landed a minor role in the football comedy
Rudy (1993) as Sean Astin's chubby friend. With the money he made from that part, Favreau relocated to
Los Angeles and got small parts in Batman Forever (1995) and Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994).
Unfortunately both parts were left on the cutting room floor.
But his life and image changed with his next audition. Trying out for the part of "Fat Butt"
in The Shawshank Redemption, he realized it was time to lose some weight and shed 80 pounds within
a year. It was also during this period that Favreau wrote the screenplay for a film called
Swingers (1996).
Drawing on his own life, he wrote a story about a lovesick comedian's pals helping him find
female companionship after being dumped. Everything from experiences kicking around town
with his pals trying to meet "beautiful babies" at Hollywood's cocktail-nation swing clubs,
epic video-hockey struggles to late-night diner excursions--was all semi-biographical.
When the script got circulated around Hollywood, several studios responded. But even though
the studios wanted to cast name stars, Favreau held out, especially since he'd promised
his friends they could be in it.
Instead of the $20-million budget that had been suggested, Swingers was shot for $250,000
with every word exactly as Favreau had written them and with every actor he'd written them
for. Directed by Doug Liman and starring Favreau and Vince Vaughn, the movie was a
festival and indie hit.
Favreau's other credits include the sci-fi blockbuster Deep Impact (1998) and the black comedy
very bad things (1998) (both 1998). His career continues to get hotter than ever, with roles in films such as Daredevil (2003), Something's Gotta Give (2003), Wimbledon (2004) and The Break Up (2006). Meanwhile, his directing career is also hot, with his second feature, Elf (2003), starring Will Ferrell, grossing almost $200 million at the domestic box office.
His personal life picked up as well, having married Joya Tillem on November 24, 2000. They have a son, born July 25, 2001 and a daughter Madelaine, born April 2003.
Filmography (director):
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Iron Man (2008)
Zathura (2005)
Elf (2003)
Made (2001)
Filmography (actor):
Couples Retreat (2009)
I Love You, Man (2009)
Four Christmases (2008)
Iron Man (2008)
Open Season (2006) (voice)
The Break Up (2006)
Wimbledon (2004)
Something's Gotta Give (2003)
Elf (2003)
The Big Empty (2003)
Daredevil (2003)
Made (2001)
The Replacements (2000)
Love & Sex (2000)
To the Moon (2000)
very bad things (1998)
Deep Impact (1998)
Dogtown (1997)
Persons Unknown (1996)
Just Your Luck (1996) (V)
Swingers (1996)
Notes From Underground (1995)
Batman Forever (1995)
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)
PCU (1994)
Rudy (1993)
Folks! (1992)