PAUL GIAMATTI
Birth Name: Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti
Date of Birth: June 6, 1967
American-born Giamatti is the youngest of three children born to Bartlett Giamatti, a former president of Yale University and major league baseball commissioner. His mother, Toni Smith, was an actress before she
married his father. Paul majored in English at Yale University before obtaining his Master's Degree in Fine Arts from the Yale University School of Drama.
Continuing his work in theater from his college days, Giamatti ventured out to work on regional productions in Seattle, San Diego, and Massachusetts. He eventually landed gigs on Broadway such as The Three Sisters, Arcadia and playing Jimmy Tomorrow in The Iceman Cometh for
which he received a Drama Desk nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
He began his screen career in 1990 with roles on television, such as the
telefilms She'll Take Romance and Past Midnight, and guest
appearances on NYPD Blue and Homicide: Life on the Street.
His roles in feature films remained largely unnoticed by the majority of
filmgoers until 1997 when he captured the eyes of America in the hit
comedy Private Parts as the young eager NBC executive derisively
nicknamed "Pig Vomit" by Howard Stern. The exposure led him to larger
roles in big budget films such as My Best Friend's Wedding,
Deconstructing Harry, The Truman Show, Saving Private
Ryan, The Negotiator, Cradle Will Rock, and Man on
the Moon.
The new millennium provided him with even more starring roles such as John
in Big Momma's House (2000), Limbo in Planet of the Apes (2001), and Gordo in Confidence (2003) with Dustin Hoffman and Andy Garcia.
In 2005, his career reached new heights when he received his first Golden Globe nomination for his lead role in Sideways (2004). The following year, he received not only a second Golden Globe nomination, but his first Academy Award nod for his supporting role in Cinderella Man (2005). In 2008, he added an Emmy to the acting trophies he's collected, as well as a Golden Globe award the following year, both for his work in HBO's John Adams. He won a second Golden Globe in 2011 for Barney's Version (2010).
Giamatti has been married to screenwriter Elizabeth Cohen since 1997. They live in Venice, California with their son, Samuel.