Kevin Dillon Biography
Born: August 19, 1965
Date of Birth: August 19, 1965
He’s made many memorable appearances on both the big and small screens. His notable roles include Oliver Stone’s Platoon and The Doors, the World War II drama A Midnight Clear and the cult classic The Blob. More recently, he starred in the popular television series Entourage, which has just been made into a movie. He is actor Kevin Dillon.
Kevin Brady Dillon was born in New Rochelle, New York to Mary Ellen and Paul Dillon, a homemaker and portrait painter sales manager, respectively. Kevin has five siblings, including older brother Matt Dillon, who became a successful actor in his teens. Dillon is of Irish descent, with smaller amounts of German and Scottish. He grew up in New Rochelle and attended Mamaroneck High School. After graduating high school, he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
At the age of 17, Kevin was discovered by a talent agent when he attended the premiere of his brother Matt’s film Tex in 1982. From there, Kevin starred in a series of television and film roles. Throughout the 1980s, Kevin landed a succession of high-profile supporting roles, usually out-of-control teens. However, it wasn’t until 1986 when he played the psychopathic soldier Bunny in the film Platoon, that he received wide attention.
Two years later, he played the lead Brian Flagg in the remake of the science fiction film The Blob. Although the remake wasn’t successful at the box office, it later developed a cult following. Kevin also did a film called War Party (1988), set in the present time about the tension and relationship between whites and Native Americans.
In the 1990s, Kevin starred in The Doors, a rock and roll biopic in which he played the band’s drummer, John Densmore. Throughout the decade, Kevin starred in small film projects and TV shows. Starting in 1998, Kevin guest starred in NYPD Blue and even had a main role in the short–lived comedy drama series That's Life. In addition to that, he also had recurring guest roles in several TV shows such as 24 and Karen Sisco.
It was not until 2004 that Kevin got his biggest role to date. He played one of the lead roles on the comedy drama HBO series Entourage. The show was created by Doug Ellin and produced by Mark Wahlberg. It centred on the acting career of an A-list movie star and his childhood friends from New York getting used to the Hollywood lifestyle.
Kevin, who co-starred with Adrian Grenier and Kevin Connolly, portrayed Johnny “Drama” Chase, the half-brother of Grenier’s character. The series went on to have critical success, running for eight seasons (2004-2011). Kevin was even nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor from 2007-2009, as well as being nominated for a Golden Globe for a similar nomination.
Apart from Entourage, Kevin also did some film work. In 2006, he starred in the remake of Poseidon, opposite Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, and Emmy Rossum. He also starred in the 2009 family film Hotel For Dogs, alongside Emma Roberts. Recently, in 2015 he reprised his role as Johnny “Drama” Chase in the film version of Entourage.
Kevin is married with kids. He has an older daughter named Amy, born in 1991 from a previous relationship. In 2006, he married Jane Stuart and together they have a daughter named Ava who was born that same year. However, in 2009 they separated after three years of marriage. He currently lives in New York City.