Greg Kinnear


Gregory Buck Kinnear is an American actor, producer and television personality. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in As Good as It Gets.
Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including Sabrina, You've Got Mail, Nurse Betty, Someone like You, We Were Soldiers, Auto Focus, Stuck on You, Robots, Little Miss Sunshine, Invincible, Green Zone, The Last Song, Heaven Is for Real, Misbehaviour and television roles, such as Friends, Talk Soup, The Kennedys, Modern Family, House of Cards, and Rake.

Early life

Kinnear was born in Logansport, Indiana, to Suzanne, a homemaker, and Edward Kinnear, a career diplomat who worked for the US State Department. He has two brothers, James and Steven. He is of Scots-Irish descent. Kinnear grew up a "Foreign Service brat", having moved around frequently, from Beirut to Athens. While a student at the American Community Schools in Athens, Kinnear first ventured into the role of talk show host with his radio show School Daze With Greg Kinnear. Returning to the United States for a university education, he attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 1985 with a degree in broadcast journalism. While there, he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

Career

Kinnear hosted a short-lived game show, College Mad House, which was spun off from the kids' show Fun House. He became the creator, co-executive producer and host of Best of the Worst, which aired from 1991 to 1992. In 1991, Kinnear became the first host of Talk Soup, which he hosted until 1995, when he left the show for the NBC late-night talk show Later with Greg Kinnear.
After his film debut, Blankman, Kinnear won the part of David Larrabee in Sydney Pollack's 1995 remake of Billy Wilder's 1954 classic Sabrina. He played the lead role in the 1996 comedy Dear God. In 1997, he was cast in James L. Brooks' comedy-drama As Good as It Gets, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also starred in A Smile Like Yours with Lauren Holly, as part of a couple trying to have a baby. His next film was the popular You've Got Mail as Kathleen's significant other. Other films are Mystery Men, Nurse Betty, Loser, The Gift and Someone Like You. Kinnear often alternated roles, often playing good guys like a righteous principal in The Gift or a gay painter in As Good as It Gets, to bad guys such as a sleazy college professor in Loser, a womanizer in Someone Like You as well as Sabrina and an egotistical soap opera star in Nurse Betty.
Kinnear starred in Auto Focus about the life and murder of actor Bob Crane in 2002. Kinnear portrayed Crane. In 2003, he starred in the comedy Stuck On You, with Matt Damon as a conjoined twin who pursues his dream of becoming a Hollywood actor in spite of his joined brother's desire for a different kind of life. In 2005, he starred in the black comedy The Matador with Pierce Brosnan and voiced Phineas T. Ratchet in the computer-animated film Robots. Kinnear co-starred with Steve Carell in the Oscar-winning comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine in 2006, 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, he starred in Flash of Genius, a docudrama about Robert Kearns who invented the intermittent windshield wiper. His portrayal of then-Major Bruce P. Crandall in 2002's We Were Soldiers brought public attention to Crandall's heroism during the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang. In Baby Mama Kinnear played Rob, a local smoothie shop owner and the romantic interest of Kate.
In 2010, he starred as the estranged father of Miley Cyrus' character in The Last Song. In 2011, Kinnear starred in the miniseries The Kennedys playing the lead role as John F. Kennedy. It was originally planned to air on the History Channel; however, it was announced in January 2011 that the miniseries had been pulled from that network. It was subsequently picked up by ReelzChannel and then first aired on April 3, 2011. Kinnear played a famous novelist in the Josh Boone's directorial debut film Stuck in Love, which followed his relationships with his ex-wife and teenage children.

Personal life

Kinnear married British glamour model Helen Labdon on May 1, 1999. They have three daughters.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations

YearNominated WorkAssociationCategoryResultsRef
1994Talk Soup on VacationCableACE AwardsRecreation and Leisure Special or SeriesNominated
1994Talk Soup: Weekend EditionCableACE AwardsMagazine Show Special or SeriesNominated
1995Talk SoupCableACE AwardsEntertainment HostNominated
1995Talk SoupDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Special Class ProgramWon
1996SabrinaChicago Film Critics Association AwardsMost Promising ActorWon
1996N/AGolden Apple AwardsMale Discovery of the YearWon
1996N/AShoWest Convention AwardsMale Star of TomorrowWon
1997As Good as It GetsAwards Circuit Community AwardsBest Actor in a Supporting RoleNominated
1997As Good as It GetsNational Board of Review AwardsBest Supporting ActorWon
1998As Good as It GetsAcademy AwardsBest Supporting ActorNominated
1998As Good as It GetsChicago Film Critics Association AwardsBest Supporting ActorNominated
1998As Good as It GetsGolden Globe AwardsBest Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureNominated
1998As Good as It GetsOFTA Film AwardsBest Supporting ActorNominated
1998As Good as It GetsSatellite AwardsBest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or MusicalNominated
1998As Good as It GetsScreen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting RoleNominated
1998As Good as It GetsSoutheastern Film Critics AssociationBest Supporting ActorWon
1999You've Got MailBlockbuster Entertainment AwardsFavorite Supporting Actor – Comedy / RomanceWon
2002Auto FocusNew York Film Critics Circle AwardsBest ActorNominated
2005The MatadorSt. Louis Film Critics AssociationBest Supporting ActorNominated
2006Little Miss SunshineAwards Circuit Community AwardsBest Cast EnsembleWon
2006Little Miss SunshineGotham Independent Film AwardsBest Ensemble PerformanceNominated
2006Little Miss SunshinePhoenix Film Critics Society AwardsBest Ensemble CastWon
2007Little Miss SunshineCentral Ohio Film Critics AssociationBest EnsembleNominated
2007Little Miss SunshineGold Derby AwardsEnsemble CastWon
2007Little Miss SunshineOFTA Film AwardsBest EnsembleNominated
2007Little Miss SunshineScreen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureWon
2008Flash of GeniusBoston Film FestivalBest ActorWon
2011The KennedysPrimetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or MovieNominated
2012Modern FamilyOFTA Television AwardsBest Guest Actor in a Comedy SeriesNominated
2012Modern FamilyPrimetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated
2012The KennedysScreen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or MiniseriesNominated
2014Anchorman 2: The Legend ContinuesMTV Movie + TV AwardsBest FightNominated
2017PhilLeo AwardsBest Motion PictureNominated