Biography
Who is Alex Greenwald?
Early Life and Education
Alex Greenwald was born in Los Angeles on October 9, 1979. He grew up in California and attended the UCLA Lab School and Palisades Charter High School. Before his primary focus shifted to the music industry, he began his professional career as a teenage actor.
He appeared in the 1993 film The Halloween Tree and the 1994 film No Dessert, Dad, till You Mow the Lawn. These roles marked his early introduction to the entertainment business before he pivoted toward his long-term career as a musician and rhythm guitarist.
Phantom Planet and Musical Career
In 1994, Alex Greenwald formed the rock band Phantom Planet with four friends at a Pizza Hut in Los Angeles. The group included guitarist Darren Robinson, bassist Sam Farrar, guitarist Jacques Brautbar, and drummer Jason Schwartzman. They chose the band name after the 1961 B-movie The Phantom Planet.
The band is widely recognized for their song California, which served as the theme music for the teen drama series The O.C. For its four-season run. The band experienced various periods of activity, including a hiatus starting in 2008 and a series of reunions from 2011 to 2013. They officially reunited in 2019 and released the comeback album Devastator in 2020 through Gong Records, a label Greenwald founded himself.
Collaborations and Production Work
Beyond his work with Phantom Planet, Alex Greenwald has maintained a busy career collaborating with other artists and working as a producer. He frequently collaborated with British musician and producer Mark Ronson. Greenwald shared writing credits on six of the eleven tracks for the 2010 album Record Collection and joined Ronson's band, The Business Intl.
In 2006, he collaborated with Sam Farrar and Mark Ronson to record a cover of the Radiohead song Just for the tribute album Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads. He also performed this track at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival. Also, he was a member of the Los Angeles band Blackblack, performing under the name Clark Schädelkopf until 2007.
Personal Life and Advocacy
Alex Greenwald is a practicing vegan and has appeared in two advertisements for PETA. He has attributed his dietary choices to a combination of a childhood habit and a later challenge from a girlfriend during his college years. He also appeared in music videos for bands including M83 and Uffie.
Regarding his personal relationships, he began dating actress and filmmaker Brie Larson in 2013. The couple became engaged in 2016 and lived together in the Hollywood Hills. They ended their engagement in 2019. In 2020, it was confirmed that he was in a relationship with Australian actress Phoebe Tonkin, though the pair have since separated. He made a minor acting appearance in the 2017 film Unicorn Store.
Birthday and age
Alex Greenwald was born on October 9, 1979, which makes Alex 47 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. Alex shares the date with 58 other famous people.
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