Biography
Who is John Cusack?
Early life and real name
John Cusack Paul Cusack was born on June 28, 1966, in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His parents were Richard J. Dick Cusack and Ann Paula Nancy Cusack, and he grew up with four siblings named Joan, Ann, Bill, and Susie. His father worked as a writer, actor, producer, and documentary filmmaker, while his mother was a mathematics teacher and political activist. John graduated from Evanston Township High School in 1984, where he met Jeremy Piven. Following high school, John spent a year at New York University Tisch School of the Arts before dropping out.
The family previously lived in Manhattan, New York City, before relocating to Illinois. During his youth, John trained at the Piven Theatre Workshop to hone his performance skills. His older sisters, Ann and Joan, also pursued careers in acting.
How John became famous
John began acting in films during the early 1980s, making his theatrical film debut with a minor role in Class in 1983. He followed this with an appearance in John Hughes' directorial debut film Sixteen Candles in 1984. At sixteen years old, John achieved a breakthrough performance in Rob Reiner's teen comedy The Sure Thing in 1985. That same year, he starred in the dark comedy Better Off Dead.
Throughout the 1980s, John appeared in several other well-known coming-of-age films, including Stand by Me in 1986 and One Crazy Summer in 1986. He secured his status as a prominent young actor by starring in Cameron Crowe's directorial debut, Say Anything..., in 1989. In that film, his character Lloyd Dobler became famous for holding a boombox outside a bedroom window, creating a lasting cultural touchstone.
Career highlights
In the 1990s, John transitioned away from teen roles and took on a variety of genres. He played a con artist in Stephen Frears' neo-noir film The Grifters in 1990 and co-wrote and starred in the crime film Grosse Pointe Blank in 1997. That same year, he starred as United States Marshal Vince Larkin in the action thriller Con Air and voiced Dimitri in the animated film Anastasia. In 1999, he starred in Spike Jonze's critically acclaimed film Being John Malkovich.
John earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor for his starring role in High Fidelity in 2000, based on the novel by Nick Hornby. His subsequent work included romantic comedies like America's Sweethearts and Serendipity in 2001, as well as thrillers such as Identity in 2003 and 1408 in 2007. Later in his career, he portrayed historical figures, playing Edgar Allan Poe in The Raven in 2012, Richard Nixon in The Butler in 2013, and Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy in 2014. He won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Maps to the Stars in 2014.
Awards and recognition
Over the course of his extensive career, John has received multiple accolades and honors for his contributions to cinema. He won a Satellite Award for Best Cast for a Motion Picture and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In addition to his acting work, he co-founded New Crime Productions and has been credited as a producer, screenwriter, and blogger.
Birthday and age
John Cusack was born on June 28, 1966, which makes John 60 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. John shares the date with 36 other famous people.
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