John Cusack

Profile
Name: John Cusack
Birth Name: John Paul Cusack
Height: 6'3"
Sex: M
Nationality: American
Birth Date: June 28, 1966
Birth Place: Evanston, Illinois, USA
Profession: actor, director, writer
Education: Evanston Township High School, Evanston, Illinois New York University
Piven Theater Workshop, Evanston, Illinois
Relationship: Neve Campbell (actress; reportedly dating as of fall 1998), Claire Forlani (actress; dated from 1997 to 1998), Alison Eastwood (actress; dated in 1997), Minnie Driver (actress; met during filming of Grosse Pointe Blank; broke up)
Father: Richard Cusack (actor; film-production-company owner)
Mother: Nancy Cusack (former math teacher)
Sister: Susie (actress; born in 1971), Joan (actress; born on October 11, 1962), Ann (actress; born on May 22, 1961)
Brother: Bill Cusack (actor; born in 1964)
Claim to fame: as Lloyd Dahbler in Say Anything (1989)

Biography
John Cusack was born in Evanston, Illinois on June 26th, 1966. He was the fourth of five children born to a math-teacher mother, and a filmmaker father. At the age of 8, he joined the Piven Theatre Workshop. By the time he was 12 he had a string of industry films, had acted radio spots and commercial voice overs a his belt. When he was 17 he got his first real acting break in the teen comedy ''Class''(1983).Cusack remained busy the remainder of the '80's in hit's like ''Sixteen Candles'' with Molly Ringwald, ''Better Off Dead'', ''The Sure Thing'', ''The Journey of Natty Gann,'' and Cameron Crowe's classic eighties movie, ''Say Anything.'' Cusack has said that of all the characters he had ever played, his character in ''Say Anything'' ,Lloyd Dobler , was the most like himself. His performance in the movie effectively confirmed that he was capable of carrying a film and better offers began to role in.

He won his first grown-up role in ''The Grifters''(1990), where he played a small-time hustler caught between the attention of two rival women. His costars in the film Angelica Houston and Annette Benning both received Oscar nominations for their performance in the film but John had to settle for the rave reviews he received instead of a nomination.Next, he appeared in ''True colors'' with James Spader and had a cameo role in ''The Player''. He has gone on to continue enjoying roles opposite box office champs. He has given wonderful performances in dramatic films such as 'True Colors'', ''Shadows and Fog'', and ''Map of the Human Heart'' as well as comedic roles in ''Money for Nothing'' and ''Bullets Over Broadway''. In 1996 he co-starred with Al Pacino in ''City Hall''.The next turning point in Cusack's career was when he starred in ''Grosse Point Blank'' with Minni Driver. The movie was critically acclaimed and darkly funny and Cusack not only starred in the flick he also co-wrote and co-produced it. Recently he has appeared in ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,'' ''Pushing Tin'' and ''Being John Malkovich.'' His latest film was in the lead role of Steven Frears' winning adaptation of Nick Hornby's cult-fave novel ''High Fidelity'' which Cusack also logged co-producing and writing credits for the flick.

Despite many fine performances, Cusack hasn't launched into the realms of super-stardom. Not that he cares. With his taste for the offbeat combined with his continued loathing for celebrity and for semi-literate, sensationalist film-making. It is unlikely his feeling swill be hurt if he doesn't command the lead in the type of conventional big budget flicks that keep the Tom Cruises of Hollywood in the $20 million club. You have to admit, the guys got heart.

Filmography
2008 Igor
2007 Martian Child
2007 1408
2007 Grace is Gone
2007 War, Inc.
2006 The Contract
2006 Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten
2005 The Ice Harvest
2005 Must Love Dogs
2003 Runaway Jury
2003 Identity
2003 Breakfast With Hunter
2002 Never Get Outta the Boat
2002 Max
2001 America's Sweethearts
2001 Serendipity
2001 The Concert For New York City
2000 High Fidelity
1999 Cradle Will Rock
1999 Being John Malkovich
1999 The Jack Bull
1999 Pushing Tin
1998 Hellcab Actor
1998 This is My Father
1998 The Thin Red Line
1997 Con Air Actor: Vince Larkin
1997 Grosse Pointe Blank
1997 Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
1997 Anastasia Actor: Dimitri
1996 City Hall Actor: Kevin Calhoun
1994 Bullets Over Broadway
1994 The Road to Wellville
1994 Floundering
1994 Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
1993 Money for Nothing
1993 Map of the Human Heart
1992 Roadside Prophets
1992 The Player
1992 Bob Roberts
1991 Shadows and Fog
1991 True Colors
1990 The Grifters
1989 Elvis Stories
1989 Say Anything...
1989 Fat Man & Little Boy
1988 Eight Men Out
1988 Tapeheads
1987 Hot Pursuit
1987 Broadcast News
1986 One Crazy Summer
1986 Stand by Me
1985 The Journey of Natty Gann
1985 The Sure Thing
1985 Better Off Dead
1984 Grandview, U.S.A.
1984 Sixteen Candles
1983 Class

Awards

Admits he's virtually computer illiterate.

Cusack has attacked filmmaker Michael Moore for failing to support the Democratic party in the last American presidential elections -- Cusack explains, He lost a lot of credibility when he went and campaigned for Ralph Nader because he was dead wrong when it counted. I'm not a huge fan of the Democratic party, but I knew there was a huge difference between them and the Bush crowd. Don't tell me Al Gore would have handed out the contract to rebuild Iraq before he'd given the order to bomb it. (June 10, 2003)

Officials at America's Jewish Defamation League have apologized to the makers of Cusack's new movie MAX after blasting the project for humanizing Adolf Hitler -- after attending a screening of the movie, the organization has apologized to director Menno Meyjes and his cast for being too quick to judge the new film. (December 21, 2002)

The Cusack family received an award in Chicago for their outstanding contribution to film-making.

He has a production company called New Crime Productions (that produced GROSSE POINTE BLANK, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, and the JACK BULL among various stage productions) which he founded with two of his high school buddies Steve Pink & D.V. DeVincentis.

Spent his time between takes for AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS on gambling.

Was considered for the role of John Bender in THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985).

Vintage Vinyl, another record store mentioned in HIGH FIDELITY (2000), is a real store in Evanston, his hometown.

His kickboxing scenes in the ring in SAY ANYTHING, including the one where his nose is broken, are done with don the dragon Wilson; who is a real life kickboxing champion.

In SAY ANYTHING, his character was given a pen by Diane Court (Ione Skye). Cusack uses a pen to kill Felix in GROSSE POINTE BLANK.

In SAY ANYTHING (1989), When Lloyd (John Cusack) drives along 45th street in Seattle, he passes the Guild 45th Theatre, which is showing Tapeheads (1988), in which Cusack also appeared.

SERENDIPITY is in which John Cusack's love interest is dating a spiritually enlightened character. In PUSHING TIN (1999)(qv), (Billy Bob Thornton), and in HIGH FIDELITY (2000), (Tim Robbins).

The goon stalking Martin Blank is Benny The Jet Urquidez, a world-champion kickboxer who was also John Cusack's kickboxing instructor. (GROSSE POINTE BLANK (1997))

Was nominated Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical in 2001 for HIGH FIDELITY.

Nominated for Best Screenplay - Adapted at BAFTA Awards for HIGH FIDELITY (2001)Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture at Screen Actors Guild Awards for BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (2000)