Biography for
John C. Reilly (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

24 May 1965, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Birth Name

John Christopher Reilly

Height

6' 1½" (1.87 m)

Mini Biography

With a homely mug, lumbering gait and unruly mop of curly hair tailor-made for offbeat character work, John C. Reilly played a host of seamy characters to great effect over the years. Of late, however, he has defied the odds by drawing in the ladies with his touching "common man" portrayals of lovable, good-natured schlepps. The fifth of six children born to an Irish father and Lithuanian mother, Reilly was brought up on Chicago's tough Southwest territory. On the amateur stage from age eight, he trained at the Goodman School of Drama and eventually became a member of Chicago's renowned Steppenwolf Theatre. His film break came with a small role in the Vietnam War drama Casualties of War (1989), wherein Brian De Palma liked his work so much during the early stages that he recast him in a major role by the start of shooting as a soldier bent on rape. Reilly gained momentum throughout the 1990s and showed his dazzling stretch of talent in such films as Days of Thunder (1990), Shadows and Fog (1991), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and The River Wild (1994). He became a major stock player in director Paul Thomas Anderson's films, while finding some of his best roles in Sydney (1996) as a compulsive gambler, Boogie Nights (1997) in which he played a narcissistic porn star, and in Magnolia (1999) as a compassionate policeman. He went on to earn further critical points for his role of the soldier sent to the front lines in Terrence Malick's war epic The Thin Red Line (1998). On stage, Reilly has wowed audiences in "The Grapes of Wrath" on Broadway, "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Othello" at Steppenwolf, and earned an Outer Critics Circle Award and Tony nomination for "True West" alongside another impeccable character player Philip Seymour Hoffman. Reilly finally received the film recognition he deserved in 2002 with a slew of choice, high-profile parts in The Hours (2002), The Good Girl (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), and especially Chicago (2002) as the put-upon husband, Amos Hart, who is played for a patsy by murderous wife Roxie (Renée Zellweger). For this last part, he received both Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for best supporting actor. Though he didn't win either, it's only a matter a time for this talented thespian who can easily switch from being a dream of a nice guy to your worst nightmare on any given day. Reilly is married to producer Alison Dickey.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net

Spouse

Alison Dickey

(1992 - present) 2 children

Trivia

Received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from DePaul University's Goodman School of Drama (Chicago) [1987]

Originated the role of Marty in the 2002 musical "Marty" (book by Rupert Holmes, music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams), based on the 1955 movie Marty (1955).

In April 2004 he left the filming of Manderlay (2005) to be replaced by Slovenian actor Zeljko Ivanek. According to a report in Entertainment Weekly, he did so to protest against the killing of a donkey during production.

Attended DePaul University in Chicago.

John is a wonderful singer who came out of a musical theater background - did all of his own singing in Chicago (2002).

In 2003, he starred in three out of the five movies nominated for Best Picture. They are Chicago (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), and The Hours (2002).

Made a home video of himself singing in a bow tie and suit for director Rob Marshall who gave him his role in Chicago (2002).

Mother is from Lithuania. Father is Irish. He is the fifth of six children.

Director Antoine Fuqua wanted to cast him in his since aborted crime epic "Tru Blu" with Denzel Washington and Benicio Del Toro.

For not only his broad, almost 6' 2" frame, curly hair, and everyman's mug, but also his straight-forward but thoughtful acting style, Reilly has frequently been dubbed "his generation's Gene Hackman".

Was nominated for Broadway's 2000 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for a revival of Sam Shepard's "True West."

Graduated from Brother Rice High School on the South Side of Chicago.

In addition to having worked with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator (2004), he has also worked with two other actors who played Howard Hughes: Jason Robards (from Melvin and Howard (1980)) in Magnolia (1999), and Tommy Lee Jones (from The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977) (TV)) in A Prairie Home Companion (2006).

Was member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005.

Is a Chicago White Sox fan.

Lost a few pounds to play the rock star title character in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007).

Is a vegetarian.

In the tradition of Alan Young's Filby from The Time Machine (1960), Reilly plays a teenager aged 14 in his forties - aged 41, for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007).

Has a summer home in Michigan.

He met his wife in Thailand while he was filming Casualties of War (1989), whom at the time was Sean Penn's assistant.

His first plane ride was to Thailand to film Casualties of War (1989).

Personal Quotes

(On his reputation as "character actor" rather than leading man): I think there's something about me...that people can relate to. And, you know, beauty can be its own prison.

I grew up a Catholic and went regularly to church. When I made the decision to make acting my vocation, I used to joke that the theatre is my church now. But, especially doing live theatre, where you have to do eight performances in six days, you really have to kind of live like a monk. Then you go to this big, dark place and experience emotions, and it's very spiritual.

"The C stands for Christopher. You can blame the union for that. The Screen Actors Guild make you do it if there's another member with the same name. I wasn't going to change my name, so I just included the middle one. It was a decision I had to make on Casualties of War (1989), my first film in 1989. I got a phone call and had to fly out to Thailand where Brian De Palma was shooting and it was a sudden decision, and I'm stuck with it. So I'm glad I didn't go for a stupid and exotic-sounding name just to grab attention, or you could be talking to a man named Tallulah or something".

Not because I find fame difficult, but because I fear that if you're too well known, you lose the ability to surprise your audience and that's what I like my characters to do. I can still get away with it, I think. I mean, those kids in the lobby didn't know my name and I did an interview yesterday where they looked very confused when I walked in. Turns out they were expecting Philip Seymour Hoffman, though they didn't really know his name either - they just sort of said to me: 'Have you lost weight and dyed your hair?"

I was a bit of a freak, but because I had a few older brothers I was afforded protection and people just kind of let me join their gangs. I was a kind of Zelig figure, moving between different groups. I'd hang with the jocks, the burn-outs, the academic types and I could empathise with all of them. I was curious about all of them, but I know I never felt I fitted in with them, you know? It sounds odd saying it now, but I just wasn't right there - until I started doing plays and then it was, like: "Ah, my people."

In Chicago it's really a case of the play's the thing - people are just so happy to be acting, you know? We were all actors - not like in New York or Los Angeles, where everyone says they are actors but they are actually waiting tables and hustling for spots in commercials. We might not have been paid very much, but we were doing what we wanted to do and I got a lot of experience that way, a lot of versatility, so I was ready when a big chance came along.

I love that people can't place me. They don't know my name. That's 'mission accomplished' in my world.

I view my strongest competition as myself. You're always trying to top yourself, rather than worrying about what other people are doing.

I live on the east side of LA. I don't think I could live in LA if I didn't live on the east side. I want to live in a place that's an accurate reflection of the world, you know? I want to see people of all races and economic backgrounds. I think one of the problems with Hollywood actors is that they fortify themselves in these castles on the west side, and I don't know how you can really be a truthful actor if you're not out learning about the human experience and getting to know all different people. And so I feel really lucky that I have that in the neighborhood that I live in.

(2006 - On success) I'm still paranoid about money and that this can be the last one. I never get ahead of myself, thinking, 'I've made it, baby!'

Where Are They Now

(March 2005) Will play the iconic role of 'Stanley Kowalski' in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire".

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