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Background:
Hollywood actor John Malkovich won an American Comedy Award for his role as
supporting actor in Being John Malkovich in 2000. Years before he was noticed
for his supporting roles in Places in the Heart (1984), The Killing Fields
(1985), and Death of a Salesman (1984). The films also gained him a National
Society of Film Critics Award, Boston Society of Film Critics award and an Emmy
for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
70th on the list of Sexiest Stars in film history, by Empire magazine (1995),
Malkovich was also very popular on the stage. He won double Obie awards for his
outstanding performance in True West (1982) and for directing Balm in Gilead
(1984).
Recently Malkovich, whose favorite films are The Battle of Algiers, The 400
Blows and Citizen Kane, was involved in film projects Harry Potter IV (2004),
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Art School Confidential (2005),
Klimt (2005), Colour Me Kubrick (2005) and 13 French Street (2005).
Off screen, one of twelve Promising New Actors of 1984 in John Willis' Screen
World (Vol. 36), Malkovich was well remembered not only for portraying sexy,
deceitful seducer Vicomte De Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons (1988), but also for
his brief romantic link to actress Michelle Pfeiffer.
Temperamental Athlete
Childhood and Family:
Of Croatian heritage, John Gavin Malkovich was born on December 9, 1953, in
Christopher, Illinois. He was raised in a highly academic family; both his
father (Dan Malkovich) and mother (Joe Anne Malkovich) managed and owned local
newspaper The Benton Evening News. Young Malkovich was very temperamental. His
family would lock him out of the house when he was in a bad mood. He was also
reportedly heavy set. By high school he experienced a self-imposed physical
transformation and emerged as a star athlete. He attended the Eastern Illinois
University with an interest in ecology.
A big fan of Tom Waits and rap artist Dr. Dre, Malkovich has a good relationship
with his family, though he failed in his first marriage. He married Glenne
Headly (actress) on August 2,1982, but they divorced in 1988. Then Malkovich
married Nicoletta Peyran (assistant director) in 1990 while filming The
Sheltering Sky. He is the father of a son (Lowey, born in 1992) and a daughter
(Amandine, born in 1990).
Harry Potter's Villain
Career:
Powerful but grave actor John Malkovich started his acting career in 1976 when
he joined Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre. Two years later he performed for Sam
Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. Malkovich
made his stage-directing debut in The Rear Column at the North Light Repertory
Theatre. After his performances on stage, Malkovich finally appeared in his TV
movie debut, Word of Honor (1981), and continued with an appearance in American
Dream (1981).
Though Malkovich had widened his acting on screen, he didn't want to leave the
stage. In the year 1982 he won an Obie for his Off-Broadway debut in
Steppenwolf's production of True West. While on Broadway, he debuted with Death
of a Salesman (1984), playing Biff to Dustin Hoffman's Willy Loman. He later
earned an Emmy when it was made into a television Movie.
While starring in the TV adaptation of True West (1984), Malkovich broadened his
acting on the big screen. He was cast as the blind lodger in Places in the Heart
(1984), for which he won Best Supporting Actor at the National Society of Film
Critics Awards (1985) and was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the
Academy Awards. Other films followed including The Killing Fields (1984, earned
Boston Society of Film Critics award for Best Supporting Actor), Eleni (1985,
starred Nicholas Cage), Making Mr. Right (1987), The Glass Menagerie (1987), and
Empire of the Sun (1987). Malkovich played a role in Miles from Home (1988) and
was the sexy, deceitful seducer Vicomte De Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons (1988,
playing opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Glenn Close). Additionally, he also
produced The Accidental Tourist.
After two years of disappearing from the screen, Malkovich came back to play the
role of Port Moresby in The Sheltering Sky (1990) and appeared in Old Times
(1991,TV), playing Deeley. He also portrayed Eliot in Queens Logic (1991) and
played Jake in The Object of Beauty (1991). After playing the two films Shadows
and Fog (1992), and Of Mice and Men (1992), Malkovich received the Cognac
Festival du Film Policier Jury Coup de Chapeau for his performance in Jennifer
Eight (1993). He also won Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal
of the chameleon-like political assassin in The Line Of Fire (1993).
During 1994-1999, Malkovich remained active in the film industry. He took part
in the films Convento, O (1995), Mary Reilly (1996), Mulholland Falls (1996),
The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Con Air (1997), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998),
Rounders (1998), Ladies Room (1999), Le Temps retrouvé (1999), The Messenger:
The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) and Being John Malkovich (1999). He won an
American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture in 2000
for his part in Being John Malkovich.
In the year of 2000, Malkovich played in Shadow of the Vampire (helmed by F W
Murnau, based on Bram Stoker's Dracula) and also acted opposite Gerard Depardieu
in a French television adaptation of Les Miserables. He held the main role in
Knockaround Guys (2001, released in Italy as Dangerous Company). His directorial
debut, The Dancer Upstairs, a police thriller based on a novel by Nicholas
Shakespeare, was released in 2002 and selected to be the opening film in Park
City at the Sundance Film Festival. At the same time he had the leading role in
Ripley's Game (2002, playing Tom Ripley) and a featured role in the A&E
miniseries Napoleon (2002), in which he received an Emmy nomination for
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie. Malkovich also played
the character of Pascal Sauvage in the comedy feature Johnny English (2003),
costarring Australian pop Natalie Imbruglia. In 2004, he portrayed King Charles
II in The Libertine before landing a starring role in Harry Potter IV, playing
evil Lord Voldemort.
Moviegoers can catch Malkovich in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005,
portrayed Humma Kavula), Art School Confidential (2005, as Sandy), and Klimt
(2005, played Gustav Klimt). He will also star in the comedy Colour Me Kubrick
(2005, cast as Alan Conway), the true story of a man who conned his way into
London's high life by pretending to be reclusive director Stanley Kubrick. He
will also star in the forthcoming 13 French Street (2005).
Awards:
- American Comedy: Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Being
John Malkovich, 2000.
- San Sebastian Premio Donostia Lifetime Achievement, 1998.
- Cognac Festival du Film Policier: Jury Coup de Chapeau, Jennifer Eight,
1993.
- Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special, Death of
a Salesman, 1985-86.
- Boston Society of Film Critics: Best Supporting Actor, The Killing
Fields, 1985.
- National Society of Film Critics: Best Supporting Actor, Places In The
Heart, 1985.
- Drama Desk: Outstanding Direction, Balm in Gilead, 1985.
- Obie: Direction, Balm in Gilead, 1984-85
- National Board of Review: Best Supporting Actor, Places in the Heart,
1984
- Drama Desk: Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, Death of a Salesman,
1984
- Theater World: True West, 1983
- Chicago Area Emmy: Best Actor, Say Goodnight, Gracie, 1983
- Obie: Performance, True West, 1982-83
- Clarence Derwent: Most Promising Actor, True West, 1982
- Joseph Jefferson: Best Actor, True West, 1982
- Joseph Jefferson: Best Director, Balm in Gilead, 1981
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