John Malkovich
John Malkovich | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Gavin Malkovich December 9, 1953 Christopher, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer, fashion designer, theater director |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Known for | Acting in film, television, and theater; fashion design |
John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is a distinguished American actor celebrated for his extensive achievements, which include winning a Primetime Emmy Award and receiving nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards.
His professional journey commenced in 1976 as one of the founding members of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Malkovich later relocated to New York City, where he appeared in Steppenwolf's staging of the Sam Shepard drama True West (1980). He made his Broadway entrance portraying Biff in the revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman (1984), subsequently directing Harold Pinter's The Caretaker (1986) and acting in Lanford Wilson's Burn This (1987).
Malkovich received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in Places in the Heart (1984) and In the Line of Fire (1993). His film credits feature significant works such as The Killing Fields (1984), Empire of the Sun (1987), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Of Mice and Men (1992), Con Air (1997), Rounders (1998), Being John Malkovich (1999), and Red (2010). Additionally, he has contributed as a producer on films including Ghost World (2001), Juno (2007), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012).
On the small screen, Malkovich secured the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role in Death of a Salesman (1985). He earned further Emmy nods portraying Herman J. Mankiewicz in RKO 281 (1999) and Charles Talleyrand in the miniseries Napoléon (2002). More recent television appearances include roles in Crossbones (2014), Billions (2018–19), The New Pope (2020), and Space Force from 2020 to 2022.
Early life and education
Born on December 9, 1953, in Christopher, Illinois, Malkovich was raised in Benton, Illinois. His father, Daniel Leon Malkovich, served as a state conservation director and published Outdoor Illinois, while his mother, Joe Anne (née Choisser), owned both the daily Benton Evening News and the magazine Outdoor Illinois. He grew up with an older brother named Danny and three younger sisters; by 2020, Melissa remained his sole surviving sibling. His paternal lineage traces back to Croatian immigrants from near Ozalj, complemented by English, Scottish, French, and German heritage.
Malkovich attended Logan Grade School followed by Webster Junior High School and later graduated from Benton Consolidated High School, where he actively participated in theatrical productions including musicals like Carousel. He also engaged with a folk gospel ensemble and took part in community summer theater initiatives.
After completing high school in 1972, he initially enrolled at Eastern Illinois University, then transferred to Illinois State University to pursue theater studies before eventually leaving. He further refined his acting skills at the William Esper Studio.
Career
In 1976, Malkovich was among the founding members of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, joining forces with Joan Allen, Gary Sinise, and Glenne Headly. He relocated to New York City in 1980 to perform in Steppenwolf’s production of Sam Shepard's True West, directed by Sinise, which earned him an Obie Award. One of his initial appearances on film was as an extra in Robert Altman's A Wedding (1978). In 1982, he acted in A Streetcar Named Desire at Chicago's Wisdom Bridge Theatre. He also directed the 1984 Steppenwolf revival of Lanford Wilson's Balm in Gilead, winning a second Obie Award along with a Drama Desk Award. Other significant Steppenwolf performances include The Glass Menagerie (1979), Burn This (1987), and The Libertine (1996).
Malkovich’s first feature film role was as Mr. Will in Places in the Heart (1984), which garnered him his initial Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. That same year, he portrayed Al Rockoff in The Killing Fields. His Broadway debut came in 1984 playing Biff in Death of a Salesman alongside Dustin Hoffman, a performance that earned him an Emmy Award when adapted for television by CBS in 1985. His cinematic career further expanded with roles in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun and Paul Newman’s adaptation of Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie (both released in 1987), followed by Susan Seidelman’s Making Mr. Right.
He received critical praise for his portrayal of Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons (1988), a film based on Christopher Hampton's play adapted from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's novel. Malkovich also reprised this character in Annie Lennox’s music video for "Walking on Broken Glass." His other notable films include Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Sheltering Sky (1990) and Woody Allen’s Shadows and Fog (1991). In 1992, he took on the role of Lennie in the cinematic version of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. He earned another Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor with his role in In the Line of Fire (1993) and provided narration for the film Alive. Additional appearances include roles in The Man in the Iron Mask and hosting episodes of NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Twice directed by Stephen Frears, Malkovich starred alongside Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly (1996) and portrayed Charles VII in Luc Besson’s The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). He famously played a fictionalized version of himself in Charlie Kaufman’s acclaimed film Being John Malkovich (1999). His directorial debut came with the film The Dancer Upstairs (2002), after which he made a cameo appearance in Adaptation. That same year, he portrayed Tom Ripley in Ripley's Game, adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s novel.
His later films encompass titles such as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Eragon (2006), as well as both Beowulf and Colour Me Kubrick released in 2007. He also featured in Changeling (2008), the action-comedy films Red and its sequel Red 2, and major blockbusters including Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Malkovich declined to play the Green Goblin in 2002’s Spider-Man due to conflicting schedules. In 2009, he was cast as Vulture for the never-produced Spider-Man 4. He appeared alongside Tom Hanks in The Great Buck Howard (2008) and starred with George Clooney in a Nespresso commercial.
In theatrical direction, Malkovich led a French staging of Zach Helm’s play Good Canary, earning the prestigious Molière Award. He authored and performed in the operatic piece The Infernal Comedy – Confessions of a Serial Killer, which toured globally between 2010 and 2013. In 2011, he directed Julian Sands during a Harold Pinter tribute at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. His French-language adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses premiered at Paris's Théâtre de l'Atelier before being presented at New York City's Lincoln Center Festival.
Returning to directing theater productions, he mounted Spanish and English versions of Good Canary, receiving the Milton Schulman Award for Best Director at the Evening Standard Theater Awards in 2016. Additionally, Malkovich wrote and starred in Robert Rodriguez’s avant-garde film 100 Years, which is sealed away until its release scheduled for 2115.
On television, Malkovich took on the role of Hercule Poirot in BBC’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel The A.B.C. Murders. In London’s West End, he led David Mamet’s play Bitter Wheat. He also portrayed the lead character in HBO’s drama series The New Pope, and was cast as Dr. Adrian Mallory on Netflix’s comedy series Space Force.
His production of George Bernard Shaw's play Arms and the Man, set against the backdrop of the Serbo-Bulgarian War, encountered protests from Bulgarian nationalist groups during its November 2024 premiere at Sofia’s Ivan Vazov National Theater. Malkovich dismissed these demonstrations as unwise and denied any intention to damage Bulgaria's reputation.
Fashion design
In 2002, Malkovich established his fashion label, Mrs. Mudd. The following year, he introduced the menswear collection "Uncle Kimono," which attracted global media attention. Later, in 2011, he unveiled the "Technobohemian" line. Malkovich was directly involved in creating the clothing designs himself. During a 2024 interview with Big Issue, he revealed that he ceased active participation in fashion design approximately six or seven years earlier but maintains an admiration for textile creators.
Frequent collaborators
Malkovich has often partnered with Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz, featuring in several of his movies including Le Temps retrouvé (1999), Les Ames Fortes (2001), Klimt (2006), and Lines of Wellington (2012).
In 2008, Austrian director Michael Sturminger cast him in Seduction and Despair, a unique blend of theater, opera, and orchestral music that premiered in Santa Monica. Its fully realized production, titled The Infernal Comedy, debuted in Vienna in 2009 and subsequently toured across Europe and the Americas until 2012.
Sturminger also directed Malkovich in Casanova's Variations and its 2014 film version alongside Fanny Ardant. Their third joint project was the 2017 play Just Call Me God – the final speech, where Malkovich portrayed a dictator on the brink of being deposed.
He has frequently collaborated with actor Julian Sands. Moreover, Lithuanian actress Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė has worked with him on nine occasions by April 2023; Malkovich regards her as his "oldest, closest colleague." They performed together in the Steppenwolf production of A Slip of the Tongue (1992), which later transferred to London's Shaftesbury Avenue. Dapkūnaitė also appeared in Malkovich's play Libra and shared the stage with him in The Giacomo Variations at the Sydney Opera House during the 2011 Sydney Festival. In April 2023, they co-starred in In the Solitude of Cotton Fields held in Tallinn, Estonia.
In the media
In 2014, photographer Sandro Miller recreated 35 iconic portraits featuring John Malkovich for the project titled Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographer Master. Malkovich made his debut in video games through the "Exo Zombies" mode of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. He appeared in Annie Lennox’s 1992 music video for "Walking on Broken Glass" as well as Eminem’s 2015 video for "Phenomenal". In 2017, he featured in comedic Super Bowl commercials centered around attempts to acquire the domain johnmalkovich.com.
Personal life
Malkovich married actress Glenne Headly in 1982; their marriage ended in divorce by 1988 following his affair with Michelle Pfeiffer. Since 1989, he has been partnered with Nicoletta Peyran, whom he met during filming of The Sheltering Sky. Together they have two children named Amandine and Loewy.
Recognized for a distinctive voice often described as "wafting, whispery, and reedy," Malkovich does not consider himself a method actor. Having spent nearly ten years living and working in southern France, he is fluent in French. After encountering a tax-related dispute in 2003, he relocated with his family to Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Among his business interests are co-ownership stakes in Lisbon’s Bica do Sapato restaurant and Lux nightclub. He experienced substantial financial setbacks during the 2008 Madoff investment scandal. In the 1990s, he and Peyran acquired a farm near Lacoste, Vaucluse, where they launched a wine brand called Les Quelles de la Coste; their inaugural vintage debuted in 2011. His sole philanthropic commitment is supporting fundraising efforts for the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
Politically, Malkovich describes himself as non-ideological and has abstained from voting since 1972. During a 2002 speech at the Cambridge Union Society, he controversially criticized journalist Robert Fisk and politician George Galloway. Regarding spirituality, he identifies as either atheist or agnostic.
In 2013, Malkovich was credited with saving a man’s life by applying pressure to a neck wound following an accident in Toronto.
Awards and nominations
- Order of Danica Hrvatska (Croatia), featuring the likeness of Marko Marulić (Zagreb, 2003)
- Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class (Kyiv, 2018)
External links
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- 1953 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American business figures
- 21st-century American male performers
- 21st-century American fashion designers
- American male actors living in France
- American expatriates residing in England
- American designers in fashion
- American male film performers
- American male television performers
- American male voice actors in video games
- Americans involved in the wine sector
- American individuals of Croatian heritage
- Business professionals from Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Business professionals from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Drama Desk Award recipients
- Eastern Illinois University graduates
- Film directors originating from Illinois
- Film directors originating from Massachusetts
- Film producers originating from Illinois
- Film producers originating from Massachusetts
- Filmmakers based in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Illinois State University graduates
- Male actors hailing from Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Male actors hailing from Illinois
- Male actors hailing from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Designers specializing in menswear
- Obie Award honorees
- Primetime Emmy Award winners for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
- Natives of Benton, Illinois
- Natives of Christopher, Illinois
- Natives of Vaucluse
- Awardees of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class
- Members of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company
- Alumni of the William Esper Studio
- American people in the wine industry