Jon Favreau

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This article is about the actor and filmmaker. For the speechwriter, see Jon Favreau (speechwriter).
Jon Favreau
JonFavreauScreenTXMarch09.jpg
Favreau at the Austin, Texas premiere of I Love You, Man on March 13, 2009
Born Jonathan Kolia Favreau
(1966-10-19) October 19, 1966 (age 46)
Flushing, Queens, New York, U.S.
Occupation Stand-up comedian, actor, director, screenwriter, voice artist, comedian
Years active 1992–present
Spouse(s) Joya Tillem (m. 2000)

Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau[1] (/ˈfævroʊ/; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, voice artist, and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers (which he also wrote), Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Cowboys & Aliens. He also served as an executive producer on The Avengers and more recently, Iron Man 3. His most prominent television role was that of Pete Becker, Monica Geller's boyfriend during season three of the television sitcom Friends.

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Early life [edit]

Favreau was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, the son of Madeleine, an elementary school teacher who died of leukemia in 1979, and Charles Favreau, a special education teacher.[2] His mother was Jewish and his father is a Catholic of Italian and distant French-Canadian ancestry.[3][4][5] Favreau attended Hebrew school and had a Bar Mitzvah.[6]

Favreau graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1984 and attended Queens College from 1984 to 1987, before dropping out. His friend from college, Mitchell Pollack, said that Favreau went by the nickname "Hack" because of his talent in the game, Hacky Sack.[7] He briefly worked for Bear Stearns on Wall Street before returning to Queens College for a semester in early 1988. He dropped out of college for good (a few credits shy of completing his degree),[8] and in the summer of 1988, moved to Chicago to pursue a career in comedy. He performed at several Chicago improvisational theaters, including the ImprovOlympic and the Improv Institute.

Career [edit]

Early career [edit]

While in Chicago, Favreau landed his first film role alongside Sean Astin as the pudgy tutor D-Bob in the classic sleeper hit Rudy (1993). Favreau met Vince Vaughn – who played a small role in this film – during shooting. The next year, he appeared in the college film PCU alongside Jeremy Piven, and also stepped into the world of television in the 1994 episode of Seinfeld titled "The Fire" as Eric the Clown. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he made his breakthrough in 1996 as an actor-screenwriter with the film Swingers, which was also Vaughn's breakthrough role as the glib and extremely confident Trent Walker, a perfect foil to Favreau's heartbroken Mike Peters. In 1997, he appeared on the popular TV sitcom Friends, portraying Pete Becker, whom Monica Geller dates for several episodes, and who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Favreau made appearances in the sketch-comedy series, Tracey Takes On... in both 1996 and 1997.

He rejoined Piven in 1998 as part of Very Bad Things (1998). In 1999, he starred in the TV movie Rocky Marciano, based on the life of the only undefeated world heavyweight champion. He later appeared in Love & Sex (2000), co-starring Famke Janssen. Favreau appeared in 2000's The Replacements as maniacal linebacker Daniel Bateman, and that same year he played himself in The Sopranos episode "D-Girl", as a Hollywood director who feigns interest in developing mob associate Christopher Moltisanti's screenplay in order to collect material for his own screenplay.

He was a guest-director for an episode of the college dramedy Undeclared in 2001, and Favreau got some screen time as lawyer Foggy Nelson in the 2003 movie Daredevil (2003) (considerably more in the Director's Cut version). In 2003, he also starred in The Big Empty, directed by Steve Anderson. His character was John Person, an out of work actor given a strange mission to deliver a blue suitcase to a man named Cowboy in the desert.

Actor-director [edit]

In 2001, he made his (film) directorial debut with another self-penned screenplay, Made. Made once again teamed him up with his Swingers co-star Vince Vaughn. In the fall of 2003, he scored his first financial success as a director of the hit comedy Elf starring Will Ferrell and James Caan. Also in 2003, Favreau had a small part in Something's Gotta Give (a film starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson); Favreau played Leo, Harry Sanborn's (Nicholson) personal assistant, who visited Harry in the hospital. In 2005, Favreau directed the film adaptation of Zathura. Never to turn his back on acting, Favreau still makes regular appearances in film and television. He reunited with friend Vince Vaughn in the much-hyped hit romantic comedy The Break-Up and appeared in My Name Is Earl as a reprehensible fast food manager. Favreau also made a guest appearance in Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show.

Also in 2005, Favreau appeared as a guest judge and executive representative of Sony corporation in week five of NBC primetime reality TV business show, The Apprentice. He was called upon to judge the efforts of the show's two teams of contestants, who were assigned the task of designing and building a float to publicise his 2005 Sony Pictures movie, Zathura.

Favreau at an Iron Man photo call in Mexico City, April 2008

Favreau also has a TV series called Dinner for Five which airs on the cable TV channel IFC. On April 28, 2006, it was announced that Favreau was signed to direct the long awaited Iron Man movie.[9] Released on May 2, 2008, the film was a huge critical[10] and commercial[11] success, solidifying Favreau's reputation as a director. Favreau was the third director attached to John Carter of Mars, the film adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' swashbuckling space hero. Robert Rodriguez and Kerry Conran were previously attached within the last two years. Mark Protosevich and Ehren Kruger have both written drafts. The Marshal in Revelation has been in development since Swingers was released. It's a western about a Hasidic gunslinger. At one time both Favreau and Vince Vaughn were to co-direct. Neanderthals is a CG animated film that Favreau will write and produce. Johnny Zero will cover the birth of the hot rod movement following World War II. Favreau will write and direct. Iron Man was the first Marvel-produced movie under their alliance with Paramount, and Favreau served as the director and an executive producer. He recently told MTV that he would like to be at the helm of an Avengers film. During early scenes in Iron Man Favreau appears as Tony Stark's loyal friend, and driver, Happy Hogan. He also wrote two issues of a planned mini-series for Marvel Knights titled Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas, that debuted in September 2008 before being canceled in November 2008. [12] Favreau also directed the film's sequel, Iron Man 2.

Favreau co-starred in 2009's Couples Retreat, a comedy chronicling four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort, which he also wrote. The film saw him reunited with co-star Vince Vaughn, and Kristin Davis played his wife.[13]

He voices the character Pre Vizsla, the leader of the Mandalorian Death Watch, in the episodes of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.[citation needed]

Favreau said in December 2010 that he would not direct Iron Man 3, opting to direct Magic Kingdom instead. He also remained an executive producer of director Joss Whedon's The Avengers.[14][15]

In July 2011, Favreau was featured in a YouTube video by visual effects artists Freddie Wong and Brandon Laatsch (known on YouTube as the popular channel, "freddiew"), in a spoof of his then-upcoming summer film, Cowboys & Aliens. He lent the movie's iconic gauntlet prop to Wong & Laatsch for use in the short.[citation needed]

Favreau has shown interest in directing a film adaptation to Christian Gossett's The Red Star.

In 2013, he shot a pilot for a TV series based on the novel About a Boy, but set in San Francisco.[16]

Personal life [edit]

Favreau married Joya Tillem on November 24, 2000. The couple have three children: a son, Max, born July 25, 2001, and two daughters, Madeleine, born April 2003, and Brighton Rose, born August 2006. Joya Tillem is a physician and is the niece of lawyer/talk show host Len Tillem.[17]

Favreau is a very close friend of actor Vince Vaughn[18] and the two have collaborated on several movies.

Favreau credits the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with giving him "...a really strong background in imagination, storytelling, understanding how to create tone and a sense of balance."[19]

Filmography [edit]

Favreau at the Austin, Texas premiere of I Love You, Man, March 13, 2009
Year Film/TV Credited as Role
Director Writer Actor
1992 Hoffa No No Yes Extra
1993 Rudy No No Yes D-Bob
1994 Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle No No Yes Elmer Rice
Seinfeld No No Yes Eric the Clown (1 episode)
PCU No No Yes Gutter
1995 Batman Forever No No Yes Assistant
1996 Tracey Takes On... No No Yes Douglas Lund
Swingers No Yes Yes Mike Peters
Persons Unknown No No Yes Terry
1997 Friends No No Yes Pete Becker (6 episodes)
Tracey Takes On... No No Yes Douglas Lund
1998 Very Bad Things No No Yes Kyle Fisher
Deep Impact No No Yes Dr. Gus Partenza
1999 Rocky Marciano No No Yes Director
2000 Almost Famous No No Yes Director
Love & Sex No No Yes Adam Levy
The Replacements No No Yes Daniel "Danny" Bateman
2001 Made Yes Yes Yes Bobby Ricigliano
The Sopranos No No Yes Himself
2002 The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest No Yes No
2003 Elf Yes No Yes Doctor
Something's Gotta Give No No Yes Leo
Daredevil No No Yes Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson
The Big Empty No No Yes John Person
2004 The King of Queens No No Yes Sean McGee
Wimbledon No No Yes Ron Roth
2005 Zathura Yes No No
2006 My Name Is Earl No No Yes Mr. Patrick
The Break-Up No No Yes Johnny O
Open Season No No Yes Reilly (Voice)
Monk No No Yes Dr. Oliver Bloom (season 4, episode "Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist")
2008 Iron Man Yes No Yes Happy Hogan
Four Christmases No No Yes Denver McVie
2009 I Love You, Man No No Yes Barry
G-Force No No Yes Hurley the Guinea Pig (voice)
Couples Retreat No Yes Yes Joey
2010 Star Wars: The Clone Wars No No Yes Pre Vizsla (voice, 3 episodes in Season 2, 1 episode in Season 4, 2 episodes in Season 5)
Iron Man 2 Yes No Yes Happy Hogan
2011 Zookeeper No Yes Yes Bear (Voice)
Cowboys & Aliens Yes Yes No
2012 John Carter No No Yes Thark Bookie[20]
The Avengers No No No Executive Producer
People like Us No No Yes Richards
Revolution Yes No No
2013 The Office Yes No No Episode "Moving On"
Identity Thief No No Yes Harold Cornish
Iron Man 3 No No Yes Happy Hogan & Executive Producer[21]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Jonathan Kolia Favreau". Intellius.com
  2. ^ Jewel, Dan (November 25, 1996)."Swing and a Hit". People. vol. 46, #22.
  3. ^ Ryan, James (October 13, 1996). "A Hollywood Scene He Knows Too Well". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (December 26, 2003). "A Gift From Santa's Jewish Helpers". JewishJournal.com.
  5. ^ Stack, Peter (October 18, 1996). "Jon Favreau's `Swingers' -- It's a Guy Thing". The San Francisco Chronicle. 
  6. ^ "The Arty Semite". Forward.com blog.
  7. ^ Bowles, Scott (May 7, 2010). "Favreau's a Comic-Book Hero"'. USA Today. pp. 1D-2D.
  8. ^ "Lighting up the arts – Spotlight on a few of the extraordinary Queens College alumni ..." Q Magazine. Fall 2006. pp. 8–9
  9. ^ Kit, Borys (April 28, 2006). "Marvel Studios outlines slew of superhero titles". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 13, 2006. Retrieved April 29, 2006. 
  10. ^ Yamato, Jen (May 1, 2008). "Iron Man is the Best-Reviewed Movie of 2008!". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 16, 2010. 
  11. ^ "Iron Man (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 16, 2010. 
  12. ^ "Behind the Scenes of Iron Man with Director Jon Favreau". page 2, About.com
  13. ^ "Trio of Ladies Going on Couples Retreat". TV Guide. October 15, 2008. Retrieved on October 15, 2008.
  14. ^ Sneider, Jeff (December 14, 2010). "No Favreau? 10 Directors Who Could Take Over 'Iron Man 3'", TheWrap.com. WebCitation archive.
  15. ^ "Jon Favreau Will Not Direct Iron Man 3". "Vulture" (column). New York. December 14, 2010. Retrieved on December 14, 2010.
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ Len Tillem Program (On air discussion). KGO radio, San Francisco. December 29, 2008.
  18. ^ Jed Dreben, Kristin Boehm (March 18, 2009). "Jon Favreau Impressed By Newly Engaged Vince Vaughn's Choices". People. Retrieved February 23, 2012. 
  19. ^ Boucher, Geoff (May 5, 2008). "Jon Favreau is the action figure behind 'Iron Man'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2008. 
  20. ^ Woerner, Meredith. "Why Jon Favreau is glad he's not directing John Carter". io9. 
  21. ^ Nicholson, Max. "Guess Who's Back for Iron Man 3?". IGN. 

External links [edit]

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