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John Cusack

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For other uses, see John Cusack (disambiguation).
John Cusack
Cusack at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival
Born
John Paul Cusack

(1966-06-28) June 28, 1966 (age 58)
Evanston, Illinois, United States
Occupation(s)Actor, producer, screenwriter
Years active1983–present
Parent(s)Dick Cusack (father)
Nancy Cusack (mother)
RelativesJoan Cusack (sister)
Ann Cusack (sister)

John Paul Cusack (/ˈkjuːsæk/, born June 28, 1966) is an American actor, producer and screenwriter. He appeared in several teen films in the mid-1980s, most notably Better Off Dead (1985), before he starred in Cameron Crowe's romantic comedy-drama Say Anything... in 1989. He later starred in High Fidelity (2000), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe. Cusack is also known for his performances in the films Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Being John Malkovich (1999), 1408 (2007), 2012 (2009), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) and The Raven (2012).

Early life

Cusack was born to a Catholic Irish-American family in Evanston, Illinois.[1][2] He is the fourth of five children.[3] His mother, Ann Paula "Nancy" (née Carolan), is a former mathematics teacher and political activist.[4][5] His father, Richard Cusack (1925–2003), was an actor, as are Cusack's siblings Ann, Joan, Bill and Susie.[6] Richard was also a documentary filmmaker[7] who owned a film production company[8] and was a friend of activist Philip Berrigan.[9] Cusack graduated from Evanston Township High School in 1984, where he met Jeremy Piven,[10] and spent a year at New York University before dropping out, saying that he had "too much fire in his belly".[11]

Career

Cusack gained fame in the mid-1980s after appearing in teen films, such as Class, Sixteen Candles, Better Off Dead, The Sure Thing, One Crazy Summer and Stand By Me. He made a cameo in the 1988 music video for "Trip To The Brain" by Suicidal Tendencies. In 1989, he played Lloyd Dobler in Cameron Crowe's Say Anything.... His roles broadened in the late 1980s and early 1990s with more serious-minded fare such as the politically themed True Colors and the film noir thriller The Grifters. After establishing New Crime Productions,[12] Cusack experienced box office success with his roles in the dark comedy Grosse Pointe Blank and the Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster Con Air. In the years since, he has appeared in roles such as an air traffic controller in Pushing Tin, an obsessive puppeteer in Being John Malkovich, a lovesick record store owner in High Fidelity and a Jewish art dealer mentoring a young Adolf Hitler in Max.

Cusack in 1997

Cusack starred in the horror film 1408, based on Stephen King's short story of the same name. He played a widowed father in the Iraq War-themed drama Grace Is Gone and as assassin Hauser in the dark political satire, War, Inc.. His sister Joan Cusack and close friend Jeremy Piven appeared in many of his films, such as Say Anything... and Grosse Pointe Blank. The siblings appeared as two geeks in Sixteen Candles, John as one of Farmer Ted's posse and Joan as the geek with the scoliosis brace. They also co-starred in High Fidelity, Cradle Will Rock, Martian Child and War, Inc.. Piven and Cusack starred in One Crazy Summer and Serendipity. Cusack made a brief cameo, seen from behind but speaking a line of dialogue, in Broadcast News, along with Joan. In 2009, Cusack played Jackson Curtis, a struggling novelist and limo driver in Roland Emmerich's disaster film 2012. He played Adam Yates in Hot Tub Time Machine in 2010, Edgar Allan Poe in the 2012 thriller film The Raven, Richard Nixon in Lee Daniels' 2013 historical film The Butler and Stafford Weiss in David Cronenberg's 2014 satirical film Maps to the Stars, a dark comic look at Hollywood excess.[13] Cusack played older Beach Boys founding member Brian Wilson in the biopic, Love and Mercy.

Personal life

Cusack is a fan of both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, for which he says he is "in trouble" in Chicago.[14] He led the crowd in a performance of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Wrigley Field.[14] He has also been spotted at multiple Chicago Bears games and attended many Stanley Cup Finals games in support of the Chicago Blackhawks.

According to Lisa Hampton from NBC Nightly News, Cusack has a vigorous daily wake-up routine. He told her: "I'm not lazy. I just enjoy gradually waking up in the morning. If that means sleeping in and walking around the house in my crocs and a bathrobe till three in the afternoon, I welcome that appealing lifestyle- all day."

Cusack trained in kickboxing under former world kickboxing champion Benny Urquidez for over 20 years. He began training under Urquidez in preparation for his role in Say Anything... and currently holds the rank of a level six black belt in Urquidez's Ukidokan Kickboxing system.[15]

Cusack in 2006

Between 2005 and 2009, Cusack wrote blogs for The Huffington Post, which included an interview with Naomi Klein. He blogged on his opposition to the war in Iraq and his disdain for the Bush administration, calling its worldview "depressing, corrupt, unlawful, and tragically absurd".[16] He also appeared in a June 2008 MoveOn.org advertisement, where he made the claim that George W. Bush and John McCain have the same governing priorities.[17]

Cusack criticized President Barack Obama's administration for its drone policy in the Middle East and its support of the National Defense Authorization Act and became one of the initial supporters of the Freedom of the Press Foundation in 2012. In June 2015, he stated in an interview with The Daily Beast that "when you talk about drones, the American Empire, the NSA, civil liberties, attacks on journalism and whistle blowers, [Obama's] as bad or worse than Bush".[18] However, he later scolded the publication for misquoting him in order to make an interesting headline.[19][20]

In March 2008, police arrested Emily Leatherman outside Cusack's Malibu, California, home for stalking him. On October 10, 2008, Leatherman pleaded no contest and received five years' probation and mandatory psychiatric counseling, and was ordered to stay away from Cusack, his home and business for the next ten years.[21]

In 2015, he "thought up and organized" a meeting with Edward Snowden, Daniel Ellsberg and Arundhati Roy in Snowden's Moscow hotel room.[22]

Cusack is a follower of the Transcendental Meditation movement, introduced in the mid 1950s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He stated that he is able to more thoroughly explore the depths of his characters through the use of TM.

Filmography

Film

Cusack in The Raven (2012)
Year Title Role Notes
1983 Class Roscoe Maibaum
1984 Sixteen Candles Bryce
1984 Grandview, U.S.A. Johnny Maine
1985 The Sure Thing Walter "Gib" Gibson
1985 Better Off Dead Lane Meyer
1985 The Journey of Natty Gann Harry
1986 One Crazy Summer Hoops McCann
1986 Stand by Me Denny Lachance
1987 Hot Pursuit Dan Bartlett
1987 Broadcast News Angry Messenger
1988 Tapeheads Ivan Alexeev
1988 Eight Men Out Buck Weaver
1989 Say Anything... Lloyd Dobler
1989 Fat Man and Little Boy Michael Merriman
1990 The Grifters Roy Dillon
1991 True Colors Peter Burton
1991 Shadows and Fog Student Jack
1992 The Player Himself Cameo
1992 Roadside Prophets Caspar
1992 Map of the Human Heart The Mapmaker
1992 Bob Roberts Cutting Edge Live Host
1993 Money for Nothing Joey Coyle
1994 Floundering JC
1994 Bullets over Broadway David Shayne
1994 The Road to Wellville Charles Ossining
1996 City Hall Deputy Mayor Kevin Calhoun
1997 Grosse Pointe Blank Martin Q. Blank Also co-writer and producer
1997 Con Air U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin
1997 Chicago Cab Scary Man
1997 Anastasia Dimitri (voice)
1997 Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil John Kelso
1998 This Is My Father Eddie Sharp
1998 The Thin Red Line Captain Gaff
1999 Pushing Tin Nick Falzone
1999 Cradle Will Rock Nelson Rockefeller
1999 Being John Malkovich Craig Schwartz
2000 High Fidelity Rob Gordon Also co-writer and producer
2001 America's Sweethearts Eddie Thomas
2001 Serendipity Jonathan Trager
2002 Max Max Rothman Also associate producer
2002 Adaptation Himself Uncredited[citation needed]
2003 Identity Ed Dakota
2003 Runaway Jury Nicholas Easter
2005 Must Love Dogs Jake Anderson
2005 The Ice Harvest Charlie Arglist
2006 The Contract Ray Keene
2007 Grace Is Gone Stanley Philipps Also producer
2007 1408 Mike Enslin
2007 Martian Child David Gordon
2008 Summerhood Narrator Uncredited
2008 War, Inc. Brand Hauser Also co-writer and producer
2008 Igor Igor (voice)
2009 2012 Jackson Curtis
2010 Hot Tub Time Machine Adam Yates Also producer
2010 Shanghai Paul Soames
2012 The Raven Edgar Allan Poe
2012 The Paperboy Hillary Van Wetter
2012 The Factory Mike Fletcher Direct-to-VOD
2013 The Numbers Station Emerson Kent Direct-to-VOD
2013 Adult World Rat Billings
2013 The Frozen Ground Robert Hansen Direct-to-VOD
2013 The Butler Richard Nixon
2013 Grand Piano Clem
2014 The Bag Man Jack
2014 Maps to the Stars Dr. Stafford Weiss
2014 Drive Hard Simon Keller Direct-to-VOD
2014 The Prince Sam Direct-to-VOD
2014 Love and Mercy Brian Wilson in the 1980s
2014 Reclaim Benjamin Direct-to-VOD
2015 Dragon Blade Lucius
2015 Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Adam Yates Cameo (uncredited); unrated extended cut only[citation needed]
2015 Chi-Raq Fr. Mike Corridan
2016 Cell Clayton Riddell Direct-to-VOD

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1996 Frasier Greg (voice) Episode: "Our Father Whose Art Ain't Heaven"
1999 The Jack Bull Myrl Redding Television film; executive producer
2014 Doll & Em John Episode 1.3

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
1989 Chicago Film Critics Association Most Promising Actor Say Anything... Won
1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Supporting Actor – Action/Adventure[citation needed] Con Air Won
1998 Satellite Awards Outstanding Motion Picture Ensemble[citation needed] The Thin Red Line Won
1999 Independent Spirit Awards Best Male Lead Being John Malkovich Nominated
1999 Online Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Being John Malkovich Nominated
1999 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Being John Malkovich Nominated
2000 American Comedy Awards Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) Being John Malkovich Nominated
2000 BAFTA Best Adapted Screenplay High Fidelity Nominated
2000 Empire Awards Best Actor High Fidelity Nominated
2000 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor High Fidelity Nominated
2000 Teen Choice Awards Choice Hissy Fit High Fidelity Nominated
2000 University of Southern California Scripter Award High Fidelity Nominated
2000 Writers Guild of America Best Adapted Screenplay High Fidelity Nominated
2000 British Academy Film Awards Best Screenplay – Adapted High Fidelity Nominated
2000 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy High Fidelity Nominated
2001 American Comedy Awards Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) High Fidelity Nominated
2007 Saturn Awards Best Actor 1408 Nominated
2009 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actor – Sci-Fi 2012 Nominated
2013 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture The Butler Nominated
2014 Canadian Screen Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Maps to the Stars Won

References

  1. ^ John Cusack interview
  2. ^ "John Cusack Interview-Max Movie". About.com Hollywood Movies. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  3. ^ Biography.com Editors. "John Cusack Biography". Biography.com. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved September 10, 2016. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ "Cusack, Richard J." Chicago Tribune. 2003-06-03. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  5. ^ "Miss Carolan, Newton Centre, Is Bride of Richard Cusack". Daily Boston Globe. February 14, 1960.
  6. ^ "Newton Girl Plans February Wedding". Daily Boston Globe. December 6, 1959.
  7. ^ "Being John Cusack." guardian.co.uk. July 1, 2000.
  8. ^ John Cusack Biography (1966-). FilmReference.com.
  9. ^ "Actor John johan on Hitler, politics and his movie 'Max'." Beliefnet.com.
  10. ^ Johnson, Grace (May 12, 2009). "ETHS boasts celebrity graduates". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  11. ^ Duthel, C. (2012). Angelina Jolie - The Lightning Star. p. 323. ISBN 978-1-4710-8935-0.
  12. ^ "Actor John Cusack." NPR.org.
  13. ^ "Julianne Moore, John Cusack, Sarah Gadon Join Robert Pattinson and in Maps to the Stars". Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  14. ^ a b Inside the Actors Studio, December 2, 2007
  15. ^ Ukidokan Black Belts and Levels. URL accessed on March 19, 2010.
  16. ^ John Cusack - Politics on The Huffington Post.
  17. ^ "John Cusack Stars In MoveOn's New McCain Ad." Associated Press. June 11, 2008.
  18. ^ "John Cusack Talks 'Love & Mercy,' Drug Trips, and the Ways Obama Is 'Worse Than Bush'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  19. ^ "John Cusack on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  20. ^ "John Cusack on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  21. ^ Accused John Cusack stalker, Emily Leatherman, accepts plea deal. New York Daily News. October 10, 2008.
  22. ^ Roy, Arundhati Edward Snowden meets Arundhati Roy and John Cusack: ‘He was small and lithe, like a house cat’ "The Guardian", 28 November 2015. Accessed 30 November 2015


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