Jeremy Piven filmography and biography
Date of birth: 26 July 1965, New York City, New York, USA
Jeremy Piven biography
Born in Manhattan and raised in Evanston, Illinois, he is an alumnus of the Piven Theatre Workshop founded by his parents (Byrne Piven and Joyce Hiller Piven) and a one time Chicago stage actor.
Jeremy Piven trivia
- Was a graduate of Evanston Township High School.
- Shared an apartment with John Cusack.
- Attended Harand Theater Camp in Elkhart Lake, WI, as a teenager. He
played Bernardo in "West Side Story" there.
- Son of Byrne Piven and Joyce Hiller Piven.
- Parents ran a theatre school in Chicago which John Cusack,
Joan Cusack and Ann Cusack attended.
- Frequently acts in movies with John Cusack, such as:
Bob Roberts, Elvis Stories,
Floundering, The Grifters,
Grosse Pointe Blank, One Crazy Summer,
The Player, Say Anything...,
Serendipity, Runaway Jury.
- Brother of Shira Piven
- Brother in-law of Adam McKay (I).
- He was also supposed to star alongside his best pal John Cusack
in High Fidelity, but had to pull out due to other
commitments.
- Attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. While in school, he
performed in plays such as "Julius Caesar.".
- Shares a birthday with Kevin Spacey, Sandra Bullock and
Kate Beckinsale.
- He got malaria while filming PCU and had to be rushed to
the hospital.
- Was considered for the role of Dolarhyde in Red Dragon.
- Was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
- His character Ari in HBO's Entourage is based on
real-life Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel.
- Divides his time between Malibu, California and Chicago.
- He owns a 2,424-square-foot house in Malibu, California, which he
purchased in May 2004 for $3.5 million from hockey star Chris Chelios.
Jeremy Piven quotes
- [on how to make an impression in small roles] From the get-go, I'd keep
talking and never stop. Literally, I would take single lines and just
keep going. In Runaway Jury, there are so many great
actors but I got lucky because I'm standing next to
Dustin Hoffman! That's the secret; Get next to him and they
can't cut you out!
- John Cusack and I have been friends since childhood, and the fact
that we're in so many films together is, no pun intended,
serendipitous. I audition and, after I find out I've got the job, I
call Johnny and say "Hey, man, we're going to be in New Orleans
together". And because we've done a bunch of films, people connect the
dots. But that's not the case.
- When I was in London I saw Ralph Fiennes in "Brandt". My mother
and I went to the stage door, because we were so blown away by it. We
were just gushing American fans. And then this guy went, Omigod, Jeremy
Piven!" And he started giving it up in a very un-British way. It was a
strange moment.
- [on Chicago] I have a place in Chicago and I get there as much as I can
. . . The city is so unbelievably beautiful. It's one of the greatest
cities on the planet. My heart beats differently when I'm in Chicago.
It slows down and I feel more at ease.
- It's your job as an actor to fill out the blanks. I love doing that. To
fill in the bones.
- I'm a stage actor. That is what I do.
- If I have a rapper like Common rolling hard with me at a club and
I hand him a microphone and he hits five songs in a row and the crowd
goes crazy, I don't feel guilty about drinking on the house.