Greg Kinnear

Gregory Buck Kinnear[1] (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor and television personality. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in As Good as It Gets.
Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including Heaven is for Real, Sabrina, As Good as It Gets, You've Got Mail, Nurse Betty, We Were Soldiers, Stuck on You, Little Miss Sunshine, Someone Like You, Robots, Invincible and Green Zone, The Last Song and television roles, such as Friends, Talk Soup, The Kennedys, Modern Family and Rake.
== Early life ==
Kinnear was born in Logansport, Indiana, to Suzanne (née Buck), a homemaker, and Edward Kinnear, a career diplomat who worked for the US State Department.[2][3][4] He has two brothers, James (born 1957) and Steven (born 1959). He is of Scots-Irish descent.[5] Kinnear grew up a "Foreign Service brat", having moved around frequently, from Beirut to Athens. While a student at the American Community Schools in Athens, Kinnear first ventured into the role of talk show host with his radio show School Daze With Greg Kinnear.[5] Returning to the United States for a university education, he attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 1985 with a degree in broadcast journalism. While there, he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.[6]
== Career ==
=== Talk shows ===
Kinnear hosted a short-lived game show, College Mad House, which was spun off from the kids' show Fun House. He became the creator, co-executive producer and host of Best of the Worst, which aired from 1991 to 1992. The show was canceled, after a hoax led by several students at The University of Texas at Austin, including Burnie Burns. In 1991, Kinnear became the first host of Talk Soup, which he hosted until 1995, when he left the show for the NBC late-night talk show Later with Greg Kinnear (1994).
=== Film roles ===
After his film debut, Blankman, Kinnear won the part of David Larrabee in Sydney Pollack's 1995 remake of Billy Wilder's 1954 classic Sabrina. He played the lead role in the 1996 comedy Dear God. In 1997, he was cast in James L. Brooks' comedy-drama As Good as It Gets, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also starred in A Smile Like Yours with Lauren Holly, as part of a couple trying to have a baby. His next film was the popular You've Got Mail as Kathleen's (Meg Ryan) significant other. Other films are Mystery Men, Nurse Betty, Loser, The Gift and Someone Like You. Kinnear often alternated roles, often playing good guys like a righteous principal in The Gift or a gay painter in As Good as It Gets, to bad guys such as a sleazy college professor in Loser, a womanizer in Someone Like You as well as Sabrina and an egotistical soap opera star in Nurse Betty.
Kinnear starred in Auto Focus about the life and murder of actor Bob Crane in 2002. Kinnear portrayed Crane. In 2003, he starred in the comedy Stuck On You, with Matt Damon as a conjoined twin who pursues his dream of becoming a Hollywood actor in spite of his joined brother's desire for a different kind of life. In 2005, he starred in the black comedy The Matador with Pierce Brosnan and voiced Phineas T. Ratchet in the computer-animated film Robots. Kinnear co-starred with Steve Carell in the Oscar-winning comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine in 2006, and with Mark Wahlberg in Invincible, based on the true story of a bartender who tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles football team. He also appeared in Fast Food Nation, playing a fast food executive who discovers secrets about his company. In 2008, he starred in Flash of Genius, a docudrama about Robert Kearns who invented the intermittent windshield wiper. His portrayal of then-Major Bruce P. Crandall in 2002's We Were Soldiers brought public attention to Crandall's heroism during the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang. (On February 26, 2007, Crandall was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bush.) In Baby Mama Kinnear played Rob, a local smoothie shop owner and the romantic interest of Kate (Tina Fey).
In 2010, he starred as the estranged father of Miley Cyrus' character in The Last Song. In 2011, Kinnear starred in the miniseries The Kennedys playing the lead role as John F. Kennedy. It was originally planned to air on the History Channel; however, it was announced in January 2011 that the miniseries had been pulled from that network.[7] It was subsequently picked up by ReelzChannel and then first aired on April 3, 2011. Kinnear played a famous novelist in the Josh Boone's directorial debut film Stuck in Love, which followed his relationships with his ex-wife (Jennifer Connelly) and teenage children.[8]
== Personal life ==
Kinnear married British glamour model Helen Labdon (born 1969) on May 1, 1999.[9] They have three daughters: Lily Kathryn (born September 2003), Audrey Mae (born June 2006) and Kate Grace (born 2009).
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1994 	Blankman 	Talk Show Host 	
1995 	Sabrina 	David Larrabee 	
1996 	Dear God 	Tom Turner 	
1996 	Beavis and Butt-Head Do America 	ATF Agent Bork 	Voice
Uncredited
1997 	A Smile Like Yours 	Danny Robertson 	
1997 	As Good as It Gets 	Simon Bishop 	
1998 	You've Got Mail 	Frank Navasky 	
1999 	Mystery Men 	Captain Amazing / Lance Hunt 	
2000 	What Planet Are You From? 	Perry Gordon 	
2000 	Nurse Betty 	Dr. David Ravell / George McCord	
2000 	Loser 	Professor Edward Alcott 	
2000 	The Gift 	Wayne Ragger 	
2001 	Someone like You 	Ray Brown 	
2002 	We Were Soldiers 	Maj. Bruce "Snake" Crandall 	
2002 	Auto Focus 	Bob Crane 	
2003 	Stuck on You 	Walter Tenor 	
2004 	Godsend 	Paul Duncan 	
2004 	The Incredibles 	Jordan The Tank Squad Leader 	
2005 	The Matador 	Danny Wright 	
2005 	Robots 	Phineas T. Ratchet 	Voice
2005 	Bad News Bears 	Ray Bullock 	
2006 	Fast Food Nation 	Robert Anderson 	
2006 	Little Miss Sunshine 	Richard Hoover 	
2006 	Invincible 	Dick Vermeil 	
2006 	Unknown 	Broken Nose 	
2007 	Feast of Love 	Bradley Miller 	
2008 	Baby Mama 	Rob Ackerman 	
2008 	Ghost Town 	Frank Herlihy 	
2008 	Flash of Genius 	Bob Kearns 	
2010 	Green Zone 	Clark Poundstone 	
2010 	The Last Song 	Steve Miller 	
2011 	Thin Ice 	Mickey Prohaska 	
2011 	That's What I Am 	Narrator 	Voice
Uncredited
2011 	Salvation Boulevard 	Carl Vanderveer 	
2011 	I Don't Know How She Does It 	Richard Reddy 	
2012 	Stuck in Love 	Bill Borgens 	
2013 	Movie 43 	Griffin Schraeder 	Segment: "The Pitch"
2013 	The English Teacher 	Dr. Richard Riker 	
2013 	Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues 	Gary Bragger 	
2014 	Heaven Is for Real 	Todd Burpo 	
2014 	Murder of a Cat 	Al Ford 	
2016 	Little Men 	Brian Jardine 	
2017 	Brigsby Bear 	Detective Vogel 	
2017 	Same Kind of Different as Me 	Ron Hall 	
2024/2025	Kaiden and Friends Movie: Hader and Gabriel's Mistake	Pauler 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1988 	What Price Victory 	Teacher's Assistant	Television film
1989 	Life Goes On 	Corey 	Episode: "Break a Leg, Mom"
1990 	Murder in Mississippi 	News Reporter 	Television film
1990 	Mancuso, F.B.I. 	Photographer 	Episode: "Adamant Eve"
1991 	L.A. Law 	Reporter 	Episode: "Spleen It to Me, Lucy"
1991 	Best of the Worst 	Himself 	Host
1991–95	Talk Soup 	Himself 	Host
1991 	Dillinger 	Arizona Legislator 	Television film
1993 	Based on an Untrue Story 	Orlando Chang Stein	Television film
1998 	The Larry Sanders Show 	Greg Kinnear 	Episode: "Flip"
2000 	Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child	Prince Gavin 	Episode: "The Frog Princess"
2001 	Dinner with Friends 	Tom 	Television film
2003 	Friends 	Benjamin Hobart 	Episode: "The One with Ross's Grant"
2011 	The Kennedys 	John F. Kennedy 	Television miniseries
2012 	Modern Family 	Tad 	Episode: "Me? Jealous?"
2014 	Rake 	Keegan Deane 	Lead role
2015 	Drunk History 	Thaddeus Lowe 	Episode: "New Jersey"
2016 	Confirmation 	Joe Biden 	Television film
2016 	BoJack Horseman 	Greg Kinglear 	Voice role; episode: "Start Spreading the News"
2017 	Electric Dreams 	Father 	Episode: "Father Thing"
2018 	Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt 	Himself 	Episode: "Kimmy Is... Little Girl, Big City!"
2018 	House of Cards 	Bill Shepherd 	7 episodes
2024 	Kaiden and Friends Crossover Show 	Pauler 	Major role
== Awards and nominations ==
Year	Nominated work 	Association 	Category 	Result
1995	Talk Soup 	CableACE Awards 	Best Entertainment Host 	Nominated
1995	Talk Soup 	Daytime Emmy Awards 	Outstanding Special Class Program 	Won
1996	Sabrina 	Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 	Most Promising Actor 	Won
1997	As Good as It Gets 	National Board of Review 	Best Supporting Actor 	Won
1998	As Good as It Gets 	Academy Awards 	Best Supporting Actor 	Nominated
1998	As Good as It Gets 	Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 	Best Supporting Actor 	Nominated
1998	As Good as It Gets 	Golden Globe Awards 	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture 	Nominated
1998	As Good as It Gets 	Satellite Awards 	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture 	Nominated
1998	As Good as It Gets 	Screen Actors Guild Awards 	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role 	Nominated
1998	As Good as It Gets 	Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actor 	Won
1999	As Good as It Gets 	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards 	Favorite Supporting Actor – Comedy or Romance 	Nominated
2002	Auto Focus 	New York Film Critics Circle Awards 	Best Actor 	Nominated
2005	The Matador 	St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards 	Best Supporting Actor 	Nominated
2006	Little Miss Sunshine 	Gotham Awards 	Best Ensemble Cast 	Nominated
2006	Little Miss Sunshine 	Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards 	Best Cast 	Won
2007	Little Miss Sunshine 	Screen Actors Guild Awards 	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 	Won
2008	Flash of Genius 	Boston Film Festival 	Best Actor 	Won
2011	The Kennedys 	Primetime Emmy Awards 	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie 	Nominated
2012	Modern Family 	Primetime Emmy Awards 	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series 	Nominated
2012	The Kennedys 	Screen Actors Guild Awards 	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	Nominated
2014	Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues	MTV Movie Awards 	Best Fight 	Nominated