Biography for
Jeremy Piven

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Date of Birth

26 July 1965, New York, New York, USA

Birth Name

Jeremy Samuel Piven

Nickname

Jez Piv

Height

5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini 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.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Dan Hartung

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 (1992), Elvis Stories (1989), Floundering (1994), The Grifters (1990), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), One Crazy Summer (1986), The Player (1992), Say Anything... (1989), Serendipity (2001), Runaway Jury (2003).

Brother of Shira Piven

Brother in-law of Adam McKay.

He was also supposed to star alongside his best pal John Cusack in High Fidelity (2000), 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 (1994) and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Was considered for the role of Dolarhyde in Red Dragon (2002).

Was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

His character Ari in HBO's "Entourage" (2004) is based on real-life Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel.

Personal 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 (2003), 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.

Where Are They Now

(2005) In Cincinnati Bell commercials

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