Thursday, October 15, 2009

Filmography: Greg Kinnear

Greg Kinnear got his degree from the University of Arizona, where he majored in broadcast journalism. He started his career as a television reporter and talk show host, but soon he was landing televison and film roles.

Kinnear is another actor best known for his supporting work. He's comfortable in both dramas and comedies, and is almost always the standout performer in any cast. In his fifteen-year career in cinema, he's proved again and again that he is a screen presence to be reckoned with.

1994 Blankman (Talk Show Host)
1995 Sabrina (David Larrabee)
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In the remake of Billy Wilder's 1954 romantic comedy, Kinnear took the role originated by William Holden. The movie may have been less than stellar, but the Chicago Film Critics Association named him the Most Promising Actor of 1995, and his film career was off to a great start.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1996 Dear God (Tom Turner)
1997 A Smile Like Yours (Danny Robertson), As Good As It Gets (Simon Bishop)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kinnear scored a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as Jack Nicholson's neighbor in the critically-acclaimed success As Good As It Gets. The performances are the great triumph of the film, and Kinnear's turn as gay artist Simon Bishop is a major catalyst for the change in the obsessive-compulsive SOB Melvin Udall. His is the most emotionally effective work on display.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1998 You've Got Mail (Frank Navasky)
1999 Mystery Men (Captain Amazing/Lance Hunt)
2000 What Planet Are You From? (Perry Gordon), Nurse Betty (Dr. David Ravell/George McCord), Loser (Professor Edward Alcott), The Gift (Wayne Collins)
2001 Someone Like You (Ray Brown)
2002 We Were Soldiers (Major Bruce "Snake" Crandall), Auto Focus (Bob Crane)
2003 Stuck on You (Walt Tenor)
2004 Godsend (Paul Duncan)
2005 The Matador (Danny Wright), Bad News Bears (Roy Bullock)
2006 Fast Food Nation (Don Anderson), Little Miss Sunshine (Richard Hoover), Invincible (Dick Vermeil), Unknown (Broken Nose)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The cast of the indie comedy Little Miss Sunshine took home the SAG Award for oustanding cast in a motion picture, and it was well-deserved. Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin both scored Oscar nods for their work, but it was Greg Kinnear's turn as the husband and father obsessed with winning that made the dysfunctional Hoover family so believable. He's a riot as a pathetic control-freak and failed motivational speaker trying to hold his family together on the way to his daughter's beauty pageant. "Sarcasm is the refuge of losers."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2007 Feast of Love (Bradley Smith)
2008 Baby Mama (Rob Ackerman), Ghost Town (Frank Herlihy), Flash of Genius (Bob Kearns)

4 comments:

DEZMOND said...

one of the most charming actors out there. Loved him in GODSEND and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (he had amazing female partners in both of these films).

Ellen said...

1997 was a GREAT year for supporting men. Robin Williams was fantastic, but I think Kinnear and Reynolds were close behind.

Danny King said...

I really like this guy. It's hard for me to put a word on how to describe him as an actor, but he's just very refreshing to see on screen.

DEZMOND said...

Danny, "refreshing" is exactly the right word :)

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