Chris Klein

Chris Klein
Born	Frederick Christopher Klein March 14, 1979 (1979-03-14) (age 30) Hinsdale, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1999–present

Frederick Christopher "Chris" Klein^[1] (born March 14, 1979) is an American movie actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Chris "Oz" Ostreicher in American Pie.

Early life

Klein was born and raised in Hinsdale, Illinois, the son of Terry, a kindergarten teacher, and Frank Klein, an engineer.^[2] Klein was the second of three children. His older sister Debbie was born in 1978, and his younger brother was born in 1982. As a child, Klein had his first on stage experience by singing “This Little Light of Mine” in a community theater at the Sheraton Convention Center in Chicago. He lived in the town for thirteen years before his family moved to Omaha, Nebraska. At Millard West High School, Klein acted in his high school's performance of West Side Story, and played quarterback and linebacker for the football team. In his senior year, Klein was offered his first professional acting job by director Alexander Payne, who was scouting Omaha, his hometown, as a potential filming location for the film Election. He attended Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas.

Career

After auditioning for the film, Payne chose Klein and they began filming. In April 1999, the film was released to positive reviews. Soon after, Klein found a steady amount of work in the film industry while briefly attending Texas Christian University, where he studied theater and was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He was next seen in American Pie, which opened on July 9, 1999, and was a box office success. Klein has subsequently appeared in several films catering to teenage audiences, with the most recent including Just Friends (2005) and American Dreamz (2006).

Personal life

In January 2000, Klein and actress Katie Holmes began dating. He proposed to her in 2004, but the two broke off the engagement in early 2005. In 2006, he was linked to Lindly Gardner. He dated actress Ginnifer Goodwin for two years; they split in December 2008.^[3]

In Season 3 of Punk'd, Klein was the focus of a prank which involved being told that his home was the scene of a hostage situation. Despite seeing cameramen and audio specialists in his home, Klein remained ignorant to the set-up and ducked for cover when told to do so.^[4]

Filmography

Television

Awards and nominations

Chicago Film Critics Association

• 2000: Nominated, "Most Promising Actor" - American Pie

Teen Choice Awards

• 2000: Nominated, "Choice Breakout Performance" - American Pie
• 2000: Nominated, "Choice Liar" - American Pie

Young Hollywood Awards

• 2001: Won, "Male Superstar of Tomorrow"

References

External links

• Chris Klein at the Internet Movie Database
• Chris Klein Mug Shot