Best Known As: The star of High Fidelity and Hot Tub Time Machine
John Cusack proved himself to be a reliable and unconventional leading man in films like The Grifters (1990), Being John Malkovich (1999, also starring Cameron Diaz) and High Fidelity (2000, with Jack Black). In the 1980s he was an earnest and gawky Lothario in teen films like The Sure Thing (1985), One Crazy Summer (1986) and Say Anything (1989). In the 1990s he grew into a smart and ironic star, able to play charming and good-hearted as well as callous. Offscreen he became known for his shrewd career choices and dedication to the theater. Like his pal Tim Robbins, Cusack does both quirky, independent films and mainstream Hollywood features. High Fidelity was a high point, with Cusack playing a Chicago music fanatic with girl (and maturity) trouble; Cusack starred, co-wrote and co-produced the film, based on the novel by Nick Hornby. Cusack's other films include the black comedy Grosse Pointe Blank (1997, with Dan Aykroyd), Con Air (1997, with John Malkovich), Max (2002), Runaway Jury (2003, with Rachel Weisz and Gene Hackman), the heist film The Ice Harvest (2005), the bitter political satire War, Inc. (2008, with Hilary Duff), and the laff riot Hot Tub Time Machine (2010).
Cusack is 6'3" tall... His sister Joan has appeared in some of his films, including High Fidelity and Cradle Will Rock (1999)... His childhood friend and frequent co-star, Jeremy Piven, played Ari Gold on the TV show Entourage... His father, Richard Cusack, played a minister in High Fidelity. He also had a bit part as Harrison Ford's attorney in the 1993 film The Fugitive.
The son of actor Richard Cusack and younger brother of comic actress Joan Cusack, John Cusack started his career at the age of eight, under the guidance of his theatrically active mother. He made his stage bow with Evanston's Pivan Theatre Workshop and quickly went on to do commercial work, becoming one of Chicago's busiest commercial voice-over artists.
Although Cusack began to emerge as an actor during the heyday of the Brat Pack, and appeared in a number of "teen" movies, he managed to avoid falling into the narrowly defined rut the phenomenon left in its wake. After making his film debut in 1983's Class, he had a brief but painfully memorable appearance as a member of Anthony Michael Hall's nerd posse in Sixteen Candles (1984). Bigger and better opportunities came Cusack's way the following year, when he achieved a measure of stardom with his portrayal of a sexually anxious college freshman in The Sure Thing (1985). The same year, he gained further recognition with his starring roles in Better Off Dead (which also granted him a degree of cult status) and The Journey of Natty Gann.
Cusack spent the rest of the 1980s carving out a niche for himself as both a solid performer and something of a lust object for unconventional girls everywhere, a status aided immeasurably by his portrayal of lovable underachiever Lloyd Dobler in Cameron Crowe's 1989 ....Say Anything. He also began winning critical acclaim for his parts in more serious films, notably as a disgraced White Sox third baseman in John Sayles' Eight Men Out (1988) and as a con artist in Stephen Frears' The Grifters (1990).
Cusack enjoyed steady work throughout the 1990s, with particularly notable roles in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway (1994), which featured him as a struggling playwright; Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), in which he starred as a journalist investigating a murder; Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), which cast him as the film's protagonist, a neurotic hit man; and the impressively cast The Thin Red Line, in which he played a World War II soldier. Just about all of Cusack's roles allowed him to showcase his quirky versatility, and the films he did to close out the century were no exception: in 1999 he first starred as an air-traffic controller in the comedy Pushing Tin and then appeared as Nelson Rockefeller in Cradle Will Rock, Tim Robbins' exploration of art and politics in 1930s America; finally, in perhaps his most unique film to date, he starred in Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich as a puppeteer who discovers a way to enter the mind of the famous actor. The wildly original film turned out to be one of the year's biggest surprise hits, scoring among both audiences and critics. Cusack had yet another triumph the following year with High Fidelity, Stephen Frears' adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel of the same name. The actor, who co-wrote the script for the film in addition to starring in it, earned some of the best reviews of his career for his heartfelt comic portrayal of Rob, the film's well-meaning but oftentimes emotionally immature protagonist. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
Cusack was born in Evanston, Illinois, to an Irish Catholic family.[1][2] His father, Dick Cusack (1925–2003), was also an actor, as are his siblings Ann, Joan, Bill and Susie. His father was also a documentary filmmaker,[3] owned a film production company,[4] and was a friend of activist Philip Berrigan.[5] Cusack's mother, Nancy (née Carolan), is a former mathematics teacher and political activist.[6] Cusack spent a year at New York University before dropping out, saying that he had "too much fire in [his] belly".[7]
Career
Cusack gained fame in the mid-1980s after appearing in teen movies such as Better Off Dead, The Sure Thing, One Crazy Summer, and Sixteen Candles. Cusack made a cameo in the 1988 music video for "Trip At The Brain" by Suicidal Tendencies. In 1989 he starred as Lloyd Dobler in Cameron Crowe's Say Anything.... His roles broadened in the late 1980s and early 1990s with more serious-minded fare such as the politically themed True Colors and the film noir thriller The Grifters. He was later offered the role of the title character of Fred in the film Drop Dead Fred, but dropped out due to a death in his family.
Cusack has trained in kickboxing for over 20 years under former world kickboxing champion Benny “The Jet" Urquidez. He began training under Urquidez in preparation for his role in Say Anything and currently holds the rank of Level 6 black belt in Urquidez’ Ukidokan Kickboxing system.[11]
Political views
Since May 2005, John Cusack has been an avid blogger at The Huffington Post, including an interview with Naomi Klein. He has written extensively on his opposition to the war in Iraq and his disdain for the Bush administration, calling its worldview "depressing, corrupt, unlawful, and tragically absurd".[12]
He also appeared in a June 2008 MoveOn.org advertisement, where he made the claim that George W. Bush and John McCain have the same governing priorities.[13]
Stalking incident
In March 2008, police arrested Emily Leatherman outside Cusack's home for stalking the actor. On October 10, 2008, Leatherman pled no contest and received five years probation and mandatory psychiatric counseling, and was ordered to stay away from Cusack, his home and business for the next 10 years.[14]
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