(1983-)

Who Is Adam Driver?

Adam Driver is an American actor who joined the Marines soon after the September 11 terrorist attacks. After graduating from the Juilliard School, he began appearing on TV and in plays, and his big break came when he was cast on the TV series Girls. The success of that series has propelled Driver into bigger films, such as Lincoln, Inside Llewyn Davis and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Early Life and Joining the Marines

Driver was born on November 19, 1983, in San Diego, California. His father was a preacher, and after Driver’s parents divorced, his mother got remarried, this time to a Baptist minister. Driver had acted in some plays in high school and after graduating, he decided to apply to acting school at New York’s famed Juilliard. He wasn’t accepted, but the rejection spurred him into action nonetheless. He headed for Hollywood, but after his car broke down, he returned to his Indiana hometown of Mishawaka.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, prompted Driver to join the military, and he enlisted in the U.S. Marines and served for more than two years.

Driver liked the Marines, but he injured his sternum in a mountain-biking accident and was honorably discharged. “I felt like I hadn’t completed my four years,” said Driver in an interview with the Military Times, “That always kind of bothers me.” Driver then attended the University of Indianapolis for a year before deciding to give Juilliard another try — and this time he was accepted.

Movies and TV Shows

After graduating from Juilliard, Driver landed his first role on the TV series The Unusuals (2009). He followed that with appearances on the TV series Law & Order and in such TV movies as You Don’t Know Jack (2010) and The Wonderful Maladys (2010). Around this time Driver also began appearing in plays, notably making his Broadway debut in 2010 in a revival of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession.

‘Girls’

In 2011, Driver landed the role that would take his career to the next level, that of Lena Dunham’s on-an-off again love interest Adam Sackler on the TV series Girls. The show became an instant hit after debuting in 2012, and Driver rode the wave of success to three consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

‘Lincoln,’ ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’ ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

Girls gave Driver’s movie career a big boost as well, and he soon appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012) and the Coen brothers’ acclaimed Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). Following those high-profile films, Driver landed roles in other attention-grabbing movies, such as the comedy-drama This Is Where I Leave You (2014) and the much-anticipated Christmas 2015 release Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

‘Silence,’ ‘The Last Jedi’

The actor followed with starring roles in Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson and Martin Scorsese’s Silence in 2016. In late 2017, after appearing in Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, Driver reprised the role of budding Sith lord Kylo Ren for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which surged to a $220 million opening weekend in North America. Around this time, it was also announced that he would be leading a Broadway revival of Lanford Wilson’s Burn This.

‘BlacKkKlansman,’ ‘The Rise of Skywalker’

In 2018, Driver starred in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman in the Oscar-nominated role of Detective Flip Zimmerman, who goes undercover by joining the Ku Klux Klan. A busy 2019 brought roles in the political drama The Report, the zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die and the relationship saga Marriage Story, with Scarlett Johansson, before the actor revisited the dark side of the Force in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Personal Life

Off-screen, Driver is married, and he and his wife Joanne Tucker co-founded Arts in the Armed Forces, a nonprofit that performs theater for military communities. The pair have a son.

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QUICK FACTS

• Birth Year: 1983
• Birth date: November 19, 1983
• Birth State: California
• Birth City: San Diego
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Adam Driver is an American actor known for his breakout role on the TV series ‘Girls,’ as well as his big-screen work in ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ and the ‘Star Wars’ franchise.
• Industries
• Film
• Television
• Astrological Sign: Scorpio
• Schools
• University Of Indianapolis
• Julliard

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Adam Driver Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/adam-driver
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: March 30, 2021
• Original Published Date: August 19, 2015