Affable Actor Breckin Meyer was born on May 7, 1974, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Breckin grew up in Beverly Hills, and attended grade school with veteran actress Drew Barrymore. In Drew’s biography, Little Girl Lost, she describes Breckin as her first kiss. A well-connected mini-mogul at the time, Drew introduced Breckin, who had initially harbored hopes of becoming a kindergarten teacher, to her agent. Soon after, he began landing roles in commercials, as well as a spot on the game show Child's Play in 1982. While attending the elite Beverly Hills High School, Breckin’s classmates included Alicia Silverstone and Joshua John Miller. After graduating high school, Breckin was accepted to California State University at Northridge; however, he decided to put education on hold to pursue a career in acting.
After landing minor roles in such films as Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare in 1991, Breckin hit his silver-screen stride in the mid-90s, when he landed a role in the smash teen flick Clueless, starring fellow Beverly Hills High alum, Alicia Silverstone. After getting his big break, Breckin worked steadily throughout the mid-late 90s in such films as The Craft in 1996, Escape from L.A. in 1996, Prefontaine in 1997, Touch in 1997, and 54 in 1998.
With his acting career taking off, Breckin was also expressing himself through music. He joined the band, Streetwalking Cheetahs, which recorded a demo in 1995 and played about ten gigs in the Los Angeles area from 1995 to 1996. Breckin was a drummer for the band, as well as a contributing lead vocalist. The bands’ albums Overdrive and Live on KXLU also feature songs written when Breckin was still in the band. In addition to the Streetwalking Cheetahs, which also included Breckin’s brother, Frank, Breckin was also a part of another band during the mid-90s called Bellyroom, which he formed along with Seth Green and Dean Martin's grandson, Alexander Martin.
Breckin continued to act steadily throughout the new millennium, mostly starring in films aimed at young audiences, including Road Trip in 2000, Josie and the Pussycats in 2001, Garfield: The Movie in 2004, Garfield 2 in 2006, and Herbie: Fully Loaded in 2005. He has also starred in the romantic comedy Kate and Leopold in 2001, opposite Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman; as well as the ensemble comedy Rat Race in 2001, with Cuba Gooding, Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, and Amy Smart.
In 2001, Breckin married Deborah Kaplan, the writer and director of Can't Hardly Wait in 1998, which Breckin had a cameo in. Deborah and Breckin have one child together, and currently live in Los Angeles.
Breckin’s friends include fellow Hollywood actors, Ryan Phillippe, his co-star in 54; as well as Josh Hartnett. He also currently owns a production company with Ryan Phillippe and Seth Green, and has served as cast member and writer on Seth Green's stop motion animated series, Robot Chicken. Breckin counts Sean Penn, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Richard Dreyfuss among the group of actors he most admires.
When he’s not acting, Breckin enjoys playing drums, video games, and basketball.
YUDDY
