Greg Kinnear

It may surprise some to learn that the  dramatic, seemingly straight laced  Academy Award nominated actor Greg Kinnear actually began his career hosting  various comedy programs.    Greg Kinnear was born June 17, 1963 in Logansport, Indiana. His father Edward Kinnear was a d States Department official, and his mother Suzanne Kinnear,  a homemaker.  His father’s career demanded that  the  family relocate often. They  moved to such exotic locales as Beirut, Lebanon and Athens,  where Greg  learned to speak Greek.  A young Greg Kinnear attended American Community Schools while in Athens. It  was here  that he first caught the performance bug. He created and head lined  the radio program “School Daze with Greg Kinnear.”

 Kinnear pursued his  post secondary education back in the States. He attended the University of Arizona and  graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism. Promptly after graduation, Kinnear moved to Los Angeles where he secured a job as a marketing assistant. The position was an entry into the city of angels, but he craved to be more involved in the entertainment industry. Driven and  focused Greg set out on the audition trail. Kinnear auditioned for a spot as MTV VJ in  1988. He did not get a call back  for that gig however, he did land an  incredibly small role in the picture “What Price Victory” opposite Judith Baldwin. The following year  he took  another small part in  one-episode of the series “Life Goes On” with Patti LuPone, Bill Smitrovich, and Kellie Martin. 

Kinnear tried every avenue to get his career off the ground.  When making your own way through the ranks  of Hollywood  there are bound to be bumps along the way.  Such is the example of  Greg’s first project.  He created, produced, and hosted the show ”Best and the Worst”, . The series poked fun at celebrities in a way no other entertainment news program had before.  The show  did not even manage to last a full season.

The series’ cancellation  may have actually proved to be a  career blessing. Kinnear was now available to host ”Talk Soup” from 1991 to 1995.  Receiving another career boost in 994. ”Later with Greg Kinnear” was designed after the “Tonight Show” format.  "Later with Greg Kinnear stayed on the air until 1996. Kinnear’s real introduction into the film industry , was 1995.  He was cast by director Sydney Pollack in a remake of “Sabrina”  starring Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond.  This film  began to kick  Kinnear’s film career into high gear. The following year, Kinnear was awarded the lead in the Garry Marshall comedy ”Dear God” with Laurie Metcalf, Maria Pitillo, Hector Elizondo, and Donald Logue. Kinnear had no way of knowing that 1997 would make him a household name. The James L Brooks comedy ”As Good  as it Gets” did  propel Kinnear to international stardom.  

Kinnear got to work with big screen legend Jack Nicholson as well as industry headliners: Helen Hunt, Cuba Gooding Jr, and Skeet Ulrich. Kinnear  walked away with an Academy Award nomination .  Kinnear had finally arrived and solidified himself as a bankable talent in Hollywood. Since 1997, Kinnear’s career has been a slew of successful roles from the slapstick comedy of Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly (the Farrelly brothers) in ”Stuck on You” alongside Matt Damon.