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Jon Favreau (born on October 19, 1966) is an American actor and director.
Favreau was born in Queens, New York to an Italian American father and a Jewish American mother. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and attended Queens College and worked on Wall Street before moving to Chicago to pursue a career in comedy. He performed at several Chicago improvisational theaters, including the ImprovOlympic and the Improv Institute.
While in Chicago, Favreau landed his first film role, as the pudgy tutor D-Bob in the classic sleeper hit Rudy (1993). Favreau met Vince Vaughn—who also played a small role in this film—during shooting. The next year, he appeared in the college film PCU alongside Jeremy Piven, and also stepped into the world of television to play a guest role in several episodes of the sitcom Friends as Monica Geller's boyfriend Pete Becker. He also appeared in the 1994 episode of Seinfeld titled "The Fire" as Eric the Clown. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he made his breakthrough in 1996 as an actor-screenwriter with the film Swingers, which was Vaughn's breakthrough role as the glib and over-confident Trent Walker, a perfect foil to Favreau's heartbroken Mike Peters.
He rejoined Piven in 1998 as part of Very Bad Things (1998), and later appeared in Love & Sex (2000), co-starring Famke Janssen. Favreau got some screen time as a lawyer in the 2003 blockbuster Daredevil (2003). Earlier, Favreau appeared in 2000's The Replacements as maniacal linebacker Daniel Bateman. He was a guest-director for an episode of the college dramedy Undeclared in 2001.
Also in 2001, he made his (film) directorial debut with another self-penned screenplay, Made. Made once again teamed him up with his Swingers co-star Vince Vaughn but was generally perceived as lacking the spark that made Swingers such a big hit. In the fall of 2003, he scored his first financial success as a director of the hit comedy Elf starring Will Ferrell. Among his latest projects, he has directed the film adaptation of Zathura (2005). Never to turn his back on acting, Favreau still makes regular appearances in film and television. He recently reunited with friend Vince Vaughn in the much-hyped romantic comedy The Break-Up and appeared in My Name Is Earl as a reprehensible fast food manager.
Favreau now has a TV series called Dinner for Five which airs on the cable TV channel IFC.
On April 28th 2006, it was announced that Favreau was signed to direct the long awaited Iron Man movie.
Favreau also plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Cancer Care charity.
Married to Joya Tillem since November 24, 2000, the couple has two children, a son, Max, born July 25, 2001, and a daughter, Madelaine, born April 2003. Joya is expecting their third child in winter 2006.
Other projects in development
Favreau is the third director attached to the film version of the swashbuckling space hero John Carter of Mars. Robert Rodriguez and Kerry Conran were previously attached within the last two years. Mark Protosevich and Ehren Kruger have both written drafts.
The Marshal in Revelation has been in development since Swingers was released. It's a western about a Hasidic gunslinger. At one time both Favreau and Vince Vaughn were to co-direct.
Neanderthrals is a CG animiated film that Favreau will write and produce.
Johnny Zero will cover the birth of the hot rod movement following World War II. Favreau will write and direct.
Iron Man is the first Marvel-produced movie under their alliance with Paramount, and Favreau is listed as the director and an executive producer.
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1966 births | American film actors | American film directors | Batman actors | Friends actors | Italian American actors | Jewish American actors | Jewish American film directors | Living people | People from Queens | English-language film directors
"Jon Favreau"