John Cusack biography
John Paul Cusack (born June 28, 1966) is an United States film actor and screenwriter. He won the 1990 Most Promising Actor CFCA Award for
Say Anything., the 1998 Favorite Supporting Actor Blockbuster Entertainment Award for
Con Air, and the 2000 Commitment to Chicago Award.
Biography
Early life
Cusack was born in Evanston, Illinois, to an Irish American Catholic family. His father, Dick Cusack (1925—2003), and siblings Ann Cusack, Joan Cusack, Bill Cusack, and Susie Cusack have also been actors; his father was also a Documentary film filmmaker, owned a film production company and was a friend of activist Philip Berrigan. Cusack's mother, Nancy, is a former mathematics teacher and political activist. Cusack spent a year at New York University before dropping out, saying that he had "too much fire in his belly".
Career
Cusack gained fame in the mid-1980s after appearing in teen movies such as
Better Off Dead (film),
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. His biggest success in that genre is arguably his starring role as Lloyd Dobler in Cameron Crowe's
Say Anything (film). His roles broadened in the late 1980s and early 1990s with more serious-minded fare such as the political satire
True Colors (1991 film) and the film noir thriller
The Grifters (film).
Cusack became a proven box office success with his roles in the dark comedy
Grosse Pointe Blank and the Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster
Con Air. In the years hence, his range of films has diversified, appearing in roles such as an obsessive puppeteer in
Being John Malkovich, a lovelorn record store owner in
High Fidelity (film), and a Jewish art dealer mentoring a young Adolf Hitler in
Max (film). He starred in the horror film
1408 (film), based on Stephen King's 1408 (short story) of the same name. He next appeared as a widowed father in the Iraq War-themed drama
Grace Is Gone (film) and as assassin Brand Hauser in the dark political satire,
War, Inc, along with Hilary Duff and sister Joan Cusack.
Joan Cusack and his close friend Jeremy Piven have appeared in many of his films. The siblings appeared as two geeks in
Sixteen Candles: John as one of Farmer Ted's posse, and Joan as the geek with the neck brace. They also appeared together in
High Fidelity (film),
Grosse Pointe Blank,
Cradle Will Rock,
Martian Child and
Say Anything. Piven and Cusack played opposite one another in
One Crazy Summer,
Serendipity (film), and
Grosse Pointe Blank. Cusack also had a brief cameo, seen from behind but speaking a line of dialogue, in
Broadcast News, in which Joan also appeared. Piven also had roles in
Say Anything,
The Grifters and
Runaway Jury.
Personal and political life
Cusack is fiercely protective of his private life; he has said that "celebrity is the worst thing that can happen to an actor." Since May 2005, he has been an occasional contributing wikt:Blogger at
The Huffington Post, including an interview with Naomi Klein. He has written extensively on his opposition to the Iraq war and his disdain for the George W. Bush administration, calling their worldview "depressing, corrupt, unlawful, and tragically absurd". He also appeared in a June 2008 Moveon.org ad, where he makes the claim that George W. Bush and John McCain have the same governing priorities.
Cusack has an allegiance to both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, for which, he says, he's "in trouble there for that." He has led the crowd in a performance of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Wrigley Field.
John Cusack in the news
Academy Award(R) Nominee Joan Cusack* and Mae Whitman to Star in .....
Academy Award(R) Nominee Joan Cusack* and Mae Whitman to Star in ...MarketWatch - Nov 19, 2008Additionally, she will soon be seen opposite John Cusack in the thriller The Factory. On the small screen, Whitman's credits include starring roles on ...
read moreMGM Flips IGOR's Switch to Blu-ray - TheHDRoom
MGM Flips IGOR's Switch to Blu-rayTheHDRoom - 23 hours agoJohn Cusack is IGOR, and IGOR is coming to Blu-ray Disc per a news release by MGM Home Entertainment with a retail price of $39.99. The under-the-radar CGI ...
read moreNumbers add up in '1408' - The Daily Yomiuri
Numbers add up in '1408'The Daily Yomiuri, Japan - Nov 20, 2008John Cusack is surely going to be regarded as one of the best actors of this era of filmmaking. He has convincingly played roles that range from teen comedy ...
read moreCusack And Harrelson’s 2012 Flick Gets A Trailer - Ecorazzi
Cusack And Harrelson’s 2012 Flick Gets A TrailerEcorazzi, NY - Nov 17, 2008The apocalyptic movie 2012 — starring John Cusack and Woody Harrelson — has just received its first trailer. Based on this early impression, ...
read moreWalt Disney Pictures - Salon
SalonWalt Disney PicturesSalon - Nov 20, 2008The high-school boyfriend He's the brainy, tongue-tied movie star who's cleaning up as his generation's John Cusack. The Latin lover A powerhouse actor who ...
read moreRound Table For Friday, November 21st, 2008 - Capitol Hill Blue
Round Table For Friday, November 21st, 2008Capitol Hill Blue, VA - 23 hours ago... starring Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Jack Thompson, Lady Chablis, Alison Eastwood, Irma P. Hall, Paul Hipp and Jude Law. Click on the picture! ...
read moreThe high-school boyfriend - Salon
SalonThe high-school boyfriendSalon - Nov 19, 2008He's the brainy, tongue-tied movie star who's cleaning up as his generation's John Cusack. Nov. 20, 2008 | Those of us over 18 can now confess -- we've had ...
read moreArianna Huffington - Variety
Arianna HuffingtonVariety, CA - Nov 20, 2008Regarding current movie fare, the blogger queen found much to admire in the doc "War, Inc." "John Cusack has pulled off the near-impossible --finding a ...
read morePosted on Thursday, November 20, 2008 (EST) - South Asian Women's F...
South Asian Women's ForumPosted on Thursday, November 20, 2008 (EST)South Asian Women's Forum, India - Nov 20, 2008Roland Emmerich directed post-apocalyptic Sci-fi thriller '2012' stars an ensemble cast, including John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, ...
read moreEveryone But John Cusack Dies, and Other Key Revelations From New ....
Everyone But John Cusack Dies, and Other Key Revelations From New ...Defamer.com, CA - Nov 13, 2008There's little on hand to illuminate the plot that star John Cusack so vigorously protected earlier this year in a chat with Defamer, but here's what we can ...
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