We have compiled the details of the career from past to present of actor John C. Reilly, who has shown outstanding performances in many scenes, TV series or movies, as well as known for his comedy aspect.
His full name is John Christopher Reilly, he was born on May 24, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois. He was born the fifth of six children to his father, who ran an industrial linen supply company of Irish and Scottish descent, and to his mother of Lithuanian descent. A mischievous boy, Reilly grew up in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. Raised as a Roman Catholic, Reilly was educated at Brother Rice High School and then graduated from The Theater School at DePaul University in Chicago.
Reilly made his film debut as PFC Herbert Hatcher in the 1989 war movie "Casualties of War" directed by Brian De Palma. Reilly, who normally had a minor role, was expanded after the director liked it. In June 1990, he appeared as Buck, a NASCAR team member of Tom Cruise's character, in the sports action movie "Days of Thunder" directed by Tony Scott. Despite mixed reviews, the film was successful at the box office. In September of that year, he played an Irish punk named Stevie McGuire in the crime film "State of Grace" starring Sean Penn, and the sidekick of his character, played by Jack Nicholson in the 1992 biographical crime drama film "Hoffa."
Reilly appeared in a supporting role in the coming-of-age drama "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (1993), playing one of the main character's friends. His next role came in "The River Wild" (1994), in which Reilly co-starred with Kevin Bacon as a pair of criminals who terrorize a family during a rafting trip. The movie was generally well received and did well at the box office. In 1995, Reilly starred as a police officer in the psychological thriller "Dolores Claiborne" based on the novel of the same name. The film was successful at both the box office and critically. Later in the year, he starred as a drug addicted drummer in the band joined by Jennifer Jason Leigh's character in the independent drama film "Georgia". The film received critical acclaim and was nominated for multiple awards and nominations in various categories.
The following year, he portrayed a nearly homeless man taken under the wing of a veteran gambler in Paul Thomas Anderson's directorial debut "Hard Eight(1996)," alongside Philip Baker Hall and Gwyneth Paltrow. Reilly later starred in Anderson's "Boogie Nights". He played a pornographic actor in the comedy-drama film "(1997). The box office success was also critically acclaimed. The following year he appeared in Terrence Malick's collective war movie "The Thin Red Line" (1998) to critical acclaim. The film was nominated for Academy Awards in seven categories.
In 1999, Reilly appeared in the independent film "The Settlement" with William Fichtner. In the same year, he acted as one of the newspaper's managing editors in the romantic comedy "Never Been Kissed". Along with mixed reviews, it ended up being a box office success. That same year, he played the fictional baseball catcher Gus Sinski in the sports drama "For Love of the Game" directed by Sam Raimi. She then appeared as part of the cast in Anderson's epic psychological drama "Magnolia" (1999). The film was well received in all areas and had moderate box office success.
The following year, he appeared as a senior crew member in the blockbuster biopic "The Perfect Storm," and it was the only production that year. Although the film received mixed reviews, it was hailed as a financial success. He later appeared as director Mac Forsyth in the comedy film "Anniversary Party" (2001), directed by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming. In 2002, he starred with Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal in the comedy-drama film "The Good Girl" directed by Miguel Arteta. It was moderately received at both the box office and critically.
That year, Reilly starred in the musical black comedy crime film "Chicago" as part of a large cast based on the musical of the same name. The film was critically acclaimed with special accolades and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. He was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his performance. It also had a healthy box office success. He then appeared as police officer "Happy Jack" Mulraney in the epic historical drama film "Gangs of New York", based on a book and directed by Martin Scorsese. The film was successful both at the box office and critically. Later that year, he played the husband of Julianne Moore's character in the drama "The Hours" directed by Stephen Daldry. The movie was a successful hit at the box office.
Reilly starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio as Noah Dietrich, Howard Hughes' trusted business partner, in the 2004 biographical drama film "The Aviator" directed by Martin Scorsese. The film, which was successful both at the box office and critically, received many awards and nominations. In the same year, he played the lead role with Diego Luna and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the crime movie "Criminal"(2004), which is a remake of a movie. In 2005, he appeared as the manager of a mystery hotel in the horror movie "Dark Water", in which he co-starred with Jennifer Connelly.
In August 2006, Reilly joined the lead character's best friend and teammate, Cal Naughton Jr., played by Will Ferrell in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," the comedy movie about NASCAR drivers directed by Adam McKay. played the character. The film was successful both critically and at the box office. That same year, he starred in his last film, "A Prairie Home Companion," directed by Robert Altman, which was a moderate box office success as well as critical acclaim.
Reilly frequently appeared on the sketch comedy show "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" (2007-2010) as the inept doctor and television host Dr. Steve Brule. Through this role, the show's spin-off series led to the TV series "Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule". In 2007, Reilly appeared as the lead character in the parody biographical comedy "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and sang various songs. The film received two Golden Globe Award nominations for the title song "Walk Hard".
The following year, Reilly reunited with Will Ferrell to play the lead role in the comedy "Step Brothers," which portrayed middle-aged half-brothers forced to live together. The film, which was successful at the box office, received mixed critically. In 2008, he appeared in the comedy movie "The Promotion", in which he played the lead role, with Seann William Scott. In 2009, he played the vampire Larten Crepsley in the fantasy movie "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant". The film failed in both areas. In the same year, he voiced the character "5" in the post-apocalyptic science fiction animated film "9" directed by Shane Acker.
Reilly starred in the 2010 comedy-drama movie "Cyrus". For his performance, he received nominations for a Satellite Award for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy Film and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Leading Male. In 2011, he appeared in the comedy "Cedar Rapids" directed by Miguel Arteta, for which he earned an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination. That same year, he starred in the drama film "We Need to Talk About Kevin", based on a novel, with Ezra Miller and Tilda Swinton. In 2011, he starred alongside Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz in Roman Polanski's black comedy-drama "Carnage", which is mostly set in a single apartment. The film was met with positive reviews and moderate box office success.
In 2012, Reilly voiced the lead character in the animated film "Wreck-It Ralph," about an arcade villain determined to prove himself as a hero. While the movie was received positively, it also made a big profit at the box office. In 2014, Reilly described the nature documentary film "Bears". He played Nova Corps corps officer Rhomann Dey in the Marvel Studios movie "Guardians of the Galaxy", which was released the same year. Upon its release, the film was both a box office and critical success, making it the third-highest-grossing film of 2014.
Reilly co-starred and executive produced the animated television series "Stone Quackers," which aired on FXX in January 2015, giving the voice to inept police officer Barry. Later, he appeared in the comedy-drama film "The Lobster" directed by Yorgos Lanthimos as the lisp-talking Robert. The positively received film also had moderate success at the box office.
The following year, Reilly voiced a sheep in the cast of the computer-animated musical comedy "Sing," which hit theaters in December 2016. The film achieved great success both at the box office and critically. Reilly appeared in the 2017 remake of the monster movie "Kong: Skull Island" as Hank Marlow, a WWII lieutenant who spent 28 years stranded on the island. The film received positive reviews from critics upon its theatrical release and was a box office success.
Reilly co-starred with Steve Coogan in "Stan & Ollie," the 2018 biopic about Oliver Hardy and Coogan Stan Laurel. The film was successful in both areas. Also that year, he played the role of hitman Eli Sisters, with Joaquin Phoenix, in the western movie "The Sisters Brothers" based on a novel. In 2018, Reilly starred alongside Will Ferrell as Dr. Watson in "Holmes & Watson", the comedy adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The film was not well received both at the box office and critically. That same year, Reilly reprized his role as Ralph the Wrecker in the animated comedy "Ralph Breaks the Internet." The film, which received generally positive reviews from critics, also won many awards and nominations.
In 2021, he appeared in an unnamed role as Fred Gwynne in the comedy-drama film "Licorice Pizza" (2021), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. In 2022, she appeared in the romantic thriller "Stars at Noon" directed by Claire Denis. In 2023, he chaired the Un Certain Regard Jury at Cannes.
Private life
In 1989, Reilly met filmmaker Alison Dickey, and the couple married in 1992. The couple has two sons and their eldest son Leo is a musician performing under the name "LoveLeo". Reily frequently practices transcendental meditation.
He is also a vocalist and songwriter in his acting career. In 2022, she performed the song "Eileen Óg" with singer Séamus Begley on the Irish band Téada's album "Coiscéim Coiligh /As the Days Brighten". In addition, Reilly is known as a versatile theater actor and has appeared in numerous Broadway productions.