Transitioning from a tough military service to acting: Who is Adam Driver?
Although he was interested in acting since he was little, he enlisted in the Navy after being rejected by drama school. We wrote the biography of Adam Driver, who switched to acting after his discharge and made a name for himself with many outstanding performances until today.
His full name is Adam Douglas Driver, he was born on November 19, 1983 in San Diego, California. He was born to his mother, attorney Nancy Wright, and father, Joe Douglas Driver. Driver has Dutch, English, German, Irish and Scottish roots. Raised as a Baptist, Driver sang in the church choir. At the age of seven, Driver moved to Mishawaka with his older sister and mother. Here, he graduated from Mishawaka High School in 2001.
Having worked many different jobs after graduating from high school, Driver applied to the Juilliard School in New York for drama but was not accepted. Later, Driver joined the United States Marine Corps and served for two years and eight months. After breaking his sternum, Lance was discharged with the rank of Corporal. He then attended Indianapolis University, but dropped out a year later to apply again to the Juilliard School. This time admitted, Driver was a member of the Drama Department from 2005 to 2009, graduating with a BA later that year.
After graduating, Driver moved to New York, where he appeared in both Broadway and off-Broadway productions. In addition to these, he supported his livelihood by working in many different jobs. In 2009, Driver starred in the crime television series "The Unusuals" created for ABC by Noah Hawley. He played Walter Lyle in the biographical drama film "J. Edgar" directed by Clint Eastwood. The film, which received mixed reviews from critics, ended up being moderate at the box office.
In 2012, Driver starred in the HBO comedy-drama television series "Girls", which Judd Apatow executive produced. He received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance. In the same year, he appeared as Samuel Beckwith in the biographical historical drama film "Lincoln" directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was successful both from critics and at the box office.
That same year, he starred as Lev Shapiro in the black-and-white comedy-drama film "Frances Ha" directed by Noah Baumbach. Released on May 17, 2013, the film achieved universal acclaim and little success at the box office. He then appeared as Adam in the drama film "Not Waving but Drowning" directed by Devyn Waitt and as Neil in the romantic comedy drama "Gayby" directed by Jonathan Lisecki. He also received critical acclaim outside of Broadway by playing Cliff, a Welsh guest, in the play "Look Back in Anger". He won the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance.
Later in the year, he appeared as Walter in the drama film "Bluebird" written and directed by Lance Edmands, and as Allan in the romantic comedy "The F Word" directed by Michael Dowse. He then starred as Al Cody in the black comedy drama film "Inside Llewyn Davis" written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Upon its release, the film ended up with a healthy box office as well as universal acclaim. He then co-starred with Mia Wasikowska in the drama film "Tracks" directed by John Curran. The film, which received mostly positive reviews, did not find success at the box office.
Towards the end of the year, he appeared with model Daria Werbowy in an editorial photographed by Annie Leibovitz in the September 2013 issue of Vogue. In 2014, Driver took the lead role with Alba Rohrwacher in the drama film "Hungry Hearts" directed by Saverio Costanzo. For his performance, he won the Volpi Cup Award for Best Actor at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. That same year, he took a lead role in the comedy-drama film "While We're Young" written and directed by Noah Baumbach. The movie, which became a success at the box office, also garnered positive reviews from critics.
Later in the year, he appeared as Phillip Altman in the comedy-drama film "This Is Where I Leave You" directed by Shawn Levy. The film, which resulted in a successful revenue against its production budget at the box office, was also met with mixed or average reviews at the critical. In 2015, Driver appeared as the villain Kylo Ren in an epic space opera film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" directed by J.J.Abrams. The film, which was released on December 18, 2015, was positively received by the critics. It also broke various box office records and became the highest-grossing film of 2015.
In 2016, Driver received a lead role in the science fiction film "Midnight Special" written and directed by Jeff Nichols. The film, which received positive reviews from critics, did not achieve the same success at the box office. That same year, he got a lead role as Francisco Garupe in the epic historical drama film "Silence", directed by Martin Scorsese and based on the novel of the same name. Although the film was chosen as one of the best films of that year, it did not do well at the box office.
He then took the lead role as Paterson in the drama film "Paterson" written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. The film, which premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival, received universal acclaim. Driver received praise for his performance and earned several awards and nominations, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor.
In the following years, he reprized his role in the sequel "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (2017), the epic space opera film written and directed by Rian Johnson. In addition to being well received by the critics, the film achieved great success at the box office. Additionally, it was the highest-grossing film of 2017 and the ninth highest-grossing film of all time. Later in the year, he appeared as Randy in the comedy-drama film "The Meyerowitz Stories" directed and written by Noah Baumbach.
Also in 2017, he made his debut with Channing Tatum as Clyde Logan in the heist comedy film "Logan Lucky" directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film received positive reviews from many critics and was successful at the box office. In 2018, he had a leading role as Detective Philip "Flip" Zimmerman in the biographical black comedy crime film "BlacKkKlansman" based on the memoir of the same name directed by Spike Lee. He received critical acclaim for his performance in the film, which was released on August 10, 2018, and was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
He then reprized his role in an epic space opera movie, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (2019), the final installment in the series. The film, which was released on December 20, 2019, received mixed reviews from critics, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2019 with its box office gross. In addition, he has won many awards and nominations. His role in the entire series has garnered great acclaim and praise from critics and audiences alike.
Later in the year, he returned to Broadway as Pale in the play "Burn This" directed by Michael Mayer and screened at the Hudson Theatre. He received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play for his performance. Later, he co-starred with Scarlett Johansson in the drama "Marriage Story" written and directed by Noah Baumbach. The film was highly acclaimed for the actors' performances and directorial success. It has also been nominated for many awards and nominations. Driver received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance.
In 2021, Driver made the headlines with his appearance in the advertising campaign of "Hero", the masculine fragrance from luxury fashion house Burberry. In the same year, he co-starred with Marion Cotillard and Simon Helberg as Henry McHenry in the musical romantic drama "Annette", directed by Leos Carax. That year, he won the Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor. He then starred as Jacques Le Gris in the action drama film "The Last Duel" directed by Ridley Scott and based on a book. The film underperformed at the box office despite positive reviews.
Also that year, he got a lead role as Maurizio Gucci in the biographical crime drama film "House of Gucci" directed by Ridley Scott and based on a book. The film, which received mixed reviews, was appreciated both at the box office and for Driver's performance. In 2022, Driver had a lead role in the absurd comedy-drama film "White Noise" written and directed by Noah Baumbach. The film, which received generally positive reviews, created a bombshell effect at the box office.
In 2023, he took the lead role as Mills in the sci-fi action thriller "65" written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film was moderately successful at the box office. That same year, Driver will star as Enzo Ferrari in his biopic "Ferrari", about the Italian founder of automaker Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari. The film is scheduled to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September 2023. It has also been announced that he will take on the lead role as Caesar in the epic science-fiction drama film "Megalopolis" written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Private life
Driver married Joanne Tucker in June 2013, with whom he has been together since 2000. The couple has a son. Driver lives in Brooklyn Heights with his family and dogs.
Driver is the founder of a non-profit theater organization called "Arts in the Armed Forces" (AITAF). In May 2023, Driver announced that it would be an honorary start for the 107th run of the Indianapolis 500 auto race.