The actor who is successful both behind the camera and in front of the camera: Who is Jon Favreau?

His full name is Jonathan Kolia Favreau, he was born on October 19, 1966 in Queens, New York. He was the only child of his mother Madeleine, an elementary school teacher of Russian-Jewish descent, and his father, Charles Favreau, a special education teacher of Italian and French-Canadian descent.

Graduating from The Bronx High School of Science in 1984, Favreau attended Queens College until 1987 and then dropped out. In 1988, he worked for Bear Stearns on Wall Street to pursue a career in comedy. He made his first role as Dennis "D-Bob" McGowan in the sports biopic "Rudy" directed by David Anspaugh. Later, he appeared as Gutter in the comedy film "PCU" directed by Hart Bochner.

After moving to Los Angeles, Favreau took the lead role as Mike Peters in the 1996 comedy-drama film "Swingers" directed by Doug Liman. The movie, which was successful at the box office, was included in the "100 Funniest Movies" list and received positive reviews from critics.

In 1997, he played Pete Becker in the NBC television sitcom "Friends" created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. In 1996-1997, he starred in the sketch comedy series "Tracey Takes On..." starring Tracey Ullman. The following year, he starred in the science fiction disaster movie "Deep Impact" directed by Mimi Leder. The film, which had a healthy box office success, received mixed reviews from critics.

In 2001, Favreau co-starred with Vince Vaughn, Peter Falk and Sean Combs in the crime comedy "Made", which he wrote and directed. He also appeared in the television show "Dinner for Five", which aired on IFC from 2001 to 2005. In 2003, he starred in the superhero movie "Daredevil", written and directed by Steven Johnson, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The film was both a success at the box office and critically average reviews.

The following year, he appeared in the romantic comedy-drama film "The Break-Up" directed by Peyton Reed. The movie was successful at both the box office and the critical. In 2008, he both acted as Happy Hogan and directed the superhero movie "Iron Man" based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The film received critical acclaim and positive reviews, making it the eighth highest-grossing film of 2008 at the box office.

In the same year, he appeared in a supporting role in the Christmas comedy "Four Christmases" directed by Seth Gordon. The film, which was generally received negatively, was successful at the box office. In 2009, he got a lead role in the romantic comedy "Couples Retreat" directed by Peter Billingsley. The film, which was successful at the box office, was not critically acclaimed. Later that year, he directed the science fiction Western action movie "Cowboys & Aliens" starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.

In the second movie of the series, "Iron Man 2" (2010), he took part in the same role and directing the superhero movie. The movie was a huge success both critically and at the box office. It became the seventh highest-grossing film of 2010 with its box office gross. In the following years, he starred in the science fiction action-adventure movie "John Carter" directed by Andrew Stanton. The movie was both mixed reviews and a box office bomb.

In 2013, he only appeared in the same role in the superhero movie "Iron Man 3", the next movie in the series. The film managed to become the second highest-grossing film of 2013 with its gross and received high praise from the critics. In 2014, Favreau both directed and starred in the road comedy-drama film "Chef". The film, which received critical acclaim, was also successful at the box office.

In 2016, he directed the adventure drama movie "The Jungle Book". The film was met with both box office and critical acclaim. It was later announced that he would direct the CGI adaptation of "The Lion King", making it Favreau's first time directing a musical. The following year, he reprized the same role in the superhero movie "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and the superhero movie "Avengers: Infinity War". Both films received critical acclaim both at the box office and critically. In the years of its release, it was on the list of the most watched and the highest grossing.

In 2018, Favreau also produced the space cowboy television series "The Mandalorian", which he created. He also co-produced "Golem Creations", Favreau's production company. That same year, he voiced Rio Durant in the space Western movie "Solo: A Star Wars Story". The film, which received criticism from critics, had a bomb effect at the box office.

The following year, he reprized the same role in the superhero movie Avengers: Endgame. The film received positive reviews with great praise. It also broke multiple box office records, including being the highest-grossing film of all time. Additionally, he has received many awards and nominations in various fields. That same year, he reprized the role of Happy Hogan in the superhero movie "Spider-Man: Far From Home", the sequel to the series. The movie grossed over $1.1 billion at the box office, making it the first Spider-Man movie to surpass a billion dollars and the fourth highest-grossing movie of 2019.

Later in the year, he presented and executive produced the television cooking show "The Chef Show" on Netflix with Roy Choi. In 2021, he played the same role in the superhero movie "Spider-Man: No Way Home", a sequel to the series, based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The film became the highest-grossing film of 2021 with its revenue. It also became the sixth highest-grossing film of all time and the highest-grossing Spider-Man film.

In 2022, he directed a British-American nature documentary streaming television series about dinosaurs called "Prehistoric Planet," which premiered on Apple TV+.

Private life

On November 24, 2000, Favreau married doctor Joya Tillem. The couple has a son named Max Favreau and two daughters. On August 30, 2018, Favreau founded a television production company named "Golem Creations Ltd. LLC".