Jeff Goldblum

Biography for Jeff Goldblum

Born Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum on October 22, 1952 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, actor Jeff Goldblum began his career on the New York stage after moving to the city at the age of seventeen.

Possessing his own unique style of delivery, Goldblum made an impression on moviegoers with little more than a single line in Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977) when he fretted about having forgotten his mantra. Goldblum went on to appear in the remake Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) before a high-profile turn in the classic ensemble film The Big Chill (1983).

The quirky actor turned up in the suitably quirky film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), which became a 1980s cult classic, then went on to a breakthrough role in the David Cronenberg remake The Fly (1986). The Fly (1986) also featured actress Geena Davis, Goldblum's wife from 1987-1990 and co-star in two additional films, Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) and Julien Temple's Earth Girls Are Easy (1988).

Goldblum was the rather unlikely star of some of the biggest blockbusters of the 1990s: Steven Spielberg's dinosaur adventure Jurassic Park (1993) and its sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), as well as the alien invasion flick Independence Day (1996). These films saw Goldblum playing the type of intellectual characters he's become associated with.

Recent roles have included critically acclaimed turns in Igby Goes Down (2002) and Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).

Originally from Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), where he was born on October 22, 1952, Jeff Goldblum took his first steps as an actor in high school, before joining the Sanford Meisner lessons in New York. Broadway discovered it in 1971 in "The two gentlemen of Verona". Three years later, Robert Altman (one of its official directors) will offer him his first role in the cinema in California Split. His talents as an actor, which allow him to embody characters as diverse as eccentric (Harassé and anxious actor in Next Stop Greenwich Village, rock critic in Between the Lines, recruiter of NASA subject to Air Evil in the A factor of heroes ...), offer him the opportunity to turn without discontinuing. Television even offers him the possibility of playing the main role of a series, seeing "shy and without complex". After a few critical successes (the friends first ...), Jeff Goldblum finds the role that will make him an international star: that of the scientist of La Mouche, by David Cronenberg. Transformed into insects, Goldblum takes off. Attracted by the roles of scientists, the actor explodes in the skin of the chaotic mathematician of Jurassic Park, or in that of the Savior of the planet in Independence Day. In 1995, Jeff Goldblum even tried to make, with a small film called Little Surprises, nominated for the Oscar for the best short film. Today he finds the costume of Professor Ian Malcolm in the lost world Jurassic Park, with this time the heavy responsibility to play the main role. In the company of dinosaurs, of course ...

Jeff Goldblum is an American actor known for his work in many films and television series. He was born on October 22, 1952 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Goldblum began his career by playing in plays in New York before embarking on cinema and television. He has played in many famous films, such as Jurassic Park, the fifth element and Independence Day. Goldblum also appeared in popular television series, such as Friends and Will & Grace.

Goldblum is known for its unique style and its charismatic presence on the screen. He has often played intelligent and attractive characters, with a touch of humor and elegance. His performances were widely praised by criticism, and he won several awards for his work. In addition to his acting work, Goldblum is also an accomplished musician and has released several jazz albums.

Apart from his acting career, Goldblum is known for his colorful personal life. He was married twice and is the father of two children. Goldblum is also an environmental defender of the environment and is involved in several social and political causes. He continues to work regularly as an actor, with several current projects.

Photos

Filmography

Trivia

• Is the voice behind the iMac/iBook commercials for Apple Computer.
• Engaged to Laura Dern. [1995-1997]
• In a jazz band called The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra with actor Peter Weller (they were also in a band together in the movie The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)) - they perform at local clubs in Los Angeles.
• Studied acting at New York City's prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse under the guidance of legendary acting coach, Sanford Meisner.
• Was engaged to Catherine Wreford, a 23 year old dancer from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
• Appears alongside ex-wife Geena Davis in three films, back to back, Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), The Fly (1986) and Earth Girls Are Easy (1988).
• While filming Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), he and co-stars Damon Wayans and Jim Carrey took approximately two hours to be suited up as the aliens.
• Along with Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans, his voice was dubbed for certain scenes in Earth Girls Are Easy (1988).
• After playing the victim of an alien invasion in the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), he appears in two films in which he fights aliens, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) and Independence Day (1996), and one where he plays an alien - Earth Girls Are Easy (1988).
• He can wiggle his ears one at a time. He demonstated this talent on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993).
• Has worked twice with three of the writers of _Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) . The film's director, Steven Spielberg, directed him in Jurassic Park (1993) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). The screenwriter, Lawrence Kasdan, directed him in The Big Chill (1983) and Silverado (1985). "Philip Kaufman' , whose idea it was for Indy to puruse the Ark of the Covenant, directed him in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and The Right Stuff (1983).
• Appears in two remakes of cult science fiction/horror films: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and The Fly (1986).
• Often plays eccentric characters
• Member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999
• Born on the same day as actor Christopher Lloyd.

Quotes

"I don't think of it that way. I'm just flattered playing smart guys who get to figure out before anybody else what's going on. So that's awfully fun."

"I got good grades in school, but I was in a little school and a small town out of Pittsburgh, not academically demanding or ambitious, I don't know how much that says but I was not that Science thrilled I was more in to playing sports, Jazz, painting and acting, stuff like that, but recently because of playing these parts I've gotten more interested in Science, my dad was a doctor, and I'm reading this Carl Sagen book that makes Science, see the way he talks about it is very aliquot, makes it seems kind of human kind of romantic and wondrous, spirituals, sexy vermeil, its very attractive book that he just wrote."

"I grew up watching sci-fi and monster movies like I Was A Teenage Werewolf ... and all those creepy old Vincent Price horror movies. They made a huge impression on me and I think that's what Independence Day is going to do for a whole generation of youngsters. It's going to be their favorite nightmare."

"I mean forget about Jurassic Park, I remember the real event movie when I was a kid was King Kong Vs. Godzilla. There was a theatre outside of Pittsburgh where I grew up, a real jewel box inside, three balconies."

"I've been lucky. And thank goodness the (sci-fi films) I've done have been good movies. I feel like some kind of lucky star has, for now, shone on me."

"It is psychologically unsettling. But I think we've made something more sophisticated than just a slasher movie, because of the family drama in it. The Fly could have been something else (meaning a cheap monster movie). But I think we raised that to something smarter. It's a love story and something that has poetry in it and majesty and real tragedy."

"It's OK. I don't mind being, you know to try and subordinate my moods, and reflexes and impulses sometimes and have to be sweet descent and nice, I don't think that's a bad thing, especially I don't think I would have that if I didn't have acting as an outlet, because acting asks you demands you and allows you to be reactive passionate all of yourself, your authentic self in fact your more naked self, your enraged self, your jerky self, your self, its a great outlet so in life if we have to be, you don't want to be phony, but its not a bad idea to have to sidestep your negativity, to count to ten sometimes do the right thing be sweet to people figure out what you can do to to contribute in a situation, and that's not a bad thing."

"Its been fun, obviously if you want to be an actor and you think of being successful you always thought that would go along with it, I never thought that was a horrible thing, in fact I've enjoyed it, its a sweet thing you feel on most encounters, like its an amazing rare thing that you feel connected to people in a way your not strangers, your not bumping into people and they go hey! There going hey its you and I'm glad to see you and I like you, and that's a delicious wonderful thing for the most part, it gives you a sense of responsibility to you cant misbehave without being talked about, you know people are going to say, you know who was a real jerk today, Jeff Goldblum, so you got to be, but that's a good thing, if we all knew we were going to be reported about and couldn't be anonymous that's not a bad thing, but sometimes you cant exactly, sometimes you want to be private, and it can be embarrassing, or not so nice, but for the most part its great."

"Not to mention life, which continues to be a challenge, and which I continue to try and get better at."

"Well, well, well its certainly a compelling provocative exciting delicious to think about idea, smart people say the universe is so big there must be something statistically it could be likely there could be something happening on some other world."

"When I'm in a happy state of mind, I often am in Los Angeles, recently you know those Fantasy Tour vans that go around, I don't know what there looking at, there looking at studios and things like that, when I pass them in my car sometimes I roll down the window and point myself out to them, sometimes they don't notice me, and I'll go OK never mind, but sometimes they go Oh ladies and gentleman to the right we have Jeff Goldblum."

[On his relationship with Geena Davis after their divorce] "We are good friends and she's a wonderful person and a wonderful actress."

[On Laura Dern] "Well, you know, I'm very easily stirred. And she's a remarkable woman. So I was struck with that from the beginning. But it wasn't until the film was over that we formed an alliance. I had been discreetly casting glances across the dinosaur. It's mysterious what attracts you to a person."

[On the success of Jurassic Park 1 and 2 and Independence Day] "The success of these three movies has certainly made my life less stressful and I'm having great fun slaying aliens and dinosaurs."

[On watching himself act] "It was odd because I hadn't seen much of what we had done until I saw it all put together up there. So, I'm watching everybody, but I care mostly about me [laughs]. So, I'm watching and thinking, "Good, Jeff. That's nice, Jeff. Yes, Jeff, go for it. Oh, YES, Jeff."

Family

• Spouse : Geena Davis (1 November 1987 - 17 October 1990) (divorced), Patricia Gaul (1980 - 1986) (divorced)

Author of the card

• Creation date: 01/07/2003 by shaunnah
• Last update: 01/05/2007 by abdest