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Adrien Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an Oscar-winning American
actor.
He was born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York (a neighborhood near Jamaica,
Queens) to Elliot Brody (a retired history professor) and Sylvia Plachy (a
photojournalist). Brody's father is Jewish and his mother, who was born in
Hungary, was raised Catholic, although Brody's maternal grandmother was also
Jewish.[1] Brody attended New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of
Music & Art and Performing Arts (famously the inspiration for television's
Fame). His parents enrolled him in acting classes to distance him from the
dangerous kids with whom he associated.
In 1992, Brody was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident in which he
flew over a car and crashed feet-first into a crosswalk. He spent months
recuperating. An avid daredevil, he has broken his nose several times doing
off-the-wall stunts.
Brody hovered on the brink of stardom, receiving praise for his roles in
Spike Lee's Summer of Sam and Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line. He
finally received widespread recognition when he was cast as the lead in
Roman Polanski's The Pianist (2002). The role won him an Academy Award for
Best Actor, the youngest actor ever to win the award. To prepare for the
role, Brody withdrew for months, gave up his apartment and his car, learned
how to play Chopin on the piano, and lost 13 kg (29 lb).
Throughout his career, Brody has been compared to Al Pacino and Marlon
Brando for his unique looks and method acting. He is also widely known for
giving Halle Berry a back-breaking kiss after winning his Best Actor Oscar,
and as the spokesman for fashion brand Ermenegildo Zegna.
Brody appeared on Saturday Night Live on May 10, 2003, his first TV work,
but he was banned from the show after giving an improvised introduction for
musical guest Sean Paul (the show's producer, Lorne Michaels, is infamous
for hating unscripted performances). Other TV appearances include NBC's The
Today Show and on MTV's Punk'd after being tricked by Ashton Kutcher.
After The Pianist Brody has played three different roles in three very
different movies. He played Noah Percy, a mentally disabled young man in the
movie The Village by M. Night Shyamalan, shell-shocked war veteran Jack
Starks in The Jacket, and writer Jack Driscoll, in the 2005 King Kong remake
by Peter Jackson. He has also appeared in Diet Coke commercials. Some
critics have argued Brody's choices of roles do not reflect a sufficient
maturity for an Oscar winner. Brody for his part has said he simply chooses
roles that "look like fun."
On January 5th, 2006, Adrien confirmed speculation that he is indeed
interested and very willing to play the role of The Joker in 2008's Untitled
Batman Begins Sequel..
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