John Malkovich (full name John Gavin Malkovich) is an American film actor, born December 9, 1953 in the small town of Christopher, located in southern Illinois. As a child, the boy studied music, and when he grew up he entered high school. After school, he became a student at East Illinois University, where he studied at the Faculty of Environmental Preferences. John Malkovich did not part with music in his youth, in 1976 he organized a group called Steppenwolf Theater Company. Endless rehearsals began, the musicians tried to create their own fully exclusive repertoire, but there was no composer among them, and the process progressed slowly. Although the main goal was achieved, the musicians were engaged in real creativity: they wanted to record their album and organize tours, being already known. Studying at the University of John went badly, he devoted all his time to music. Suddenly he became interested in theater.
Theatrical debut
In the end, the artistic John Malkovich became cramped within the walls of the university, he often visited the city theater, watched all the performances in a row and tried to make friends with the actors. His creative aspirations soon bore fruit, and in 1978 John was invited to participate in a performance on the stage of the Goodman Theater. He was given a small role in staging a social orientation called The Curse of the Starving Class, based on a play by Sam Shepard. Malkovich's theatrical debut was successful, and he continued to collaborate with the troupe. Over the next six years, John, as an already established actor, played in more than 50 plays. In the theatrical world of America, everything is interconnected, it is worthwhile to appear an interesting actor in San Francisco, as the next day they already know about him on Broadway. The theater director is immediately tempted to contact a talented performer and lure him to himself. But not everything is so simple: there is a kind of ethics in the theater hierarchy, according to which there should not be any contacts - this is considered bad form. Another thing is if the actor himself comes, and then they won’t let him go. Monetary incentives, comfortable housing conditions and, finally, contracts are so tempting that it is simply impossible to refuse. So it happened with Malkovich. He came to New York at random in the hope of finding work on Broadway. Of course, already knew about him, his incredible ability to work and acting talent. Therefore, the very first theater to which he turned, gladly received him.
Broadway
So, in 1984, Malkovich moved to New York, and he was accepted into one of the leading theaters on Broadway. The first performance in which John participated was "The Death of a Salesman." The famous Dustin Hoffman also played in the play . Any Broadway theater is an excellent launching pad for the beginning of an artistic career, and John Malkovich immediately felt it. The performances with his participation followed one after another, gradually the actor became popular, he had the opportunity to choose roles to his liking, and this is the first sign of stellar status.
Movie debut
John Malkovich, whose filmography at that time did not contain a single picture, was noticed by the agent of the Trisrar Picturies film studio. He was invited to film screenings, which he completed successfully, being already an experienced enough actor. Thus, John was approved for the role of Mr. Will. It was the debut role of Malkovich in the movie, but the actor played in such a way that he was immediately nominated for an Oscar in the category "Best Actor in a Supporting Role". In the same 1984, John Malkovich, whose best films were yet to come, starred in the film "Death Fields" directed by Roland Joffe. John played photographer Al Rokoff - his character was already closer to the main plot events, but this time the nominations for the Oscars and other Malkovich awards did not touch.
Second Oscar nomination
John Malkovich received his second Oscar nomination for his role as Mitch O'Leary, a mentally unstable former CIA agent in the film On the Line of Fire, directed by Wolfgang Petersen. The picture was shot at the Colambia Picturies film studio and appeared at the box office in 1993. Prior to this, John Malkovich played the characteristic role of Viscount Sebastian de Valmont in the film "Dangerous Communications" by British director Stephen Frears. The film was shot in the wake of the events of the late 18th century that took place at the court of the French king. The picture was released in the second half of 1988.
In 1990, John Malkovich received an invitation from the director Bernardo Bertolucci for the main role in the film "Under the Cover of Heaven." Malkovich’s character is Port Moresby, a middle-aged man who, along with his wife, Keith Moresby, goes on a trip to North Africa. The ups and downs of this journey keep all participants in suspense. Port Moresby dies from typhoid fever, and his wife ends up with the Berbers.
"Being John Malkovich"
In 1999, the film “Being John Malkovich” was shot at the Gramercy Pictures film studio, in which the actor played himself. The role was more like Cameo, although at that time it was not yet customary to invite celebrities to participate in film projects, as is done today. Nevertheless, the role of John Malkovich, performed by John Malkovich himself, greatly revived the plot. In the same 1999, the actor starred in two more films: "Finding Time" directed by Raul Ruiz with Catherine Deneuve in the title role and "Lady's Room" directed by Gabriella Cristiani. Malkovich's character in the first film is Baron de Charles, and in the second - the rich man Roberto.
Filmography
John Malkovich, whose filmography includes about 90 paintings of various genres, willingly takes on interesting, meaningful new roles. But the list of roles played by him in the recent past is also impressive. In the period from 2000 to 2007, Malkovich participated in twenty film projects, these are:
- Year 2000 - “Les Miserables” directed by Tom Hooper, Malkovich played Javert; "Shadow of the Vampire" directed by Edmund Elias Meridge, Malkovich played the main role - Friedrich Marnau.
- Year 2001 - "Strong Souls" directed by Raoul Ruiz, the character of Malkovich is a monsignor; "I'm Going Home" directed by Manuel di Oliveira, Malkovich played John Crawford; "Hotel" directed by Alan Nixon, John Malkovich - Omar Hansson, lead role; "Bouncers" directed by Brian Koppelman, the character of Malkovich is Teddy Deserv.
- Year 2002 - "Ripley's Game" directed by Liliana Kovani, starring Malkovich Tom Ripley.
- Year 2003 - "Agent Johnny English" directed by Peter Howitt, John Malkovich - main role (tandem with Atkinson) - Pascal Savage; "Conversational Cinema" directed by Manuel di Oliveira, Malkovich in the role of Commander John Wales.
- Year 2005 - "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" directed by Garth Jennings, character of John Malkovich - Humm Kavul; "Libertine" directed by Lawrence Danmore, Malkovich as King Charles II; "Being Stanley Kubrick" directed by Brian Cook, John Malkovich plays Alan Conway, starring.
- Year 2006 - "Advertising for a Genius" directed by Terry Svigoffa, the character of Malkovich - Professor Sandyford; "Klimt" directed by Raoul Ruiz, John Malkovich as Gustav Klimt; "Eragon" directed by Stefan Fangmeyer, Malkovich played Galbatorix; "On the Stage" directed by Tom Roberts, John Malkovich as Pavlov.
- Year 2007 - “Beowulf” directed by Robert Zemeckis, Malkovich as Unfert.
Malkovich - Director
As an actor, John Malkovich has already taken place by the year 2000. He was in demand, his fees were expressed in seven-digit numbers. However, being a truly creative person, Malkovich tried several times to realize himself as a director. When staging the movie "I'm Going Home," John became Assistant Director Manuel Oliveira. And when staging the 2002 film "Dancing Upstairs", John Malkovich, whose biography was ready to be replenished with new pages, completely took on the work of the director, and also acted as a co-producer on this film project. In the same year, Malkovich became the director of the film "The Disgusting Man", to which he also wrote the script. The film was short, lasted only 26 minutes, but the work of John and his team was recognized by critics as quite professional.
Malkovich - producer
Also, John Malkovich produced individual film projects, and I must say that he also did well. Films with the participation of John Malkovich as a producer:
- Year 2000 - "Tourist involuntarily."
- Year 2001 - "The World of Ghosts", "Loner".
- Year 2002 - Dancing Upstairs.
- Year 2004 - "Libertine", "Found on the street."
- Year 2006 - "Kill the Poor", "Advertising for a Genius."
- Year 2007 - "The Road Home", "Juneau".
- Year 2010 - "The Drunk Boat".
- Year 2012 - "It’s good to be quiet."
Return to the theater
From time to time, John Malkovich returns to the profession with which he began his career as a Hollywood superstar - a theater actor. In 2010, Malkovich played a major role in the performance of the Mariinsky Theater "Hellish Comedy. Confession of a serial killer." And next year, Malkovich played the role of Giacomo Casanova in the play "Giacomo Variations" on the stage of the Moscow theater "New Opera".
Personal life
The personal life of a Hollywood superstar is like a quiet expanse of water, calm and serene. John married late: he was only thirty years old when he proposed to Glenn Headley, a famous American actress, a two-time nominee for an Emmy Award. The couple lived together for six years, from 1982 to 1988, and divorced when John Malkovich could not resist the temptation and started an affair with actress Michelle Pfeiffer, with whom he starred in the film project "Dangerous Communications". As you can see, this connection was also dangerous and ended in the divorce of Malkovich from Glenn Headley. And I must say that Pfeiffer also suffered: because of the affair with Malkovich, she had to divorce her husband Peter Horton.
However, after only two years on the set of the film “Under the Cover of Heaven,” John met Nicoletta Peyran, the assistant director, who became his second wife. In this marriage, the couple had two children, in 1990 - a daughter, who was named Amandine and in 1992 - the son of Lowe. The family lived for a long time in France, and in 2003, the Malkovichs moved to the United States, to the city of Cambridge, where they still live.