Although Kinnear initially came to prominence in the early '90s as the sarcastic host of the cable series
Talk Soup, a versatile actor lay behind his smarmy smirk. After helming his own eponymous late-night talk show, he ventured onto the big screen in a number of supporting roles in mediocre movies. In 1997 his career was given a boost when he tackled an image-changing role as a gay artist in
As Good as It Gets. The film went on to win a slew of Oscars, including best picture, but Kinnear had to settle for a mere nomination. Perhaps that disappointment was a sign of things to come, because he was never able to graduate to leading man. Worse, while he occasionally tackled challenging parts — he was creepily fascinating as the sex-addicted
Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane in
Auto Focus — usually he was confined to smug, self-involved roles (an egotistical superhero in
Mystery Men, bad boyfriends in
You've Got Mail,
Someone Like You and
Loser).
Greg Kinnear Fast Facts:
- Lived abroad in Lebanon and Greece.
- Hosted a talk show, School Daze with Greg Kinnear, on Armed Forces Radio.
- Won a Daytime Emmy in 1994 as the executive producer and original host of Talk Soup.
- Made his movie debut alongside Damon Wayans and Jason Alexander in Blankman (1994).
- For a time in the mid-'90s, he hosted Talk Soup and his late-night talk show Later with Greg Kinnear simultaneously.
- Received the Male Star of Tomorrow Award in 1996 from the National Association of Theater Owners.
- On a 2003 episode of Friends, he appeared alongside one of his Talk Soup successors, Aisha Tyler.
- Greg Kinnear Relationships:
- Audrey Mae Kinnear - Daughter
- Edward Kinnear - Father
- Helen Labdon - Wife
- James Kinnear - Brother
- Lily Kathryn Kinnear - Daughter
- Steve Kinnear - Brother
- Suzanne Kinnear - Mother
- Greg Kinnear Awards:
- 1997 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- 1998 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
- College:
- University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (BA in Broadcast Journalism, 1985)
