Who is Jonathan Favreau? The entertainment and acting world knows Jon Favreau as an American actor, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for appearing in films including Rudy, I Love You, Man; Swingers and Couples Retreat, as well as directing such films as Elf, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Cowboys & Aliens. He is also known for playing the role of Pete Becker, Monica Geller's boyfriend during season three of the television sitcom Friends.Early life
Favreau was born in Flushing, New York, the son of Madeleine, an elementary school teacher who died of leukemia in 1979, and Charles Favreau, a special education teacher.[1] Favreau's mother was Jewish and his father is a Catholic of Italian and distant French-Canadian ancestry.[2][3][4] He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1984 and attended Queens College from 1984 to 1987, before dropping out.[5] He briefly worked for Bear Stearns on Wall Street before returning to Queens College for a semester in early 1988. He dropped out of college for good (a few credits shy of completing his degree),[6] and in the summer of 1988, moved to Chicago to pursue a career in comedy. He performed at several Chicago improvisational theaters, including the ImprovOlympic and the Improv Institute.Career
While in Chicago, Favreau landed his first film role alongside Sean Astin as the pudgy tutor D-Bob in the classic sleeper hit Rudy (1993). Favreau met Vince Vaughn—who played a small role in this film—during shooting. The next year, he appeared in the college film PCU alongside Jeremy Piven, and also stepped into the world of television in the 1994 episode of Seinfeld titled "The Fire" as Eric the Clown. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he made his breakthrough in 1996 as an actor-screenwriter with the film Swingers, which was Vaughn's breakthrough role as the glib and extremely confident Trent Walker, a perfect foil to Favreau's heartbroken Mike Peters. In 1997 he appeared on the popular TV sitcom Friends portraying Pete Becker, whom Monica dates for several episodes, and who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.He rejoined Piven in 1998 as part of Very Bad Things (1998). In 1999 he starred in the TV movie Rocky Marciano, based on the life of the only undefeated world heavyweight champion in the world. He later appeared in Love & Sex (2000), co-starring Famke Janssen. Favreau got some screen time as lawyer Foggy Nelson in the 2003 movie Daredevil (2003) (considerably more in the Director's Cut version). In 2003 he also starred in The Big Empty, directed by Steve Anderson. His character was John Person, an out of work actor given a strange mission to deliver a blue suitcase to a man named Cowboy in the desert. Earlier, Favreau appeared in 2000's The Replacements as maniacal linebacker Daniel Bateman. He was a guest-director for an episode of the college dramedy Undeclared in 2001.
In 2000, he played himself in a Sopranos episode as a Hollywood director who feigns interest in developing mob associate Christopher Moltisanti's execrable screenplay in order to collect material for his own screenplay.
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| Vince Vaughn |
Also in 2005, Jon appeared as a guest judge and executive representative of Sony corporation in week five of NBC primetime reality TV business show, The Apprentice. He was called upon to judge the efforts of the show's two teams of contestants, who were assigned the task of designing and building a float to publicise his 2005 Sony Pictures movie, Zathura.
Favreau also has a TV series called Dinner for Five which airs on the cable TV channel IFC. On April 28, 2006, it was announced that Favreau was signed to direct the long awaited Iron Man movie.[7] Released on May 2, 2008, the film was a huge critical[8] and commercial[9] success, solidifying Favreau's reputation as a director. Favreau was the third director attached to John Carter of Mars, the film adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' swashbuckling space hero. Robert Rodriguez and Kerry Conran were previously attached within the last two years. Mark Protosevich and Ehren Kruger have both written drafts. The Marshal in Revelation has been in development since Swingers was released. It's a western about a Hasidic gunslinger. At one time both Favreau and Vince Vaughn were to co-direct. Neanderthals is a CG animated film that Favreau will write and produce. Johnny Zero will cover the birth of the hot rod movement following World War II. Favreau will write and direct. Iron Man was the first Marvel-produced movie under their alliance with Paramount, and Favreau served as the director and an executive producer. He recently told MTV that he would like to be at the helm of an Avengers film. During early scenes in Iron Man Favreau appears as Tony Stark's loyal friend, and driver, Happy Hogan. He also wrote a mini-series for Marvel Knights titled Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas, that started in September 2008,[10] and directed the sequel Iron Man 2.
Favreau co-starred in 2009's Couples Retreat, a comedy chronicling four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort, which he also wrote. The film saw him reunited with co-star Vince Vaughn, and Kristin Davis played his wife.[11] On June 22, 2009, it was announced that Favreau will provide the voice of a bear in Kevin James' The Zookeeper.
He also plays the voice-role of Mandalorian Pre Vizsla in the series Star Wars: The Clone Wars in various episodes.
Personal life
Favreau married Joya Tillem on November 24, 2000. The couple have three children, a son, Max, born July 25, 2001, and two daughters, Madeleine, born April 2003, and Brighton Rose, born August 2006. Joya Tillem is the niece of KGO (AM) lawyer/talk show host Len Tillem.[12]Favreau also plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Cancer Care charity.
Favreau also plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Cancer Care charity. He is also very close friends with Vince Vaughan.
Favreau credits Dungeons & Dragons with giving him "...a really strong background in imagination, storytelling, understanding how to create tone and a sense of balance."[13]
Favreau frequently Tweets during his day, which included updates from rehearsals[14] of Iron Man 2.
Filmography
Director
| Writer
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Actor
| Jon Favreau's filmography | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Hoffa | Uncredited role | |
| 1993 | Rudy | D-Bob | |
| 1994 | Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle Seinfeld PCU | Elmer Rice Eric the Clown Gutter | 1 Episode |
| 1995 | Batman Forever | Assistant | |
| 1996 | Swingers | Mike Peters | |
| 1997 | Friends | Pete Becker | 6 Episodes |
| 1998 | Very Bad Things Deep Impact | Kyle Fisher Dr. Gus Partenza | |
| 1999 | Rocky Marciano | Rocky Marciano | |
| 2000 | Love & Sex The Replacements | Adam Levy Daniel "Danny" Bateman | |
| 2001 | Made The Sopranos | Bobby Ricigliano Himself | |
| 2003 | Elf Something's Gotta Give Daredevil The Big Empty | Doctor Leo Franklin "Foggy" Nelson John Person | |
| 2004 | The King of Queens Wimbledon | Sean McGee Ron Roth | |
| 2006 | The Break-Up Open Season Monk | Johnny O Reilly Dr. Oliver Bloom | Voice only Season 4, episode Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist |
| 2008 | Iron Man Four Christmases | Happy Hogan Denver McVie | |
| 2009 | I Love You Man G-Force Couples Retreat | Barry Hurley the Guinea Pig Joey | Voice only |
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 The Zookeeper Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Happy Hogan TBA (Voice only) Pre Vizsla (Voice Only) | Various episodes |
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