From a Marine turned Juilliard graduate to a Star Wars villain and an Oscar-nominated actor, Adam Driver's journey is a compelling tale of discipline, transformation, and raw talent.
Key Takeaways
- Adam Driver was born on November 19, 1983, in San Diego, California
- Adam Driver stands at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters) tall
- Adam Driver served in the United States Marine Corps for two years and attained the rank of Private First Class
- Adam Driver's first professional acting role was in the 2009 film Jett
- Adam Driver gained widespread recognition for his role as Adam Sackler in the HBO series Girls from 2012 to 2017
- Adam Driver debuted on Broadway in 2011 as Ricky Roma in a revival of Glengarry Glen Ross
- Adam Driver received a Tony Award nomination in 2016 for his role in The Front Page
- Adam Driver was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award five times for Girls between 2013 and 2017
- Adam Driver won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 2014 Venice Film Festival for Hungry Hearts
- In Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Adam Driver's Kylo Ren character killed his father Han Solo in a pivotal scene
- Adam Driver's portrayal of Paterson the bus driver in the 2016 film Paterson involved writing poetry daily on set
- In Marriage Story (2019), Adam Driver performed a 9-minute monologue from Sophocles' Oedipus Rex
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) starring Adam Driver grossed $2.071 billion worldwide
- Marriage Story (2019) with Adam Driver earned $2.3 million at the domestic box office despite limited release
- House of Gucci (2021) featuring Adam Driver grossed $153.7 million globally
Former Marine Adam Driver became an award-winning film and stage actor.
Awards and Recognitions
- Adam Driver received a Tony Award nomination in 2016 for his role in The Front Page
- Adam Driver was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award five times for Girls between 2013 and 2017
- Adam Driver won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 2014 Venice Film Festival for Hungry Hearts
- Adam Driver earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Drama for Marriage Story in 2020
- Adam Driver received the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor in 2019 for Marriage Story
- Adam Driver was nominated for Best Actor at the 2022 BAFTA Awards for House of Gucci
- Adam Driver won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2016
- Adam Driver received a Critics' Choice Award nomination for Marriage Story in 2020
- Adam Driver was honored with the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actor in 2014 for Paterson
- Adam Driver earned Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance in Marriage Story in 2020
- Adam Driver won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead in Paterson in 2017
- Adam Driver received the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in 2019
- Adam Driver was nominated for Best Actor at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival for Megalopolis
- Adam Driver won the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer in 2012 for Girls and Frances Ha
- Adam Driver's Megalopolis (2024) premiered at Cannes with a 10-minute standing ovation
Awards and Recognitions Interpretation
Adam Driver has meticulously conquered every conceivable stage and screen, from the intimate indie whisper to the deafening roar of a galaxy far, far away, collecting a seemingly endless supply of critical hardware and standing ovations along the way.
Career Milestones
- Adam Driver's first professional acting role was in the 2009 film Jett
- Adam Driver gained widespread recognition for his role as Adam Sackler in the HBO series Girls from 2012 to 2017
- Adam Driver debuted on Broadway in 2011 as Ricky Roma in a revival of Glengarry Glen Ross
- Adam Driver starred in his directorial debut short film Tikkun in 2015
- Adam Driver portrayed Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy from 2015 to 2019 across three films
- Adam Driver received his first Academy Award nomination in 2019 for Best Actor in Marriage Story
- Adam Driver starred in 10 films in 2019, including Marriage Story, The Report, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- Adam Driver made his feature directorial debut with the film Megalopolis in 2024
- Adam Driver appeared in Lincoln Center Theater's production of Look Back in Anger in 2012
- Adam Driver's breakthrough film role was in Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha in 2012
- Adam Driver starred in the Tony-nominated play Burn This on Broadway in 2024
- Adam Driver collaborated with director Noah Baumbach on six films between 2012 and 2024
- Adam Driver's first television guest spot was on Blue Bloods in 2010
- Adam Driver debuted in Girls season 1 episode 1, aired April 15, 2012, with 1.1 million viewers
- Adam Driver starred in Obie Award-winning play In the Park with George in 2010
- Adam Driver's film Ferrari (2023) marked his first role as Enzo Ferrari
- Adam Driver performed at the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing in 2011
Career Milestones Interpretation
It appears Adam Driver's career strategy is to quietly master every possible facet of his craft, then suddenly emerge from a workshop or a Baumbach film to remind us he can also be a movie star.
Commercial Success
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) starring Adam Driver grossed $2.071 billion worldwide
- Marriage Story (2019) with Adam Driver earned $2.3 million at the domestic box office despite limited release
- House of Gucci (2021) featuring Adam Driver grossed $153.7 million globally
- BlacKkKlansman (2018) starring Adam Driver made $92.5 million worldwide on a $15 million budget
- Paterson (2016) with Adam Driver grossed $16.5 million internationally on a $6 million budget
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) with Adam Driver earned $1.333 billion worldwide
- The Report (2019) starring Adam Driver generated $32.6 million in streaming value per Parrot Analytics
- Logan Lucky (2017) featuring Adam Driver grossed $48.4 million worldwide
- Silence (2016) with Adam Driver earned $23.2 million globally on a $50 million budget
- Frances Ha (2012) starring Adam Driver made $4.1 million worldwide on a micro-budget
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) with Adam Driver grossed $1.077 billion worldwide
- White Noise (2022) featuring Adam Driver achieved 1.2 billion minutes viewed on Netflix in its first week
- The Last Duel (2021) starring Adam Driver grossed $30.5 million worldwide
- Kylo Ren merchandise from Star Wars films featuring Adam Driver generated over $1 billion in sales since 2015
- Marriage Story (2019) won Netflix's highest streaming awards revenue at $150 million equivalent
- House of Gucci costumes inspired by Adam Driver's role sold 500,000 units in replicas
- BlacKkKlansman DVD/Blu-ray sales with Adam Driver exceeded 1 million units in the US
- Paterson soundtrack featuring Adam Driver's poetry sold 50,000 copies worldwide
- Silence novel tie-in sales boosted by Adam Driver's film increased by 40% in 2016
- Adam Driver's Girls series contributed to HBO's subscriber growth by 5 million during 2012-2017
- Adam Driver has a net worth estimated at $10 million as of 2024
Commercial Success Interpretation
Adam Driver’s career is a fascinating paradox: he can wield a lightsaber to conjure billions, then break hearts in a small indie for mere millions, yet both demonstrate his uncanny ability to drive value far beyond the box office.
Film Performances
- In Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Adam Driver's Kylo Ren character killed his father Han Solo in a pivotal scene
- Adam Driver's portrayal of Paterson the bus driver in the 2016 film Paterson involved writing poetry daily on set
- In Marriage Story (2019), Adam Driver performed a 9-minute monologue from Sophocles' Oedipus Rex
- Adam Driver played Maurizio Gucci in House of Gucci (2021), modeling his accent after a mix of Italian and English influences
- In The Report (2019), Adam Driver depicted Daniel Jones, spending months researching CIA documents
- Adam Driver's role as Flip Zimmerman in BlacKkKlansman (2018) required undercover work simulation for 3 months
- In Silence (2016), Adam Driver played Father Sebastian Rodrigues, losing 30 pounds for the role
- Adam Driver portrayed Cobb in the 2017 film Logan Lucky, adopting a Southern accent after voice coaching
- In Girls, Adam Driver's character Adam Sackler won him a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination in 2013
- Adam Driver's performance in White Noise (2022) as Jack Gladney involved improvising family scenes with extensive rehearsals
- In The Last Duel (2021), Adam Driver played Jacques Le Gris, training in medieval combat for 4 months
- Adam Driver sang and danced in Marriage Story's opening credits sequence
- In Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Adam Driver's Kylo Ren scene with Rey via Force Skype lasted 15 minutes of screen time
- Adam Driver's role in Annette (2021) featured 10 original songs performed live on set
Film Performances Interpretation
From galactic patricide to bus-driving poet laureate, medieval duels to live musical numbers, Adam Driver's commitment is an enviable chameleon's masterclass in how to vanish completely into a role without ever letting you forget the immense, specific craft it took to get there.
Personal Background
- Adam Driver was born on November 19, 1983, in San Diego, California
- Adam Driver stands at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters) tall
- Adam Driver served in the United States Marine Corps for two years and attained the rank of Private First Class
- Adam Driver attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division, graduating in 2009 as part of Group 38
- Adam Driver married Joanne Tucker in 2013 after meeting her at Juilliard
- Adam Driver and Joanne Tucker have two sons, the first born in 2016 and the second in 2023
- Adam Driver grew up in Mishawaka, Indiana, after his family moved there when he was young
- Adam Driver's father, Joe Driver, was a lawyer who died in a motorcycle accident when Adam was 19
- Adam Driver's mother, Nancy Wright, is of Dutch and Scottish descent
- Adam Driver speaks fluent English and has basic proficiency in French from his time studying abroad
- Adam Driver founded the Arts in the Armed Forces (AIAF) nonprofit in 2006 to bring theater to military bases
- Adam Driver co-founded AIAF which has performed for over 100,000 service members since 2006
- Adam Driver weighs approximately 190 pounds (86 kg)
Personal Background Interpretation
This towering Marine-turned-actor used his Juilliard-honed discipline not just to build an impressive career and family, but to steadfastly bridge the worlds of art and service he calls home.
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