The young man from san bernardino, california, has worked forand earnedeverything hes gotten. Adam driver biography facts, childhood, family life of actor. Driver had joined the marine corps the previous year, when he was eighteen. Driver was disappointed to find himself a civilian again just three years after he became a marine after the sept. How serving as a marine prepared adam driver for star wars and success. Adam driver, perhaps best known for his portrayal of kylo ren in the star wars franchise, enlisted in the u. Mar 30, 2016 even star wars star adam driver, now famous for portraying robed villain kylo ren, got a taste of unforgiving military humor during his stint in the marine corps. Born and raised in california, adam was not too keen on a career in acting initially.
Sep 11, 2017 despite starring in the hit hbo series girls, adam driver was a relatively unknown actor until landing the villainous role of kylo ren in star wars. How star warss kylo ren went from military marine to actor. He was a lance corporal at the time, and he actually went back to juilliard, accepted this time. Audiences the world over know who kylo ren is, the angst filled antagonist of the recent star wars films but the actor who portrays him wasnt always destined for the silver screen. Adam driver is the cure for the cookiecutter leading man gq. Mar 18, 2015 the next villain of the star wars franchise also happens to be a military veteran. Meet adam driver, the apparent villain of star wars episode vii. He began acting in plays at mishawaka high school, and graduated in 2001. Adam driver grew up in indiana, and was a bit of a misfit in his youth spending his time climing radio towers, lighting fires and even organized his own real world fight club. His ancestry includes english, dutch, german, irish, and scottish. Beforeadam driver would take over where darth vader left off in star wars the force awakens. Adam driver landed the role of the newest franchise villain in star wars vii. Star wars star adam driver served in the marine corps.
He was assigned to the 11 weapons company at camp pendleton, california. He served for almost three years before breaking his sternum while mountain biking. Being a marine prepared adam driver for star wars and. Adam driver was born on november 19, 1983 to nancy wright, a paralegal, and joe driver, a preacher. Adam driver had a truly awful nickname in the military gq. Actor adam driver learned valuable lessons as a marine. Star wars actor adam driver latest to be targeted by. His acting career has been on the fast rise since then with his role as the villain kylo ren in the star wars movies. Feb 04, 2020 adam driver used to serve in the marine corps. Adam driver is working to bridge the cultural gap between the united states armed forces and the performing arts communities by bringing the best modern american theater to the military. A former lance corporal in the united states marine corps, he made his broadway debut in mrs. Soon after, driver caught the acting bug and now he wants other service members to try their hands at theater. Hes 31, a graduate of juilliard, and youve seen him in the hbo series girls, along with f.
Adam douglas driver was born in san diego, california in 1983 2. Warrens profession and subsequently appeared in man and boy. When he is not acting, driver runs the nonprofit, arts in the armed forces, which works to bring stage plays to servicemembers. Before getting into acting school, adam driver served in the u. He rose to prominence in the supporting role of adam sackler in the hbo comedydrama series girls 20122017, for which he received three consecutive nominations for the primetime emmy award for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series. Happy veterans day to tom selleck, adam driver and more stars who served in the military this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Nov 09, 2018 happy veterans day to tom selleck, adam driver and more stars who served in the military this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Star wars fans defend adam driver after twitter calls him out. Marine corps veteran adam driver has been nominated as best supporting actor by the golden globes, the screen actors guild sag and the independent spirit awards and seems a lock for an oscar nomination on january 22nd.
Hes now a professional actor, with roles in girls and the new star wars movie. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a volpi cup, as well as nominations for two academy awards, three emmy awards, and a tony award. Before he fought in the galactic battles of star wars, adam driver was a united states marine with 11 weapons company. Driver enrolled in the united states marine corps shortly after 911 years before he launched an oscarnominated acting career. After graduating from the famous new york school, adam driver went to work on stage in the city that never sleeps. Even star wars star adam driver, now famous for portraying robed villain kylo ren, got a taste of unforgiving military humor during his stint in the marine corps. He was working odd jobs, selling vacuum cleaners and paying rent to live in his parents house and he says, like many other. Sep 20, 2019 the performance that will follow adam driver around forever is his portrayal of kylo ren. Adam driver joined the united states marine corps and served almost three years before being medically discharged. Meet the marine veteran whos going to be star wars next. After stints selling vacuums doortodoor and other odd jobs, driver was among the first to go see a marine corps recruiter after the sept. His family is revealing all about their son, whom they are very proud of and never expected to go so far in his acting career. Star wars fans have come out to defend adam driver against a twitter campaign thats calling him out over his past service in the marine corps.
For many, serving with the marine corps offers a sense of community among a group of diverse individuals with common goals, while for others it affords an unparalleled opportunity to serve ones country. Before he was an actor, adam driver was a marine with the 11 weapons company at camp pendleton, california. Since i came from the marine corps to juilliards drama division in 2005, the question, who is theater for. Marine corps veteran adam driver has been nominated as. His mother, nancy needham wright, is a paralegal from mishawaka, indiana, and his father, joe douglas driver, who has deep roots in the american south, is from little rock, arkansas. Unfortunately, an injury prevented driver from being deployed overseas. And for acting, you just have to do the work, just keep doing it. Jan 16, 2016 adam driver grew up in indiana, and was a bit of a misfit in his youth spending his time climing radio towers, lighting fires and even organized his own real world fight club. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a volpi cup, as well as nominations for two academy awards, two golden globe awards, two bafta awards, three emmy awards, and a tony award. What he didnt discover in the military is his artistic side, a side that has propelled him to roles in star wars, the force awakens, lincoln and j.
Report star and marine veteran adam driver is here to. Following the 911 attacks, he joined the united states marine corps. The force awakens, set to be released in december 2015. After the marines, he attended juilliard and went on to star in films like star wars.
Adam driver never lost passion for acting despite serving. Adam douglas driver born november 19, 1983 is an american actor. Star wars star adam driver bio and career business insider. Dec 19, 2017 serving in the marine corps put risk and failure into perspective for aspiring actor adam driver. Adam driver marine service lasted for more than 2 years, then he was medically discharged in 2005 because his sternum broke in an accident while he was mountain biking. Shortly after the september 11 attacks, driver joined the united states marine corps and was assigned to weapons company, 1st battalion, 1st marines as an 81mm mortar man. Dec 16, 2015 after stints selling vacuums doortodoor and other odd jobs, driver was among the first to go see a marine corps recruiter after the sept. This veterans day, take a moment to honor someone who took the time out to serve our country in the military. After the september 11 attacks, driver joined the marine corps and served as an infantry mortarman for two years. Did you know that kylo ren served in the marine corps. Adam douglas driver born november 19, 1983 is an american actor and fashion model.
Adam driver is an american actor, best known for portraying kylo ren, the main villain in the latest star wars films, the force awakens and the last jedi. Serving in the marine corps put risk and failure into perspective for aspiring actor adam driver. Episode vii, while were young, midnight special and on hbos girls. Aug 26, 2014 adam driver has done quite well for himself in his second career. Marine vet adam driver headed for an oscar nomination with. The actor joined the united states marine corps in 2002. Before he was kylo ren, former marine adam driver was ears 2. He served for two years and eight months with no deployments before breaking his sternum while mountain biking.
Driver recently utilized a ted talk forum to share his personal experiences and internal struggles stemming from his tour of duty. Adam driver has a reputation for being a serious young man, which is partly a matter of. This former marine infantryman will be the villain in star. Before becoming famous on hbos girls, adam driver was a member of the united states marine corps. The marine corps is some of the best acting training you could have. Adam driver driver joined the united states marine corps after 911. Marine vet adam driver wants service members to try theater. He was forced out of the corps as a lance corporal following injuries he sustained during a mountain biking accident. Adam driver marine service lasted for more than 2 years, then he was medically discharged in 2005 because his. The performance that will follow adam driver around forever is his portrayal of kylo ren. Before he was an actor, adam driver was a marine with the 11 weapons company at camp. Driver told w magazine that he believes the marine corps helped train him to act, a sentiment hes echoed in a number of different interviews. Speaking for inspirational ted talks live in new york, adam tells of joining the us marine corps with 11 weapons company and serving in 81mm mortar section at camp pendleton, california, in a video that has been viewed more than ten million times since it was posted on youtube.
Episode vii opened up to gq in its september 2014 issue about the transition from serving the united states of america to acting in hollywood. My journey from marine to actor adam driver youtube. Before his duet with justin timberlake and oscarrissac. Adam driver has done quite well for himself in his second career. After high school, hed been renting a room in the back of his familys house, in. Adam driver and oscar isaac attend the world premiere. Driver, who joined the marine corps after the sept. A former lance corporal in the united states marine corps, he rose to prominence with. It just seemed like a badass thing to do, driver, 30, said of joining the armed forces after 911. Very early in my process here, my answer to this question was, not me. A rising celebrity in hollywood who most recently appeared in the record breaking star wars. Being a marine prepared adam driver for star wars and success. Hollywood marine adam driver appears on gq cover 1.
Marine corps and became an infantry mortarman after the 911 attacks. Having that responsibility for peoples lives, suddenly time becomes a really valuable commodity and you want to make the most of it. How old is adam driver, the girls and star wars actor nominated for an oscar. Driver was once a military man, volunteering to serve in the. Before he was kylo ren, former marine adam driver was. He rose to prominence with a supporting role in the hbo comedydrama series girls, for which he received three consecutive emmy nominations. Hes also appearing on the cover of the september edition of gq magazine. He was stationed at camp pendleton with 81s eightyones platoon, weapons co.
The next villain of the star wars franchise also happens to be a military veteran. The force awakens, driver affectionately reminisced of his time with the corps. Driver is the finest marine corps veteran actor since gene hackman. He tells the story of how and why he became a marine, the complex transition from soldier to civilian and arts in the armed forces, his nonprofit that brings theater to the military. By joshua stewart on august 26, 2014 battle rattle. But drivers postcorps career has been anything but unsuccessful. Dec 14, 2018 driver is the finest marine corps veteran actor since gene hackman. Dec 18, 2017 adam driver served nearly three years in the marine corps before an injury ended his military career. How old is adam driver, and how long has he been an actor. Actor adam driver poses for a portrait at the shangrila hotel during the 2014 toronto international film festival on saturday, sept. Adam driver is working to bridge the cultural gap between the united states armed forces and the performing arts. Adam douglas driver was born in san diego, california. His career was cut short when he was medically discharged.
1494 198 744 1374 1350 328 654 58 369 792 559 1019 35 800 1473 105 1338 472 1328 361 519 1428 68 1052 1152 335 1339 664 978 782 1076