Jason Francesco Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor, screenwriter, and musician. He is known for his frequent collaborations with Wes Anderson such as Rushmore (1998), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). He has also appeared in films such as I Heart Huckabees (2004), Shopgirl (2005), Marie Antoinette (2006), Funny People (2009), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Saving Mr. Banks (2013).
In addition to his film work, Schwartzman was the star of the HBO series Bored to Death (2009â€"2011), in which he played a writer who moonlights as an unlicensed private detective by advertising himself on Craigslist. He currently releases music through his solo project Coconut Records, and was formerly the drummer of rock band Phantom Planet.
Early life
Schwartzman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Talia Shire (née Coppola) and the late producer Jack Schwartzman. Schwartzman's brother is actor and musician Robert Schwartzman, and his paternal half-brother is cinematographer John Schwartzman. His paternal grandparents were Polish Jewish immigrants, while his mother is Italian American and Catholic. Schwartzman has stated in interviews that he was raised without religion. He attended Windward School in West Los Angeles.
Career
Acting
Schwartzman's acting career began when he was 17 years old, when he starred in Wes Anderson's Rushmore in 1998. Prior to Rushmore, he had no acting experience. Shortly after in 2000 Jason had a guest role in the short-lived series Freaks and Geeks. In 2001, he starred in CQ, a film by his cousin Roman Coppola. In 2002, he starred in Slackers and in 2003 starred in Spun. In 2004, he starred in I Heart Huckabees, and Shopgirl in 2005. He also appeared in various television shows, such as Cracking Up. In 2006, he starred in Marie Antoinette under the direction of his cousin, Sofia Coppola, in which he appeared as King Louis XVI.
Schwartzman made a cameo appearance as Ringo Starr in the biopic spoof Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. In 2009, he appeared as Mark, a C-list television star, in Funny People. He starred in the HBO show Bored to Death, in which he played a writer who moonlights as a private detective and puts himself up for hire on Craigslist. In 2009, he starred in The Marc Pease Experience. In 2010, he played Gideon Graves in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, the movie adaptation of the comics by Bryan Lee O'Malley.
In 2011, Schwartzman made a cameo appearance as Vincent van Gogh in the Beastie Boys short film Fight For Your Right Revisited. In 2013, he made a cameo appearance as himself in an episode of the television show Key & Peele. In 2014 he played himself in the lead role of the Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories episode The Endorsement.
Scwartzman's most recent significant on-screen acting appearance was in the 2013 Disney film Saving Mr. Banks. In it, he portrayed Disney songwriter Richard M. Sherman. Schwartzman's brother, John, served as the film's cinematographer.
Music
Prior to acting, Schwartzman was the drummer and a songwriter for the band Phantom Planet. Despite leaving the band, music remains one of his passions. He appeared in the music video for the rock remix of "It's All About the Benjamins" by Puff Daddy, and contributed to Ben Lee's 2005 album Awake Is the New Sleep. In 2007, he created the indie rock solo act Coconut Records. The first album, entitled Nighttiming, was produced by Michael Einziger and features a cover photo from Roman Coppola. The album was first released on iTunes on March 20, 2007. His second album, Davy, was released on iTunes on January 20, 2009. Schwartzman performed the musical score for Funny People and the theme song for Bored to Death. He has also written tracks for Smallville and Slackers.
Personal life
Schwartzman married long-time girlfriend Brady Cunningham at their home in the San Fernando Valley on July 11, 2009. Cunningham is an art and design director and co-owner of TENOVERSIX in Los Angeles. Schwartzman describes himself as "basically a vegan" as he does not eat meat, dairy, or eggs. He narrated a video, What to Eat: The Environmental Impacts of our Food, for Farm Sanctuary. He has two daughters, Marlowe Rivers (born 2010) and Una (born 2014).
Filmography
Film
Television
Composer
Awards
On February 17, 2009, Schwartzman was named one of the "Top 10 Most Stylish Men in America" by GQ magazine.
References
External links
- Jason Schwartzman at the Internet Movie Database
- Wunderkammer Magazine Retrospective on Schwarzman, 2009
- Schwartzman Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
- Schwartzman's Guest DJ Set on KCRW KCRW Guest DJ Set
- Schwartzman interview - he talks life, food and movies
