Paul Dano
Actor
Biography
Paul Franklin Dano (born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway before making his film debut in The Newcomers (2000). He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in L.I.E. (2001) and received accolades for his role as Dwayne Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). For his dual roles as Paul and Eli Sunday in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood (2007), he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Dano has also received accolades for roles such as John Tibeats in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013) and Alex Jones in Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners (2013). His acting portrayal of musician Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy (2014) earned him a Golden Globe nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actor. Dano made his directorial debut with the drama film Wildlife (2018), based on the novel by Richard Ford. He co-wrote the screenplay with his partner Zoe Kazan. In 2018, he starred in the Showtime miniseries Escape at Dannemora, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. In 2022, he played Edward Nashton / The Riddler in The Batman.
As Director
Filmography
Prisoners
as Alex Jones 2013
12 Years a Slave
as John Tibeats 2013
The Batman
as The Riddler 2022
Looper
as Seth 2012
Little Miss Sunshine
as Dwayne Hoover 2006
There Will Be Blood
as Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday 2007
Cowboys & Aliens
as Percy Dolarhyde 2011
Knight and Day
as Simon Feck 2010
Okja
as Jay 2017
The Girl Next Door
as Klitz 2004
Swiss Army Man
as Hank 2016
The Guilty
as Matthew Fontenot (voice) 2021
The Fabelmans
as Burt Fabelman 2022
Youth
as Jimmy Tree 2015
Where the Wild Things Are
as Alexander (voice) 2009
Ruby Sparks
as Calvin 2012
Taking Lives
as Young Asher 2004