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Adrien Brody at Cannes, 2002Adrien Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an Oscar winning American actor.

Early life
He was born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York (a neighborhood near Jamaica, Queens) to Elliot Brody (a Jewish American retired history professor) and Sylvia Plachy (a Hungarian-born Catholic photojournalist). Brody attended New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (famously the inspiration for television's Fame). His parents enrolled him in acting classes to distance him from the dangerous kids with whom he associated.

In 1992, Brody was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident in which he flew over a car and crashed feet-first into a crosswalk. He spent months recuperating. An avid daredevil, he has broken his nose several times doing off-the-wall stunts.

Career
Brody hovered on the brink of stardom, receiving praise for his roles in Spike Lee's Summer of Sam and Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line. He finally received widespread recognition when he was cast as the lead in Roman Polanski's The Pianist (2002). The role won him an Academy Award for Best Actor, the youngest actor ever to win the award. To prepare for the role, Brody withdrew for months, gave up his apartment and his car, learned how to play Chopin on the piano, and lost 13 kg (29 lbs).

Throughout his career, Brody has been compared to Al Pacino and Marlon Brando for his unique looks and method acting. He is also widely known for giving Halle Berry a back-breaking kiss after winning his Best Actor Oscar, and as the spokesman for fashion brand Ermenegildo Zegna.

Brody appeared on Saturday Night Live on May 10, 2003, his first TV work, but he was banned from the show after giving an improvised introduction for musical guest Sean Paul (the show's producer, Lorne Michaels, is infamous for hating unscripted performances).

After The Pianist Brody has played three different roles in three very different movies. He played Noah Persey, a mentally disabled young man in the movie The Village by M. Night Shyamalan, shell-shocked war veteran Jack Starks in The Jacket, and writer Jack Driscoll, in the 2005 King Kong remake by Peter Jackson. He has also appeared in Diet Coke commericals. Some critics have argued Brody's choices of roles do not reflect a sufficient maturity for an Oscar winner. Brody for his part has said he simply chooses roles that "look like fun."

On January 5th, 2006, Adrien confirmed speculation that he is indeed interested in playing the role of The Joker (comics) in 2008's Batman Begins sequel [1]].

  Untitled George Reeves Project (2006) (post-production) .... Louis Moglio
King Kong (2005) .... Jack Driscoll
King Kong (2005/II) (VG) (voice) .... Jack Driscoll
The Jacket (2005) .... Jack Starks
The Village (2004) .... Noah Percy
The Singing Detective (2003) .... First Hood
The Pianist (2002) .... Wladyslaw Szpilman
Dummy (2002) .... Steven
The Affair of the Necklace (2001) .... Count Nicolas De La Motte
Love the Hard Way (2001) .... Jack
Harrison's Flowers (2000) .... Kyle Morris
Bread and Roses (2000) .... Sam Shapiro
Liberty Heights (1999) .... Van Kurtzman
Summer of Sam (1999) .... Richie
Oxygen (1999) .... Harry
The Thin Red Line (1998) .... Corporal Fife
Restaurant (1998) .... Chris Calloway
Six Ways to Sunday (1997) .... Arnie Finklestein
The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997) .... Ben
The Undertaker's Wedding (1997) .... Mario Bellini
Bullet (1996) .... Ruby
Solo (1996) .... Dr. Bill Stewart, Solo's Designer
Nothing to Lose (1996) .... Ray Diglovanni
Jailbreakers (1994) (TV) .... Skinny
Angels in the Outfield (1994) .... Danny Hemmerling
King of the Hill (1993) .... Lester Silverstone
The Boy Who Cried Bitch (1991) .... Eddie
New York Stories (1989) .... Mel
"Annie McGuire" (1988) TV Series .... Lenny McGuire
Home at Last (1988) (TV) .... Billy