Entourage

Background:

“Hollywood can be a very humbling town. You could be sitting there in a restaurant and feeling like you're a big shot and then, you know, Johnny Depp walks in. That takes care of that!” Kevin Connolly

Hailing from Long Island, New York, Kevin Connolly is popular among TV audiences as Eric "E" Murphy, the best friend and manager of Vincent "Vince" Chase (played by Adrian Grenier), on HBO's smart dramatic comedy “Entourage” (2004-Present). The actor, who started acting at age 6 and debuted in the film “Rocky V” (1990), also starred as idiot son Ryan Malloy on the WB sitcom “Unhappily Ever After” (1995-1999). His film credits include “Alan & Naomi” (1992), “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1993), “Angus” (1995), “John Q” (2002), “Antwone Fisher” (2002) and “The Notebook” (2004). He recently directed his first feature film, “Gardener of Eden,” which is set to premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.

As for his romantic life, the 5' 5" actor with Irish ancestry was linked with “Unhappily Ever After” co-star Nikki Cox (born June 2, 1978). From 2004 to October 2006, he had an off-and-on relationship with hotel heiress/designer Nicky Hilton (born October 5, 1983), the younger sister of Paris Hilton. He also got into a dispute at a nightclub in August 2006 when he fought professional skateboarder Chad Muska over his comment about then-girlfriend Hilton.

“There will be something (in a tabloid) and my mom will call me and be like, 'Is this true?' I'm like, 'Ma, don't read that!'” Kevin Connolly

New Yorker

Childhood and Family:

On March 5, 1974, Kevin Connolly was born in Long Island, New York, where he attended Patchogue-Medford High School. Having been raised on Long Island playing hockey, Connolly is an avid New York Islanders fan. A self-proclaimed nervous wreck, Connolly is good friends with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.

Connolly enjoys rap music and likes wearing hats with the G-Unit logo. An avid poker player, he competed in the Degree All-In Poker Experience charity tournament in New York in August 2005. He and ex-girlfriend Nicky Hilton also co-hosted a poker tournament as part of the New Year's festivities at Pure, Caesars’ flagship nightclub.

Unhappily Ever After

Career:

At the age of 6, Kevin Connolly started acting by appearing in several television commercials, including a campaign for Chips Ahoy. In 1990, he landed his first film role, as Chickie, in “Rocky V,” the fifth film in the Rocky film saga starring Sylvester Stallone and directed by John G. Avildsen.

Two years later, Connolly was cast as Shaun Kelly in Sterling Van Wagenen's film adaptation of Myron Levoy's novel, “Alan & Naomi” (1992; Lukas Haas and Vanessa Zaoui took the title role), and co-starred in the short lived Fox sitcom "Great Scott!.” His appearance in the show later earned him a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series.

In 1993, film director Penelope Spheeris brought the classic hit CBS sitcom, "The Beverly Hillbillies," to the big screen, where Connolly portrayed Dabney Coleman’s son. The film also stars Jim Varney, Diedrich Bader, Erika Eleniak, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, Lea Thompson, Rob Schneider and Penny Fuller. Buddy Ebsen, Dolly Parton and Zsa Zsa Gabor were also featured in cameo appearances.

Afterward, Connolly delivered several guest appearances in the NBC sitcoms “Wings” and “Getting By,” as well as the hit medical drama “ER.” He also played roles in the comedic made-for-television movie “Locals” (1994) and in a "CBS Schoolbreak Special."

From 1995 to 1996, Connolly filmed “Don’s Plum,” alongside friends and future collaborators Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio. Unfortunately, the low-budget, black-and-white teen drama by R.D. Robb cannot be shown commercially in the USA or Canada because of a lawsuit brought by DiCaprio and Maguire (settled in 1999).

Meanwhile, Connolly also snagged his first major role in a television series, as Ryan Malloy, the idiot son of Jack (played by Geoffrey Pierson) and Jennie Malloy (played by Stephanie Hodge) in the WB sitcom “Unhappily Ever After” (1995-1999). The show also marked Connolly's directional debut in which he directed six episodes during its fourth season (1997).

During his “Unhappily Ever After” stint, Connolly appeared in the films “Angus” (1995), a teen comedy by Patrick Read Johnson, and “Tyrone” (1999), a dark comedy by Erik Fleming and Chris Palzis. He could also be seen in an "ABC Afterschool Special" in 1996 and the video-released “Sub Down” (1997), starring Stephen Baldwin and Gabrielle Anwar. Additionally, he appeared in a commercial break teaser for Kids' WB, along with Nikki Cox.

The new millennium saw Connolly play Malcolm in the Disney Channel original movie “Up, Up, and Away,” which starred and was directed by Robert Townsend. He then starred in Bob Joyce's 6-minute film “Drum Solo” and the unsold TV series pilot, the war drama “Sam's Circus,” starring Tyler Christopher. He also starred in the brief-running drama series “First Years.”

Connolly made three films in 2002. He was seen in Chris Mazzei's crime-action “Devious Beings,” co-starring with Patrick Van Horn and Andre B. Blake, Nick Cassavetes' thriller drama starring Denzel Washington, “John Q,” (Connolly played the husband of a pregnant woman who becomes one of hostages in a hospital), and Denzel Washington's directorial debut, the biographical drama about a former Sony Pictures security guard who finally gained fame as an acclaimed writer and a Hollywood producer, “Antwone Fisher” (Derek Luke portrayed the title role), in which he was cast a Slim.

The next year, Connolly also made his directorial film debut in “Whatever We Do,” a 25-minute film starring Robert Downey Jr., Tim Roth, Amanda Peet and Zooey Deschanel. Produced by old friends Tobey Maguire and written by Nick Cassavetes, the short premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2003.

“It just changed everything, quickly too. The trick is trying to find another job that you want to do. It's almost like the ones they want you for you don't want; the ones you want you can't get.” Kevin Connolly (on how “Entourage” has helped his career)

2004 was Connolly's breakout year when he landed his most prominent role to date on HBO's dramatic comedy “Entourage.” He co-starred as Eric "E" Murphy, the best-friend and manager of young Hollywood A-lister Vincent "Vince" Chase (played by Adrian Grenier). He stayed on the show from its premiere on July 18, 2004, until its current fourth season, which is scheduled to begin airing on June 17. The critically acclaimed show earned Connolly nominations at the Screen Actors Guild (for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series), Satellite Awards (for Outstanding Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical) and Teen Choice Awards (for TV - Choice Chemistry).

“Not in a million years. How could you know? I've done 10 pilots in my life. It comes out of nowhere.” Kevin Connolly (on whether he ever thought “Entourage” would be so successful)

While working on “Entourage,” Connolly reunited with Nick Cassavetes, supporting Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, in Cassavetes' hit film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' romantic novel, “The Notebook” (2004), in which he played Fin, the doomed friend to Gosling's character. The following year, he starred in Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' 6-minute drama-comedy film, “The Check Up” (2005).

More recently, Connolly returned to the director's chair to helm his feature directorial debut, “Gardener of Eden,” a crime/comedy starring Lukas Haas, Giovanni Ribisi and Erika Christensen. The film is about a slacker who finds a new passion in life as a vigilante after receiving praise for inadvertently capturing a serial rapist. It was produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, and is set to premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.

Awards:
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