Igby Goes Down

Background:

“It's easy to cash out and make a lot of bad movies. I'd rather be dirt-poor on the streets and have done good films.” Kieran Culkin

One of the Culkin clan of child actors, Kieran Culkin is most known with his Golden Globe nominating starring turn as angst-ridden teen Jason “Igby” Slocumb on “Igby Goes Down” (2002), a role that launched the actor as a major talent in his own right. He also won a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, a Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award and a Golden Satellite Award. Making his movie debut as the cousin of older brother Macaulay on the blockbuster family/comedy “Home Alone” (1990), Kieran went on to have small roles in his brother's films, and got recognition as a child with his role as Steve Martin's young son in the film “Father of the Bride” (1991), from which he nabbed a Young Artist nomination, and its sequel, “Father of the Bride Part II” (1995). Kieran made an effortless switch to teen roles, starting with his remarkable starring role as a physically challenged boy on “The Mighty” (1998), where he received his second Young Artist nomination, and he followed it up with striking supporting parts in such movies as “She's All That, ” “Music of the Heart” and the Oscar-nominated “The Cider House Rules” (all 1999). Before his acclaimed titular role in the aforementioned “Igby Goes Down” (2002), the New York native received impressive kudos for his portrayal of a Catholic schoolboy on the Sundance-screened “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys” (2002), which was an art house success. Also a stage performer, Kieran appeared in a series of plays after “Igby Goes Down,” including “After Ashley” (2005) and “Suburbia” (2006).

Kieran's fans should not miss the actor's outstanding performances in the upcoming movies “Margaret,” “The Other Side” and “The Stanford Prison Experiment” (all 2008).

As for his personal life, Kieran was rumored to be dating actress Anna Paquin as of October 2006.

Younger Culkin

Childhood and Family:

“Until my brother Mac started making major money, our house was really wild. The outside world didn't know how chaotic our life was because, though we'd live at home like a bunch of little critters, we'd go off to school and act all sedate and normal. Trust me, there is no such thing as normal for a Culkin.” Kieran Culkin

Kieran Kyle Culkin was born on September 30, 1982, in New York, New York. He is the fourth child of seven to Christopher 'Kit' Culkin, a former stage actor, and Patricia Brentrup. His parents were never married and they separated in 1995, when Kieran was 13 years old. Soon thereafter, Kieran and his siblings, Shane Culkin (born in 1976), Macaulay Culkin (actor, born in 1980), Christian Culkin (born in 1986), Rory Culkin (born in 1989), Dakota Culkin (born in 1979) and Quinn Culkin (born in 1984), became object of custody battle between his parents.

Kieran was educated at Professional Children's School and St Joseph's School, both in New York.

The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys

Career:

Son of a former Broadway actor, Kieran Culkin was exposed to theater and ballet from a very young age. He got his first taste of acting at the age of 2, when he appeared in a production at the Symphony Space Theater on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Younger brother of child actor Macaulay Culkin, Kieran was introduced into filmmaking when he visited his brother during the production of Macaulay’s first film, “Rocket Gibraltar” (1988). Two years later, he made his film debut in his brother's starring vehicle, the highly successful “Home Alone” (1990), where he played cousin Fuller. The young actor again appeared with his brother in “Only the Lonely” (1991) and the sequel “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992). In between, Kieran emerged on his own with his unforgettable supporting turn as Steve Martin and Diane Keaton's son in the big screen adaptation of “Father of the Bride” (1991), from which he was handed a Young Artist nomination for Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Motion Picture.

Kieran went on to have parts in the movies “Nowhere to Run” (1993) and “It Runs in the Family” (1994) before reprising his role as son Matty on the installment “Father of the Bride Part II” (1995). When his brother’s period as the biggest child star had tapered off in the mid-1990s, the younger Culkin was ready to make his mark on the industry. However, the highly published custody battle between his parents had prevented him from directly moving forward with his career.

Kieran had a starring role in the film “Amanda” (1996), but it was never released, and after taking some time off, he returned as a teen in the film “The Mighty” (1998). Under the direction of Peter Chelsom, he offered a fine performance as a boy with a disabling birth defect and gained rave reviews for the role, including a Young Artist nomination for Best Performance in a Feature Film-Leading Young Actor. The film marked his first on-screen collaboration with costar Elden Henson. He reunited with Henson for the ensemble comedy “She's All That” (1999), playing Simon Boggs, and was cast as a teen musician in the biopic/drama “Music of the Heart” (1999), directed by Wes Craven and starring Meryl Streep.

Following these two films, Kieran started to establish an awe-inspiring resume. He shared a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture for his work in the Lasse Hallstrom-directed drama/romance “The Cider House Rules” (1999), where he portrayed the orphan Buster. Among his costars in the Academy Award-winning movie were Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron and Michael Caine. After making his TV film debut opposite Randy Quaid and Whoopi Goldberg in the Emmy-nominated “The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns” (1999) and an unsuccessful attempt on series television in the short-lived NBC sitcom “Go Fish” (2001), where he starred as Andy 'Fish' Troutner, Kieran attracted viewers with his leading role as Catholic school-boy Tim Sullivan in “The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys,” premiered on the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2002.

Later that same year, Kieran received critical acclaim for his portrayal of the runaway teen in “Igby Goes Down,”a comedy/drama film helmed and written by Burr Steers. In addition to launching himself as young leading man of perfect skill and taste, the role also brought him such awards as a Golden Satellite for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, a Las Vegas Film Critics Society for Youth in Film and a Critics Choice for Best Young Actor/Actress from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, as well as a Golden Globe nomination and a MTV nomination. With the success, Kieran finally was able to escape from the long overshadow of his older brother.

After “Igby Goes Down,” Kieran could be seen revisiting the theater realm by appearing in London's West End production of “This is Our Youth”(2002), with Colin Hanks. He then acted in Gina Gionfriddo's off-Broadway play, “After Ashley” (2005), along side the future girlfriend Anna Paquin. In 2006, he played Buff Macleod on Eric Bogosian's modern version of “Suburbia” at the Second Stage Theatre in New York.

Recently, Kieran has completed filming “Margaret” (2008), a drama by director/writer Kenneth Lonergan. Among his costars in the movie are Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick and Jean Reno. He will appear opposite Katie Holmes, Jason Lee, Woody Harrelson, Giovanni Ribisi and Eddie Izzard in the adventure film “The Other Side” (2008) and is scheduled to have a role in the drama/thriller “The Stanford Prison Experiment” (2008), based on a psychology experiment conducted at the Stanford University in 1971.

Awards:

• Broadcast Film Critics Association: Critics Choice, Best Young Actor/Actress, “Igby Goes Down,” 2003

• Las Vegas Film Critics Society: Sierra Award, Youth in Film, “Igby Goes Down,” 2003

• Satellite: Golden Satellite, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, “Igby Goes Down,” 2003