Paul Giamatti

Acting

Paul Giamatti

Born 1967-06-06 · New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (/ˌdʒiːəˈmɑːti/JEE-ə-MAH-tee; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globes, and nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award. After studying acting at the Yale School of Drama, he performed in numerous theatrical productions. Giamatti debuted on Broadway, portraying Ezra Chater in the Tom Stoppard play Arcadia (1995). Later that year, he played the Rev. Donald "Streaky" Bacon in the David Hare play Racing Demon (1995). He returned to theatre in the revivals of Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters (1997) and Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (1999). Giamatti's breakout film role was in Private Parts (1997), followed by roles in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Man on the Moon (1999). He won acclaim for his leading roles in American Splendor (2003), Sideways (2004), Win Win (2011), and Private Life (2018). He has also acted in Planet of the Apes (2001), The Illusionist (2006), Fred Claus (2007), The Ides of March (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Love & Mercy (2014), and Straight Outta Compton (2015). He has earned Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for portraying Joe Gould in Cinderella Man (2005) and Best Actor for playing a disgruntled teacher in The Holdovers (2023). On television, Giamatti played the role in the HBO miniseries John Adams (2008), earning him acclaim and several awards, including a Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe. He starred as U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades Jr. in the Showtime television series Billions (2016–2023). He earned Emmy nominations for his roles as Ben Bernanke in the HBO film Too Big to Fail (2011) and Harold Levinson in the ITV series Downton Abbey (2013). In the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror episode Eulogy (2025), he played a grieving lover. Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Giamatti, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 poster
6.6

For Peter Parker, life is busy. Between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen Stacy, high school graduation cannot come quickly enough. Peter has not forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away, but that is a promise he cannot keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro, emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

2014

Saving Private Ryan poster
8.2

As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.

Saving Private Ryan

1998

The Truman Show poster
8.2

In a picture-perfect seaside town, an insurance salesman begins to realize that his entire existence may be staged and observed by a vast unseen audience as part of a long-running real-time reality TV show.

The Truman Show

1998

The Holdovers poster
7.6

A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.

The Holdovers

2023

Straight Outta Compton poster
7.8

In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us back to where it all began, Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how these cultural rebels—armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.

Straight Outta Compton

2015

Shoot 'Em Up poster
6.5

A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.

Shoot 'Em Up

2007

12 Years a Slave poster
7.9

In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.

12 Years a Slave

2013

San Andreas poster
6.3

In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper pilot makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his estranged daughter.

San Andreas

2015

The Hangover Part II poster
6.5

The Hangover crew heads to Thailand for Stu's wedding. After the disaster of a bachelor party in Las Vegas last year, Stu is playing it safe with a mellow pre-wedding brunch. However, nothing goes as planned and Bangkok is the perfect setting for another adventure with the rowdy group.

The Hangover Part II

2011

Robots poster
6.5

Rodney Copperbottom is a young robot inventor who dreams of making the world a better place, until the evil Ratchet takes over Bigweld Industries. Now, Rodney's dreams – and those of his friends – are in danger of becoming obsolete.

Robots

2005

Jungle Cruise poster
7.3

Dr. Lily Houghton enlists the aid of wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff to take her down the Amazon in his dilapidated boat. Together, they search for an ancient tree that holds the power to heal – a discovery that will change the future of medicine.

Jungle Cruise

2021

Paycheck poster
6.2

Michael Jennings is a genius who's hired – and paid handsomely – by high-tech firms to work on highly sensitive projects, after which his short-term memory is erased so he's incapable of breaching security. But at the end of a three-year job, he's told he isn't getting a paycheck and instead receives a mysterious envelope. In it are clues he must piece together to find out why he wasn't paid – and why he's now in hot water.

Paycheck

2003

Turbo poster
6.3

The tale of an ordinary garden snail who dreams of winning the Indy 500.

Turbo

2013

The Little Prince poster
7.6

Based on the best-seller book 'The Little Prince', the movie tells the story of a little girl that lives with resignation in a world where efficiency and work are the only dogmas. Everything will change when accidentally she discovers her neighbor that will tell her about the story of the Little Prince that he once met.

The Little Prince

2015

Sideways poster
7.1

Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down the aisle.

Sideways

2004

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale poster
7.1

When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial strife, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

2025

Man on the Moon poster
7.2

The story of the life and career of eccentric avant-garde comedian, Andy Kaufman.

Man on the Moon

1999

Doctor Dolittle poster
5.7

A successful physician and devoted family man, John Dolittle seems to have the world by the tail, until a long suppressed talent he possessed as a child, the ability to communicate with animals is suddenly reawakened with a vengeance! Now every creature within squawking distance wants the good doctor's advice, unleashing an outrageous chain of events that turns his world upside down!

Doctor Dolittle

1998

Big Momma's House poster
5.8

When a street-smart FBI agent is sent to Georgia to protect a beautiful single mother and her son from an escaped convict, he is forced to impersonate a crass Southern granny known as Big Momma in order to remain incognito.

Big Momma's House

2000

The Negotiator poster
7.1

The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.

The Negotiator

1998

Planet of the Apes poster
5.8

After a spectacular crash-landing on an uncharted planet, brash astronaut Leo Davidson finds himself trapped in a savage world where talking apes dominate the human race. Desperate to find a way home, Leo must evade the invincible gorilla army led by Ruthless General Thade.

Planet of the Apes

2001

Donnie Brasco poster
7.5

An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and identifies more with the mafia life at the expense of his regular one.

Donnie Brasco

1997

The Ides of March poster
6.7

Dirty tricks stand to soil an ambitious young press spokesman's idealism in a cutthroat presidential campaign where 'victory' is relative.

The Ides of March

2011

Cinderella Man poster
7.6

The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, following his retirement in the 1930s, makes a surprise comeback in order to lift his family out of poverty.

Cinderella Man

2005

Behind the camera