Early life

Giamatti was born June 6, 1967, in New Haven, Connecticut, the youngest of three children. His father, A. Bartlett Giamatti (Angelo Bartlett Giamatti), was a Yale University professor who later became president of the university and commissioner of Major League Baseball. His mother, Toni Marilyn Giamatti (née Smith), was a homemaker and English teacher who taught at Hopkins School and had also previously acted. His paternal grandfather's family were Italian immigrants from Telese Terme; the family surname was originally spelled "Giammattei" . The rest of Giamatti's ancestry is German, Dutch, English, French, Irish, and Scottish. His paternal grandmother had deep roots in New England, dating back to the colonial era. His brother, Marcus, is also an actor, and his sister, Elena, is a jewelry designer.

Giamatti was first educated at The Foote School and later graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1985. He attended Yale University, where he was elected to the Skull and Bones secret society. He was active in the undergraduate theater scene, working alongside fellow actors and Yale students Ron Livingston and Edward Norton. He graduated in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in English, and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama, where he studied with Earle R. Gister. He performed in numerous theatrical productions, including Broadway and a stint from 1989 to 1992 with Seattle's Annex Theater, before appearing in some small television and film roles in the early 1990s.

Career

In 1997, Giamatti landed in his first high-profile role as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton in the film adaptation of Howard Stern's Private Parts. Stern praised Giamatti's performance often on his radio program, calling for him to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1998, Giamatti appeared in a number of supporting roles in the big-budget films, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan and The Negotiator. In 1999, he played Bob Zmuda and Tony Clifton in Miloš Forman's Andy Kaufman biopic, Man on the Moon. Giamatti later continued steadily during the early 2000s by appearing in major studio releases including Big Momma's House, Planet of the Apes and Big Fat Liar.

In 2003, Giamatti began to earn critical acclaim after his lead role in the film American Splendor. In 2004, Giamatti gained mainstream recognition and fame with the 2004 independent romantic comedy Sideways. His portrayal of a depressed writer vacationing in the Santa Barbara wine country garnered him a Golden Globe nomination and an Independent Spirit Award. Following the commercial success of Sideways, Giamatti appeared in Cinderella Man, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture. In 2006, Giamatti was the lead in M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water, a supernatural thriller, followed by the animated film The Ant Bully, and Neil Burger's drama The Illusionist co-starring Edward Norton.

Giamatti had his first major role in an action movie in the 2007 film Shoot 'Em Up, while also starring in The Nanny Diaries and Fred Claus. In 2008, Giamatti received his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his title performance in the HBO miniseries John Adams, a role that led to a Screen Actors Guild award. That same year, he starred in the independent film Pretty Bird, which is a fictionalized retelling about the drama behind the invention of a rocketbelt.

Giamatti received his second Golden Globe win for his role in the 2010 film, Barney's Version. Giamatti starred as the lead in the comedy-drama film Win Win, which earned positive reviews from critics. The same year he had small roles in Ironclad, The Hangover Part II and The Ides of March.

In 2012, Giamatti became the voiceover actor for Liberty Mutual insurance commercials. He was the narrator for the PBS Nature episode An Original DUCKumentary. Giamatti produced and starred in John Dies at the End, which is based on the book of the same name. He also had roles in the film Rock of Ages and Cosmopolis.

In 2013, Giamatti returned to his alma mater, Yale University, to perform the title role in Shakespeare's Hamlet, for which he won rave reviews in a sold-out, modern dress stage production of the play at the Yale Repertory Theatre, in New Haven. He also had supporting roles in several movies, including the animated film Turbo, The Congress, Parkland, Saving Mr. Banks, and the critically acclaimed 12 Years a Slave. And, Giamatti played the role of New Yorker Harold Levinson, the brother of Cora, the Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern), in the 2013 Christmas special of the period drama, ITV Studios/Carnival Films television series, Downton Abbey.

In 2014, Giamatti played villain The Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. In 2015, he played a scientist in the disaster film San Andreas. Also in 2014, Giamatti portrayed psychologist Eugene Landy in the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy.

He portrayed manager Jerry Heller in the biographical drama Straight Outta Compton, released in August 2015. In the spring of 2016, Giamatti began appearing in commercials for Prism TV, the IPTV service owned by CenturyLink; the spots are the first-ever on-camera TV commercial appearances for Giamatti.

Giamatti plays a lead role as a New York City prosecutor in the Showtime series "Billions", portraying the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The show, debuting in 2016, is loosely based on a real event.

Personal life

Giamatti resides in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York and has been married to Elizabeth Cohen since 1997. They have a son, Samuel Giamatti, known as "Sam" (born 2001), who is raised in Elizabeth's religion of Judaism. Giamatti identifies as atheist.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	Past Midnight	Larry Canipe
1992	Singles	Kissing Man
1995	Mighty Aphrodite	Extras Guild Researcher
	Sabrina	Scott
1996	Breathing Room	George
	Before and After	Member of the Jury	Uncredited
1997	Arresting Gena	Detective Wilson
	Donnie Brasco	FBI Technician
	Private Parts	Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton
	My Best Friend's Wedding	Richard the Bellman
	Deconstructing Harry	Professor Abbot
	Further Gesture, AA Further Gesture	Hotel Clerk
1998	Truman Show, TheThe Truman Show	Control Room Director
	Dr. Dolittle	Blaine
	Saving Private Ryan	Sgt. Hill
	The Negotiator	Rudy Timmons
	Safe Men	Veal Chop
1999	Cradle Will Rock	Carlo
	Man on the Moon	Bob Zmuda/Tony Clifton
2000	Big Momma's House	John Maxwell	Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor - Comedy
2001	Duets	Todd Woods
	Storytelling	Toby Oxman	Segment: "Non-Fiction"
	Planet of the Apes	Limbo
2002	Big Fat Liar	Marty Wolf
	Thunderpants	Johnson J. Johnson
2003	American Splendor	Harvey Pekar	National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance - Actor Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
	Paycheck	Shorty
	Confidence	Gordo
2004	Sideways	Miles Raymond	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Comedy Film Honor for Best Actor Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Nominated—London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actor of the Year Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
2005	Robots	Tim the Gate Guard	Voice
	The Fan and the Flower	Narrator	Short film
	Cinderella Man	Joe Gould	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
2006	Asterix and the Vikings	Asterix	Voice English dub
	Hawk Is Dying, TheThe Hawk Is Dying	George Gattling
	Illusionist, TheThe Illusionist	Chief Inspector Uhl
	Lady in the Water	Cleveland Heep
	Ant Bully, TheThe Ant Bully	Stan Beals	Voice
2007	Nanny Diaries, TheThe Nanny Diaries	Mr. X
	Shoot 'Em Up	Karl Hertz
	Too Loud a Solitude	Hanta	Voice
	Fred Claus	Nicholas "Nick" Claus
2008	Pretty Bird	Rick	Also producer
2009	Duplicity	Richard "Dick" Garsik
	Cold Souls	Paul	Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Award for Best Actor Nominated—Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
	Haunted World of El Superbeasto, TheThe Haunted World of El Superbeasto	Dr. Satan/Steve Wachowski	Voice
	Last Station, TheThe Last Station	Vladimir Chertkov
2010	Barney's Version	Barney Panofsky	Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
2011	Win Win	Mike Flaherty
	Ironclad	King John
	Hangover Part II, TheThe Hangover Part II	Kingsley
	Ides of March, TheThe Ides of March	Tom Duffy	Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble
2012	Rock of Ages	Paul Gill
	Cosmopolis	Benno Levin
	John Dies at the End	Arnie Blondestone	Also producer
2013	Turbo	Chet	Voice Nominated—Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
	Congress, TheThe Congress	Dr. Baker
	Romeo & Juliet	Friar Laurence
	Parkland	Abraham Zapruder
	12 Years a Slave	Theophilus Freeman	Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Nominated—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
	All Is Bright	Dennis	Also producer
	Saving Mr. Banks	Ralph
2014	Ernest & Celestine	Rat Judge	Voice English dub
	River of Fundament	Ptah-Nem-Hotep
	The Amazing Spider-Man 2	Aleksei Sytsevich/Rhino
	Madame Bovary	Monsieur Homais
2015	Giant Sloth	Gordon Boonewell	Voice Short film
	Love & Mercy	Dr. Eugene Landy
	The Little Prince	The Teacher	Voice
	San Andreas	Lawrence
	Straight Outta Compton	Jerry Heller	Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble
2016	Ratchet & Clank	Chairman Drek	Voice
	April and the Extraordinary World	Pizoni	Voice English dub
	Morgan

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	She'll Take Romance	Heckler #2	Television film
1994	NYPD Blue	Man in Sleeping Bag	Episode: "You Bet Your Life"
1995	New York News	Dr. Wargner	Episode: "Past Imperfect"
1996	Show, TheThe Show	Jeffrey Roffman	Episode: "Pilot"
1998	Homicide: Life on the Street	Harry Tjarks	Episode: "Pit Bull Sessions"
	Tourist Trap	Jeremiah Piper	Television film
	Winchell	Herman Kurfeld	Television film
1999	American Experience	Narrator	Episode: "New York: Part V - Cosmopolis"
2000	If These Walls Could Talk 2	Ted Hedley	Television film
2001	King of the Hill	Mr. McKay	Voice Episode: "It's Not Easy Being Green"
2003	Pentagon Papers, TheThe Pentagon Papers	Anthony Russo	Television film
2005	Saturday Night Live	Host	Episode: "Paul Giamatti/Ludacris featuring Sum-41"
2006	Amazing Screw-On Head, TheThe Amazing Screw-On Head	Screw-On Head	Voice Pilot
2008	John Adams	John Adams	7 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor - Mini Series Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Satellite Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama
2010	30 Rock	Ritchie	Episode: "When It Rains, It Pours"
2011	Prohibition	Himself	Documentary
	Too Big to Fail	Ben Bernanke	Television film Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries, or Television Film Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
2013	Downton Abbey	Harold Levinson	Episode: "The London Season" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
2014	The Roosevelts: An Intimate History	Theodore Roosevelt	Voice Documentary
	Hoke	Hoke Mosely	Pilot; also executive producer
2015	Breakthrough	Himself	Documentary; also director Episode: "More Than Human"
2014-2015	Inside Amy Schumer	God / Juror #10	2 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
2016-present	Billions	Chuck Rhoades

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Ripper	Doctor Bud Cable	Voice
2016	Ratchet & Clank	Chairman Drek	Voice

Audio books

Year	Title
2006	A Scanner Darkly

[ Source: Wikipedia ]