Best Known For:
His intense stare.
Early-life:
John Gavin Malkovich was born on December 9, 1953, in Illinois. His father, Daniel, was a conservation director and publisher of Outdoor Illinois magazine; his mother, Joe Anne, owned local newspaper the Benton Evening News. He has four siblings. Malkovich became hooked on acting at school, and after majoring in theatre at university, joined Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which had recently been formed by his friend, Gary Sinise.
Career:
In 1980 Malkovich moved to New York to further his career, and won great acclaim in 1984 for his performance opposite Dustin Hoffman in Death of a Salesman. Early films include Places in the Heart, The Killing Fields and Empire of the Sun, but it was 1988's Dangerous Liaisons that made him a star. Further plaudits came for Of Mice and Men and In the Line of Fire. He played a version of himself in Being John Malkovich. He continues to appear on both stage and screen in a variety of projects, including blockbuster hits RED and its sequel, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
Quote:
"I still don't know if I made the right decision when I went into acting. I have driven school buses, sold egg rolls and painted houses, and I have often wondered what my life would have been like if I hadn't gone into acting. Mind you, it's a great life."
Trivia:
In June, an elderly man tripped on a Toronto street and slashed his neck on some scaffolding. Malkovich saved his life by applying pressue to the wound until he could receive medical help.