Peter Dinklage
Peter Dinklage 2012 cropped.jpg
Dinklage in 2012
Born Peter Hayden Dinklage
(1969-06-11) June 11, 1969 (age 44)
Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1995?present
Spouse(s) Erica Schmidt (2005?present)

Peter Hayden Dinklage[1] (born June 11, 1969) is an American film, television, and theatre actor. Since his breakout role in The Station Agent (2003), he has acted in Elf (2003), Underdog (2007), Find Me Guilty (2006), Death at a Funeral (2007) and its remake (2010), and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008). Since 2011, he has starred as Tyrion Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin's series of novels A Song of Ice and Fire, which earned him the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

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Early life[edit]

Dinklage was born in Morristown, New Jersey,[2] the son of Diane, an elementary school music teacher, and John Carl Dinklage, a retired insurance salesman.[3][4] Dinklage was born with achondroplasia. He grew up in Mendham Township, New Jersey, and is of German and Irish descent.[5] Dinklage graduated from Delbarton School in Morristown in 1987 and from Bennington College in 1991.[6]

Career[edit]

Dinklage made his feature film debut in the cult art house film Living in Oblivion (1995), playing a frustrated dwarf actor complaining about his clich?d part. Dinklage's breakout role was in the 2003 award-winning film The Station Agent, his first mainstream appearance.[7] He received Independent Spirit and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actor for his performance in that film. That same year, he appeared in the direct-to-DVD movie Tiptoes with Gary Oldman. As well as appearing in films, Dinklage has starred several times in Off-Broadway productions.[8]

In Elf, Dinklage played a pretentious children's author who beats up Will Ferrell's character after he is unintentionally insulted. In 2005, Dinklage starred in the short-lived CBS science fiction series Threshold and appeared in the Michael Showalter comedy The Baxter (2005) as a wedding planner. In 2006, Dinklage appeared in Sidney Lumet's courtroom drama Find Me Guilty and in episodes of Nip/Tuck. He played himself in one episode of the HBO television series Entourage and was featured on NBC's 30 Rock. Dinklage also had a role in the British comedy Death at a Funeral (2007) and the American remake (2010). That same year, he played the villainous Simon Bar Sinister in Underdog (2007).

Dinklage was chosen by director Andrew Adamson for the role of Trumpkin in Prince Caspian (2008),[9] although film critic Bill Gibron described his role as a "cutesy stereotype he has tried to avoid."[10]

In the summer of 2008, Dinklage performed the title role in Uncle Vanya, directed by his wife Erica Schmidt, in Bard College's annual Bard SummerScape, the Upstate New York summer stage on the Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, campus.[11]

Dinklage also stars in the upcoming horror comedy Knights of Badassdom,[12] directed by Joe Lynch.[13] Dinklage plays Tyrion Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones, an adaptation of author George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. His performance has received widespread praise,[14][15] highlighted by his receiving the Emmy Award[16] for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2011, as well as the 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor ? Series, Miniseries or Television Film. As a result of his outstanding performance and increased screen time, Dinklage was given top billing in Season 2.[17]

Personal life[edit]

In 2005, Dinklage married Erica Schmidt, a theatre director. In 2011, they had their first child, a daughter.[18]

When asked about his height in a 2003 interview, he said: "When I was younger, definitely, I let it get to me. As an adolescent, I was bitter and angry and I definitely put up these walls. But the older you get, you realize you just have to have a sense of humor. You just know that it's not your problem. It's theirs."[8] Dinklage is a vegetarian and lives with his wife and daughter in Upstate New York.[19] Dinklage supports Farm Sanctuary and has served as the spokesperson for the organization's Walk for Farm Animals.[20]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Living in Oblivion Tito
1996 Bullet Building manager Uncredited
1998 Safe Men Leflore
1999 Pigeonholed Roy
2001 Human Nature Frank
Never Again Harry Appleton
2002 13 Moons Binky
Just a Kiss Dink
2003 Elf Miles Finch
The Station Agent Finbar McBride Chlotrudis Award for Best Cast
Ourense Independent Film Festival Award for Best Actor
Satellite Award for Outstanding Talent
Nominated?Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer
Nominated?Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
Nominated?Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
Nominated?Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
Nominated?Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Breakout Performance?On Screen
Nominated?Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
Nominated?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Tiptoes Maurice
2004 89 Seconds in Alc?zar Mari Barbola Short film
Jail Bait Lindo Short film
Surviving Eden Sterno
2005 The Baxter Benson Hedges
Escape Artists Mr. Duff
Fortunes Mike Kirkwood
Lassie Rowlie
Nobody Wants Your Film Himself Documentary
2006 Find Me Guilty Ben Klandis
Penelope Lemon
The Limbo Room Dusty Spitz
Little Fugitive Sam Norton
2007 Ascension Day Brantly
Death at a Funeral Peter
Underdog Dr. Simon Barsinister
2008 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Trumpkin
2009 Saint John of Las Vegas Mr. Townsend
2010 Death at a Funeral Frank
The Last Rites of Ransom Pride Dwarf
I Love You Too Charlie
Pete Smalls Is Dead KC
2011 A Little Bit of Heaven Vinnie
2012 The Knights of Badassdom Hung
Ice Age: Continental Drift Captain Gutt Voice only

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Seinfeld James' telephone voice Episode: "The Wink"
Uncredited
2001 Oz Stunts Episode: "Even the Score"
The $treet Little Person Episode: "Junk Bonds"
2002 Third Watch Drug dealer Episode: "The Long Guns"
2004 Dinner for Five Himself Episode: "#3.8"
I'm with Her Elliot Rosen 3 episodes
2004?2006 P.O.V. Himself 2 episodes
2005 Celebrity Poker Showdown Tournament 6, Game 2
Entourage Episode: "The Sundance Kids"
Life as We Know It Dr. Belber 2 episodes
Testing Bob Robinson "Bob" Hart
2005?2006 Threshold Arthur Ramsey 13 episodes
2006 Nip/Tuck Marlowe Sawyer 7 episodes
Ultra Unknown Pilot for CBS
2009 30 Rock Stewart Episode: Se?or Macho Solo
2011?present Game of Thrones Tyrion Lannister 20 episodes
Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2011)
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor ? Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2011)
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor ? Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2011, tied with Ryan Hurst)
Scream Award for Best Supporting Actor (2011)
Nominated?IGN Award for Best Television Actor of 2011
Nominated?Scream Award for Best Ensemble (2011)
Nominated?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2011)
Nominated?Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama (2011)
Nominated?Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2012)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Emmy winner Peter Dinklage thanks his dog sitter". September 20 2011. Retrieved September 6 2012. 
  2. ^ Meoli, Daria. "That?s Entertainment", New Jersey Monthly, October 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2007. "Find Me Guilty, shot in Newark, Bayonne, and Hoboken, stars tough guy Vin Diesel as Giacomo ?Fat Jack? DiNorscio, in the true story of New Jersey?s notorious mob family the Lucchesis. Morristown native Peter Dinklage plays a defense attorney."
  3. ^ "Peter Dinklage Biography (1969-)". film reference. Retrieved 2007-09-11. 
  4. ^ Moszczynski, Joe (2004-07-01). "John C. Dinklage, 72, father of 2 entertainers". New Jersey Star-Ledger. 
  5. ^ [1] Interview, Neil Young's Film Lounge
  6. ^ Smith, Dinitia. "Dark, Handsome And Short; Star of a Sundance Hit Is Ready for an Encore", The New York Times, October 2, 2003. Retrieved December 7, 2007. "Mr. Dinklage, who grew up in Mendham, N.J., said he first realized he was different when he was 5. . . . Mr. Dinklage attended the Delbarton School, a Catholic boys' school in Morristown, N.J., which was strongly sports-oriented. . . . Mr. Dinklage credits Mr. Dougherty with helping to get him into Bennington College in Vermont."
  7. ^ "The Station Agent (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-09-11. 
  8. ^ a b "Peter Dinklage lives large". msnbc.com. 2003-10-02. Retrieved 2007-09-11. 
  9. ^ "Peter Dinklage and Vincent Grass Set for Prince Caspian". Movieweb.com. 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2012-04-07. 
  10. ^ The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Movie Review, DVD Release (Filmcritic.com)
  11. ^ http://theater.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/theater/reviews/16vany.html
  12. ^ Peter Dinklage In Talks for Joe Lynch's The Knights of Badassdom
  13. ^ Badass Casting for Badass Titled 'The Knights of Badassdom'
  14. ^ Ken Tucker (2011-04-14). "Game of Thrones (2011)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-05-11. 
  15. ^ McNamara, Mary (2011-04-15). "Swords, sex and struggles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-05-11. 
  16. ^ Peter Dinklage Emmy Award Winner
  17. ^ http://tvrecaps.ew.com/recap/game-of-thrones-north-remembers/
  18. ^ [2] Game of Thrones' Actor Peter Dinklage to Have First Child!
  19. ^ "Peter Dinklage: The 'Station Agent' With a Heart of Gold". Retrieved 2007-09-11. 
  20. ^ "'Game of Throne's' Peter Dinklage's Farm Friendly New Role". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2012-07-17. 

External links[edit]

General
Interviews