Adam Driver Biography

Adam Driver was born in San Diego, California to Nancy Wright, a paralegal from Mishawaka, Indiana and Joe Douglas Driver from Little Rock, Arkansas. After his parents’ divorce, he was raised in Mishawaka and attended Mishawaka High School. Adam’s stepfather is a minister and his stepmother works for a library. He is of English, Irish, Scottish, German and Dutch descent.

Adam had a religious upbringing and even sang in his church choir. While at high school, he sang in the school choir and appeared in numerous plays.

After the September 11 attacks, Adam made the decision to join the United States Marine Corps. He served for nearly three years before suffering an injury during training. He was medically discharged before he could be deployed to Iraq. Following his release, Adam enrolled at the University of Indianapolis for a year before transferring to Julliard to study drama, graduating in 2009.

Adam got his start shortly after, in New York City with appearances in Broadway and off-Broadway productions, while working as a waiter and busboy. In 2011 he made his motion picture debut with a role in J. Edgar starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Clint Eastwood. He went on to play Samuel Beckwith in the Oscar-nominated picture Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

It was in 2012 that he was cast in Lena Dunham’s comedy-drama Girls as her onscreen love interest, Adam Sackler. He originally said no to the part, because his movie career was taking off, but reconsidered. The role helped put him on the map and earned him two Primetime Emmy nominations in 2013 and 2014.

His work in the Coen Brothers' film Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) earned him an award at the 2012 Hamptons International Film Festival as Breakthrough Performer. In 2014, he won the prestigious Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for Hungry Hearts (2014).

In April 2014, it was confirmed that Adam would star as a villain in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film went onto becoming the highest-grossing film of 2015. More recently, the talented actor starred in the sci-fi mystery Midnight Special (2016), the dramedy Paterson (2016), Martin Scorsese’s historical drama, Silence (2017), and Logan Lucky (2017). He continued to work on Girls until its sixth and final season in 2017.

He played a starring role in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman (2018) which earned him his first Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award nominations in the Best Supporting Actor category.

The following year, he not only played the role of Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), but he also starred opposite Scarlett Johansson in the Netflix drama film Marriage Story (2019). He received his second Golden Globe, Academy Award and BAFTA nominations, this time in the Lead Actor category.

2021 was a big year for Adam; he starred in the movie-musical Annette with Marion Cotillard. The film premiered at the 74th Cannes Film Festival. He had a leading role in Ridley Scott’s historical drama The Last Duel(2021) with Jodie Comer and Matt Damon, and he starred in House of Gucci(2021) with Lady Gaga, Al Pacino and Jared Leto.

In 2023, Adam starred in the Enzo Ferrari biopic from Michael Mann, Ferrari with Shailene Woodley and Penélope Cruz. The next year he starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film Megalopolis(2024).

Later that year, Adam returned to theater in the off-Broadway production Hold On to Me Darling where he played a fictional country music star: Strings McCrane.

Adam married his longtime girlfriend, Joanne Tucker on June 22, 2013 and they have a son together. They were both members of Julliard’s Drama Division’s Group 38. He also runs a not-for-profit organization called Arts in the Armed Forces, which enacts theatrical performances for military personnel.

Filmography:

Megalopolis (2024)
Ferrari (2023)
65 (2023)
White Noise (2022)
House of Gucci (2021)
The Last Duel (2021)
Annette (2021)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Marriage Story (2019)
The Dead Don’t Die (2019)
The Report (2019)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Logan Lucky (2017)
Silence (2017)
Paterson (2016)
Midnight Special (2016)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Girls: The Complete Third Season (2014)
This Is Where I Leave You (2014)
While We're Young (2014)
Hungry Hearts (2014)
What If (2013)
Tracks (2013)
Girls: The Complete Second Season (2013)
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Bluebird (2013)
Girls: The Complete First Season (2012)
Lincoln (2012)
Frances Ha (2012)
Not Waving But Drowning (2012)
Gayby (2012)
J. Edgar (2011)