Jason Schwartzman
Jason Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician. Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film Rushmore, and has since appeared in six other Anderson films: The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023). He also has co-writing credit on The Darjeeling Limited.
Jason Schwartzman
June 26, 1980
- Actor
- musician
1998–present
2
- Jack Schwartzman (father)
- Talia Shire (mother)
- Robert Schwartzman (brother)
- John Schwartzman (half-brother)
- Carmine Coppola (grandfather)
- August Coppola (uncle)
- Francis Ford Coppola (uncle)
- Anton Coppola (great-uncle)
- Nicolas Cage (cousin)
- Sofia Coppola (cousin)
- Roman Coppola (cousin)
- Vocals
- guitar
- keyboards
- drums
1994–present
- Young Baby
- Coconut
His other films include Simone (2002), Spun (2003), I Heart Huckabees (2004), Marie Antoinette (2006), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Listen Up Philip (2014), Klaus (2019), and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), with his notable characters including Gideon Graves in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023) and the Spot, whom he voices in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Schwartzman starred in the television series Bored to Death (2009–2011) and appeared in the fourth season of the FX anthology series Fargo (2020). He was an executive producer on the Amazon Prime show Mozart in the Jungle (2014–18), a series he also acted in.
Schwartzman has released three albums through his solo project Coconut Records, having previously been drummer in the rock band Phantom Planet.
Early life[edit]
Jason Schwartzman was born in Los Angeles on June 26, 1980, the son of actress Talia Shire (née Coppola) and film producer Jack Schwartzman. He has described his ancestry as "half Polish Jewish and half Italian."[1][2] His younger brother, Robert Schwartzman, is also an actor and musician. His paternal half-siblings are Stephanie and cinematographer John Schwartzman, while his maternal half-brother is Matthew Shire. As a member of the Coppola family, many of his relatives are also involved in the entertainment industry—he is the nephew of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and opera conductor Anton Coppola; the cousin of actor Nicolas Cage and filmmakers Sofia Coppola, Roman Coppola, and Christopher Coppola; and the grandson of Coppola family matriarch Italia Coppola (née Pennino) and composer Carmine Coppola. He attended Windward School in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles.[1]
Career[edit]
Acting[edit]
Schwartzman began his acting career in 1998 when, at the age of 18, he starred in Wes Anderson's Rushmore. In 2000, he had a guest role in the short-lived series Freaks and Geeks. In 2001, he starred in CQ, a film by his cousin Roman Coppola. In 2002, he starred in the comedy film Slackers, and in 2003 headlined the drama Spun. He starred in I Heart Huckabees in 2004 and Shopgirl in 2005. He also appeared in various television shows, such as Cracking Up. In 2006, he starred as King Louis XVI in Marie Antoinette under the direction of his cousin Sofia Coppola.
Schwartzman made a cameo appearance as Ringo Starr in the biopic spoof Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. In 2009, he appeared as C-list television star Mark in Funny People. He also voiced Ash Fox in Wes Anderson's animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox, which he called "the best movie I've ever been a part of".[3] He starred in the HBO show Bored to Death as a writer who moonlights as a private detective and puts himself up for hire on Craigslist. In 2009, he starred in The Marc Pease Experience. In 2010, he played Gideon Graves in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, the movie adaptation of the comics by Bryan Lee O'Malley.
In 2011, Schwartzman made a cameo appearance as Vincent van Gogh in the Beastie Boys' short film Fight for Your Right Revisited. In 2013, he cameoed as himself in an episode of the television show Key & Peele. In 2014, he played himself in the Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories episode "The Endorsement". In 2020, he starred as Italian crime boss Josto Fadda in the fourth season of the FX anthology series Fargo.[4]
In 2023, Schwartzman played a leading role in Wes Anderson's Asteroid City.
Music[edit]
Prior to acting, Schwartzman was the drummer and a songwriter for the band Phantom Planet. He appeared in the music video for the rock remix of "It's All About the Benjamins" by Puff Daddy, and contributed to Ben Lee's 2005 album Awake Is the New Sleep. In 2007, he created the indie rock solo act Coconut Records.[5] The first album, Nighttiming, was produced by Michael Einziger and features a cover photo by Roman Coppola. The album was first released on iTunes on March 20, 2007. It had musical contributions by members of Incubus, as well as appearances by actresses Zooey Deschanel and Kirsten Dunst and Schwartzman's brother Robert. His second album, Davy, was released on iTunes on January 20, 2009. Schwartzman also played the drums on Phoenix's rendition of The Beach Boys' song "Alone on Christmas Day" in 2015. The song was featured in Bill Murray's Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas.
Schwartzman's work has also been featured in many films and television programs. In 2009, he composed the theme song to his HBO series Bored to Death, in which he also starred, under his Coconut Records title. That same year, he contributed to the film score to the film Funny People with composer Michael Andrews. The original soundtrack is downloadable, as well as available in vinyl LP, on Coconut Records' official Cinder Block store.[6] He has also written tracks for Smallville and Slackers. His song "Microphone" was featured in the 2012 coming-of-age comedy LOL.
Personal life[edit]
Schwartzman married his longtime girlfriend, Brady Cunningham, an art and design director, at their home in the San Fernando Valley on July 11, 2009.[7] Their first child, a daughter, was born in December 2010.[8] Their second daughter was born in June 2014.[9]
In 2006, Schwartzman described himself as "basically a vegan".[10] In 2009, he was named one of the "Top 10 Most Stylish Men in America" by GQ magazine.[11] In 2011, he narrated a video called What to Eat: The Environmental Impacts of Our Food for Farm Sanctuary.[12][13]