John C Reilly

John Christopher Reilly is an American actor born May 24, 1965, in Chicago, Illinois. Known as a character actor, he has performed in both leading and supporting roles across independent cinema and major studio features. Notably, Reilly is one of only two people to have been nominated for an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award without winning any of them. Outside of his acting work, he performs with his musical group, John Reilly and Friends.

Reilly was raised Catholic as the fifth of six children in Chicago's Chicago Lawn neighborhood. His father, who ran an industrial linen supply company, was of Irish and Scottish descent, while his mother was of Lithuanian ancestry. Describing his childhood as mischievous, Reilly has recalled an event at age 12 when he and his friends stole 500 boxes of Sugar Corn Pops from a freight train. He attended Brother Rice High School and later studied at DePaul University in Chicago.

Reilly made his film debut as PFC Herbert Hatcher in Brian De Palma's 1989 war drama Casualties of War, a role De Palma significantly expanded after being impressed by Reilly's performance. Throughout the early 1990s, he established himself in supporting film roles, appearing in Days of Thunder, State of Grace, We're No Angels, Hoffa, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The River Wild, Dolores Claiborne, and Georgia.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Reilly gained critical acclaim through collaborations with director Paul Thomas Anderson on Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia. He also appeared in The Thin Red Line, For Love of the Game, and The Perfect Storm. In 2002, Reilly appeared in three Academy Award Best Picture nominees: The Hours, Gangs of New York, and Chicago. For his performance as Amos Hart in Chicago, he received nominations for the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Reilly expanded into major comedy roles during the mid-2000s, co-starring with Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers. He starred as the titular character in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, earning Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and Best Original Song. On television, he portrayed Dr. Steve Brule on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and later co-created, wrote, produced, and starred in its spin-off series, Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule. He also voiced the lead character in the animated hit Wreck-It Ralph and its sequel.

Reilly continued to balance high-profile studio projects with independent features, appearing in Cyrus, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Carnage, The Lobster, Guardians of the Galaxy, Kong: Skull Island, and The Sisters Brothers. For his performance as comedian Oliver Hardy in the 2018 biopic Stan & Ollie, he earned widespread critical praise.

In television and theater, Reilly co-created and starred in the Showtime comedy series Moonbase 8 and appeared in HBO's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. He received a Children's and Family Emmy Award nomination for the 2024 animated short film An Almost Christmas Story. On stage, he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in the 2000 Broadway revival of Sam Shepard's True West.