John Malkovich is one of the most important actors in today’s cinema.
In 1976 he became a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. He made his Broadway debut in 1984 as Biff in Death of a Salesman, alongside Dustin Hoffman as Willy. Malkovich won an Emmy Award for this role when the play was adapted for television in 1985.
Malkovich made his feature film debut in 1984 as the blind lodger in Places in the Heart; his portrayal received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also appeared in films such as The Killing Fields, Empire of the Sun and The Glass Menagerie. He shot to fame when he portrayed the sinister Vicomte de Valmont in the 1988 film Dangerous Liaisons.
He starred in the 1992 film adaptation of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men as Lennie alongside Gary Sinise as George. In 1994 he was nominated for another Oscar for In the Line of Fire. He also played the title role in Charlie Kaufman’s Being John Malkovich. The Dancer Upstairs, Malkovich’s directorial film debut, was released in 2002. Recent films include The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Beowulf, Burn After Reading, Changeling, Red 1 & 2, Secretariat, Warm Bodies, Disgrace and The Giacomo Variations.
John Malkovich has worked frequently with the Austrian director Michael Sturminger and conductor Martin Haselböck. Together they collaborated on the Music Theatre projects The Infernal Comedy, in which he plays the Austrian serial killer Jack Unterweger, and The Giacomo Variations, in which he stars – and sings – as Casanova. Over 100 performances of these works have been given internationally. A third collaboration, Just Call Me God, for actor and organist, will premiere in Hamburg in 2017 and tour to major concert halls around the world.
