Adam Driver

Adam Douglas Driver was born on November 19, 1983 in San Diego, California. He is a Tony-, Oscar-, Golden Globe- and three-time Emmy-nominated actor, known for his starring role as Kylo Ren in the Star Wars movie franchise and as Adam Sackler in HBO’s Girls.

As a child, Driver moved to Mishawaka, Indiana and attended Mishawaka High School, graduating in 2001. Following the attacks of 9/11, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps but would be medically discharged after breaking his sternum during a mountain biking accident. He served for a total of two years and eight months. He enrolled at the University of Indianapolis before transferring to the Juilliard School, where he studied drama and graduated in 2009 with a bachelor of fine arts.

Driver made his Off-Broadway debut in 2009, appearing in Slipping at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and The Retributionists for Playwrights Horizons. He returned to Rattlestick the following year in Little Doc. 2010 was a big year for Driver, with a Classic Stage Company debut in The Forest in the spring and his Broadway debut as Frank Gardner in a Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Mrs. Warren’s Profession, opposite Cherry Jones and Sally Hawkins, in the fall. He went on to assume the principal role of Louis Ironson in Signature Theatre’s revival of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America in 2011 before returning to Broadway as Basil Anthony, opposite Frank Langella, in Roundabout’s revival of Terence Rattigan’s Man and Boy in the fall. Prior to starring on Broadway in Burn This, he was last seen on the New York stage, again for Roundabout Theatre Company, as Cliff Lewis in Look Back in Anger at the Laura Pels Theatre from January to April 2012, ultimately taking home the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor.

On screen, Driver made his television debut in a 2009 episode of The Unusuals and made his feature film debut as Walter Lyle in 2011’s J. Edgar. His big breakthrough came in 2012, however, after being cast as Adam Sackler in the hit HBO series Girls, with the role earning him three consecutive Emmy Award nominations in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2013, 2014, and 2015. During this period, he also landed roles in films such as 2012’s Lincoln and Frances Ha, 2013’s Inside Llewyn Davis, Bluebird, and What If, and 2014’s Hungry Hearts, While We’re Young, and This Is Where I Leave You.

In 2015, Driver played the main antagonist, Kylo Ren, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He reprised the role in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi and 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Other notable recent film credits include Paterson (2016), Logan Lucky (2017) and BlacKkKlansman (2018), which earned him his first Academy Award nomination, as well as a Golden Globe nomination, in 2019 for Best Supporting Actor.

Driver returned to the Broadway stage to star as Pale, opposite Keri Russell, in Lanford Wilson’s [Burn This](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/burn-this) at the Hudson Theatre from March 15 through to July 14, 2019, earning rave reviews for his performance, as well as his first Tony Award nomination in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play.