John Krasinski
Krasinski in March 2009
Born	John Burke Krasinski (1979-10-20) October 20, 1979 (age 32) Newton, Massachusetts, United States
Alma mater	Brown University
Occupation	Actor, Director
Years active	2000–present
Spouse	Emily Blunt (2010–present)
Parents	Dr. Ronald Krasinski Mary Clare Doyle

John Burke Krasinski (pronounced /krəˈzɪnski/; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office. He also has a film career appearing in several films including Away We Go, Leatherheads, License to Wed, Big Miracle, Something Borrowed, and It's Complicated.

Early life[link]

Krasinski was born in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of a Polish-American father, internist Dr. Ronald Krasinski,^[1] and an Irish-American mother, Mary Clare (née Doyle).^[2] He has two older brothers, Kevin and Paul, and was raised Roman Catholic.^[3]

Before entering college, Krasinski taught English in Costa Rica.^[4] From there, he went to Brown University, studying theatre arts with Lowry Marshall and John Emigh, and graduating in 2001 as a playwright with an honors thesis entitled "Contents Under Pressure".^[5] During his time at Brown, he was a member of the sketch comedy group Out of Bounds. In college, he also helped coach youth basketball at The Gordon School in East Providence, Rhode Island. He then attended the National Theater Institute in Waterford, Connecticut.^[6]

Career[link]

Television and feature films[link]

Besides training at the National Theater Institute, he also studied at The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England and The Actors Center in New York City. After graduating from Brown University, Krasinski went to New York City to pursue acting, appearing in commercials and guest spots on television shows, as well as doing readings of off-Broadway plays while working as a waiter.^[7] He starred in the play What the Eunuch Saw, which was written and directed by a former college classmate.^[8] In 2000, Krasinski was a script intern on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.^[9][10]

Krasinski filmed the footage of Scranton, Pennsylvania, for The Office, including the clips shown in the opening credits.^[11] Krasinski directed an episode of The Office, titled "Sabre", the fourteenth episode of The Office's sixth season. He has also directed the third episode of the show's eighth season, titled "Lotto".

Krasinski starred as Gideon in A New Wave, released in 2007. He also starred as Brevin in the Gregg Araki film Smiley Face, filmed in 2006. More recently, he had major roles in the films License to Wed, with Mandy Moore and Robin Williams, and Leatherheads with George Clooney and Renee Zellweger. From April to June 2008 he filmed Away We Go, directed by Sam Mendes and co-starring Maya Rudolph.^[12] He appeared with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in the Nancy Meyers romantic comedy It's Complicated, released in late 2009.^[13]

In 2006, Krasinski wrote and directed Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, an adaptation of David Foster Wallace's collection of short stories. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.^[14]

Krasinski's other television credits include Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Without A Trace, Ed,^[15] American Dad!,^[16] and an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. His feature film credits include Kinsey, Duane Hopwood, Jarhead, The Holiday and Shrek the Third. He also had minor roles in For Your Consideration and Dreamgirls.

Krasinski played the role of Ethan in a film adaptation of the novel Something Borrowed. He also signed on to star with Drew Barrymore in Big Miracle.^[17] Krasinski will also play the lead in an indie movie called Nobody Walks.^[18] He will appear in and also serve as executive producer alongside Aaron Sorkin on an HBO miniseries about the Chateau Marmont Hotel.^[19] Krasinski co-wrote Promised Land with Matt Damon and will also appear in the film, set to begin production in April 2012.^[20][21]

Other work[link]

Beginning in March 2006, Krasinski narrated a series of commercials for Ask.com.^{[citation needed]} He has also narrated commercials for Apple TV, Verizon Wireless, Allstate Insurance, Esurance,^[22] BlackBerry Storm,^[23] My Coke Rewards,^[24] and Carnival Cruise Lines,^[25] and has appeared in print advertisements for Gap.^[26]

In April 2011, he starred in a New Era/Major League Baseball ad campaign with Alec Baldwin, playing off the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.^[27]

Personal life[link]

This section requires expansion.

Krasinski's first stage experience was starring as Daddy Warbucks in a 6th-grade school production of Annie. His next role was in a satirical play written and cast by his Office co-star B.J. Novak when they were high school seniors. The two graduated from Newton South High School in 1997.^[28][29]

He received publicity for donating money to a prospective college student from San Francisco through the organization ScholarMatch.^[30]

In November 2008, Krasinski began dating British actress Emily Blunt, although, despite reports to the contrary, they were not set up by Emily's friend Anne Hathaway^[31] The couple married on July 10, 2010, in Italy with the accompaniment of celebrity friends George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stanley Tucci, David Schwimmer, and Meryl Streep. ^[32]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Krasinski at the 2008 Emmy Awards