- published: 04 Jun 2015
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Adrian Grenier (born July 10, 1976) is an American actor, musician and director. He is best known for his lead role on the HBO original series, Entourage, as Vincent Chase.
Grenier was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the son of Karesse Grenier and John T. Dunbar. His parents met at a commune in the 1970s, and were never married. His father was from Ohio and was of European ancestry (the Dunbar surname is of Scottish origin); his mother was born in New Mexico to a Hispanic family, with Mestizo roots; a DNA test, on the PBS program Finding Your Roots, showed Adrian to have approximately 8% Native American ancestry and that his matrilineal line was Native American. (The 2 facts are consistent with the mother of the woman he thought was his Apache ancestor being the full-blooded Apache.)
Grenier was raised by his mother, a real estate agent, in Manhattan, New York. He went to Bard College in New York.
In 1997, Grenier made his film debut in the independent drama Arresting Gena. In 1999, he played opposite Melissa Joan Hart in Drive Me Crazy as well as in Britney Spears' music video "(You Drive Me) Crazy", in 2001, starred in James Toback's Harvard Man . In 2002, Grenier made his directorial debut with the documentary, Shot in the Dark. The documentary chronicles his years-long search for his father, with whom Grenier's mother broke up when Adrian was still a baby. Grenier and Dunbar remained estranged for 18 years, and in 2001, Adrian began work on the documentary in an attempt to forge a relationship with Dunbar. The two eventually reunited and maintain a warm relationship. HBO premiered the documentary on June 3, 2007.