- published: 18 Dec 2011
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Antonino Giovanni Ribisi (Italian pronunciation: [antoˈniːno dʒoˈvanni]; born December 17, 1974), known professionally as Giovanni Ribisi, is an American actor and producer.
Ribisi was born in Los Angeles, California. His father, Albert Anthony Ribisi, is a musician who had been the keyboard player in People!, and his mother, Gay (née Landrum), is a manager of actors and writers. He is the twin brother of actress Marissa Ribisi and the brother of voice actress Gina Ribisi. He is of Italian (from his paternal grandfather), English, and German descent.
Ribisi began his career as a child on television shows such as The New Leave It to Beaver, Married... with Children, The Wonder Years and My Two Dads. He entered the public eye with a prominent performance in The X-Files episode "D.P.O.", and his recurring role as Frank, Jr. on Friends. He had previously appeared as an extra in the episode "The One with the Baby on the Bus". Between 2005 and 2008, Ribisi played Ralph in multiple episodes of My Name Is Earl, earning a 2007 Emmy nomination for his performance. He appeared in the music video for Keane's single "Crystal Ball" in 2006. He also appeared in Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's music video "Talk About the Blues". In September 2008, he appeared twice on the HBO comedy series Entourage.