Paul Dano

Paul Franklin Dano ( DAY-noh; born June 19, 1984) is an American actor and filmmaker. His work includes both independent film and blockbusters, and his accolades include nominations for a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Dano made his film acting debut in L.I.E. (2001) and gained wider recognition for playing Dwayne Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). He was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for playing Paul and Eli Sunday in Paul Thomas Anderson's period drama There Will Be Blood (2007). After supporting roles in mainstream films such as Knight and Day (2010), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), and Looper (2012), Dano had critically acclaimed roles in 12 Years a Slave and Prisoners (both 2013). For his portrayal of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy (2014), he earned a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. In 2018, he starred as a convicted murderer in the Showtime miniseries Escape at Dannemora, for which he received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 2022, he played The Riddler in The Batman and a fictionalized version of Arnold Spielberg in The Fabelmans, receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for the latter. Dano made his directorial debut with the drama film Wildlife (2018), which he also co-wrote with his partner, Zoe Kazan. He has also written the comic book The Riddler: Year One (2022). On Broadway theatre, Dano has starred in productions of A Free Man of Color (2010–2011) and True West (2019).