Age: 42
male
Paul Franklin Dano (born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway before making his film debut in The Newcomers (2000). He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in L.I.E. (2001) and received accolades for his role as Dwayne Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). For his dual roles as Paul and Eli Sunday in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood (2007), he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. Dano has also received accolades for roles such as John Tibeats in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013) and Alex Jones in Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners (2013). His acting portrayal of musician Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy (2014) earned him a Golden Globe nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actor. Dano made his directorial debut with the drama film Wildlife (2018), based on the novel by Richard Ford. He co-wrote the screenplay with his partner Zoe Kazan. In 2018, he starred in the Showtime miniseries Escape at Dannemora, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. In 2022, he played Edward Nashton / The Riddler in The Batman.
In this dark, existential tale a disillusioned knight, Antonius Block, returns to a plague-stricken Sweden after the Crusades, where he encounters the personification of Death, who challenges him to a game of chess for his life. This encounter sparks a profound exploration of faith, mortality, and the search for meaning in a world seemingly devoid of divine guidance. As the game unfolds, Antonius and his squire, Jöns, journey through the land, encountering various characters and situations, including a troupe of traveling actors and a girl accused of witchcraft. Through these interactions, Antonius grapples with his loss of faith and questions the nature of God and the meaning of existence, while Jöns remains a voice of pragmatic skepticism. The film culminates in a poignant and ambiguous ending, leaving the audience to ponder the nature of life, death, and the human condition.
