John Cusack

Brother of Joan Cusack , Ann Cusack , Susie Cusack and Bill Cusack. Son of Dick Cusack (actor, documentary filmmaker) and Nancy Cusack (teacher).

Last name is pronounced Q-zack.

Has a production company called New Crime Productions (that produced Grosse Pointe Blank , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas , and The Jack Bull among various stage productions) which he founded with two of his high school buddies Steve Pink & D.V. DeVincentis.

Education: Piven Theatre Workshop (Evanston, Illinois), managed by the parents of actor Jeremy Piven. One semester at New York University.

Attended and graduated from Evanston Township High School, Evanston, Illinois.

Turned down the role of David Murphy in Indecent Proposal , which went to Woody Harrelson.

Turned down the role of Fred Haise in Apollo 13 , which went to Bill Paxton.

Close friends with actor Jeremy Piven. They have done 10 movies together: One Crazy Summer , Elvis Stories , Say Anything... , The Player , Floundering , The Grifters , Grosse Pointe Blank , Serendipity and Runaway Jury .

Is the product of a passionately liberal Irish Catholic family, visited the radical Berrigan brothers when he was growing up, and, like them, his mother still gets arrested for her anti-militarism and pro-human rights protests.

On free time, he likes to go "Helicopter Snowboarding" and kickboxing with stunt coordinator Benny Urquidez. Has a black belt in kickboxing.

Tested for the role of Madmartigan in Willow but lost to Val Kilmer.

Is the subject of the song "Honorable Mention" by the rock band Fall Out Boy.

The novel, "Love in the Time of Cholera", by author Gabriel Garca Mrquez , is prominently referenced in two John Cusack movies ( High Fidelity and Serendipity ).

Sister Joan Cusack appeared in 10 of his movies: Class , Sixteen Candles , Grandview, U.S.A. , Broadcast News , Say Anything... , Grosse Pointe Blank , Cradle Will Rock , High Fidelity , Martian Child and War, Inc. .

Was originally set to play Walter Eberhart in The Stepford Wives . Due to conflicts, he had to drop out and the role went to Matthew Broderick.

Was once roommates with Jeremy Piven.

Attended a theatre school in Chicago with sisters Joan Cusack and Ann Cusack. The theatre school was managed by the parents of his best friend, Jeremy Piven.

Is Irish-American. The name Cusack is not Slavic as many may believe. It is a Norman name, brought to Ireland when the Normans invaded in 1169. "Cussac" is a city in South Central France.

Ranked #15 on Tropopkin magazines Top 25 Most Intriguing People [Issue #100].

Some kind of reference to his favorite bands (usually The Clash , The Ramones or The Specials ) makes at least one appearance in most of his films. Most of the time, he wears a T-shirt of one of the bands ( Say Anything... , High Fidelity , Must Love Dogs , etc), but sometimes ( Grosse Pointe Blank ) he works in a poster of one of the bands. These bands are typically in the soundtracks to his New Criminals productions, as well.

Is the most famous member of the Cusack family.

He and his good friend Tim Robbins made six movies together: Bob Roberts , Cradle Will Rock , High Fidelity , The Player , The Sure Thing and Tapeheads .

For a long time, he was attached to play the role of Nite Owl in the doomed movie adaptation of Alan Moore s comic-book miniseries, Watchmen .

Was originally the actor chosen to play John Bender in The Breakfast Club . At the last minute, things changed and the role went to Judd Nelson.

Was good friends with Hunter S. Thompson and nearly got to play him in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas .

Was considered for the role of Paul Brenner in The Generals Daughter , but was deemed too young at the time, so the role went to John Travolta instead.

His performance as Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything... is ranked #72 on Premiere magazines 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

Apocalypse Now is one of his favorite films.

During the famous "boom box serenade" scene in Say Anything... , he is actually playing his favorite Fishbone tape on the boom box, while Peter Gabriel s song "In Your Eyes" is played in the movie (source: Cameron Crowe commentary on the DVD).

Growing up John and his siblings often put on plays at their home. He has mentioned that his older sister Ann once staged a production of "Cinderella" in their living room in which she played Cinderella, sister Joan played the Ugly Stepsister, brother Bill played Prince Charming and John played the dog.

Considers the scripts to Max (2002/I) and Being John Malkovich the best he has read.

Featured as #22 on VH1s 100 Greatest Teen Stars countdown.

Beat out Christian Slater for the role of Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything... .

Choosen by Empire Magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in the World (#70).

Was considered for the role of Billy Flynn in Chicago . However, he ended up losing the role to Richard Gere.

In 2006, when Total Film magazine asked him for a "Top 5" list of his movies, he answered with The Grifters , Grosse Pointe Blank , The Thin Red Line , High Fidelity and Max (2002/I) .

In 1994, he attended his 10th year high school reunion in Illinois. He and the producers of the film had made a bet that if they came up with financing for Grosse Pointe Blank , they would all attend their high school reunions.

Good friends with professional volleyball player, Gabrielle Reece.

Has homes in Malibu, California, and Chicago, Illinois.

Was a supporter and follower of U2 frontman Bono s DATA campaign (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa).

He was awarded the 1990 Joseph Jefferson Award Citation for Director of a Play for "Methusalem" at the New Crime Productions Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

Was named "Stoner of the Year" by High Times magazine in 2010 (for his performance in Hot Tub Time Machine ).

Has appeared in two movies as a limo driver, Identity and 2012 , both with co-star Amanda Peet.

Has worked twice with Nicolas Cage in the films Con Air and The Frozen Ground . In the first film, Cusack played a law enforcement officer and Cage played a criminal; in the latter film, the roles were reversed.

Has worked six times with fellow actor/stuntman/fight coordinator Benny Urquidez in Grosse Pointe Blank , Con Air , The Contract , 1408 , War, Inc. and Tian jiang xiong shi .

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6644 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 24, 2012.

Big fan of punk rock music, his favorite band being the Clash.

Dated Uma Thurman.

Dated Lili Taylor.

Dated Claire Forlani.

Dated Alison Eastwood.

Dated Meg Ryan.

Dated Neve Campbell.

Dated Minnie Driver.

Dated Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Dated Jodi Lyn OKeefe.

Dated Corina Katt Ayala.

Dated Janice Dickinson.

Dated Brooke Burns.

Dated Gina Gershon.

Dated Shoshanna Lonstein.

Dated Jami Gertz.

Dated Huma Abedin.

Dated Rebecca Romijn.

Dated Gabriela Spanic.

Dated Pamela Anderson.

Dated Melissa Gilbert.

Dated Sheryl Crow.

Dated Susannah Melvoin.

Dated Britney Spears.

Dated Alexandra Kerry.

Martian Child (2007) was just a movie the studio [New Line,Cinema] offered me and it was the best job I could get at the time. It,was about a relationship between a guy and another kid, and I thought,that was good. It was a sweet movie. They offered it to me and that was,the extent of that. Grace Is Gone (2007) was something I REALLY,wanted to do.

[on why he only made a cameo appearance in,Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015) ] They decided the problem was me,I guess.

[on whether or not there would be a sequel to,Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015) ] Not with me! I produced the first,one and oversaw the writing, and with the second one they just wanted a,lower-rent one.

Hitler was so modern, in that he was obsessed with being famous. He was caught up with this rush to be have achieved greatness before turning 30.

I have a bit of a rebellious nature.

Poe had this curious kind of alchemical courage, where he took all the terrible things and terrors that happened in his life, all this shame and fear and pain, and turned them into great works of art. He was a complex, brilliant person who was just wired too tight.