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Giovanni Ribisi
Ribisi in December 2009
Born	Antonino Giovanni Ribisi December 17, 1974 (1974-12-17) (age 35) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Mariah O'Brien (1997–2001)

Giovanni Ribisi (born December 17, 1974) is an American actor. His film credits include Gone in 60 Seconds, Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan, The Mod Squad, The Gift, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Lost in Translation and more recently, Public Enemies and Avatar. He is also known for his role as Phoebe Buffay's brother Frank on the sitcom, Friends.

Ribisi is often known for portraying cynical and cocky characters in films, often with villainous traits.

Early life

Ribisi was born Antonino Giovanni Ribisi in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Gay (born Landrum), is a manager of actors and writers, and his father, Albert Anthony Ribisi, is a musician. (Albert Ribisi was the keyboard player in the band People, whose record "I Love You" reached #14 on Billboard's Hot 100 in the spring of 1968.) He is the twin brother of actress Marissa Ribisi, and the brother of Gina Ribisi, a voice actress.^[1] Ribisi's paternal grandfather was the son of farmers from Sicily.^[2][3]

Career

Ribisi began his career in network television with recurring and guest roles on a number of shows, including 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." (an episode that also starred Jack Black), as well as with his recurring role as Frank Jr., the brother of Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) on Friends. More recently, he has appeared in multiple episodes of My Name Is Earl, earning a 2007 Emmy nomination for his performance on the series.

Ribisi has appeared on the video of British band Keane's single "Crystal Ball", which was released worldwide on August 21, 2006. He appeared with Winona Ryder and John C. Reilly in Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's music video "Talk About the Blues". In September 2008, he appeared twice on the HBO comedy series Entourage.

Personal life

Ribisi was married to Mariah O'Brien from March 18, 1997 through November 3, 2001; the couple had a daughter, Lucia, born in August 1997 and named after the doomed heroine in the Donizetti opera, Lucia di Lammermoor.

Ribisi is an active Scientologist,^[4][5] and participated in the gala opening of Scientology's controversial "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death" Museum in December 2005.^[6] His twin sister, Marissa, is also a Scientologist and is married to Beck, who is also a Scientologist.^[7]

Filmography

References

External links

Scientology portal

• Giovanni Ribisi at the Internet Movie Database