The son of Hungarian-born photojournalist Sylvia Plachy and retired history teacher Elliot Brody, Adrien grew up an only child in Woodhaven, Queens, where he accompanied his mother on assignments for the Village Voice. He credits her with making him feel comfortable in front of the camera. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts in New York.

Despite a strong performance in The Thin Red Line, time constraints forced the director to edit out much of Adrien's part. In spite of his later work with Spike Lee and Barry Levinson, he never became the star many expected he would become...until Roman Polanski called on him to play a celebrated Jewish pianist in the Nazi-occupied Warsaw. He pulled off a brilliant performance in The Pianist drawing on the heritage and rare dialect of his Polish grandmother, as well as his father, who lost family members during the Holocaust, and his mother, who fled Communist Hungary as a child during the 1956 revolution against Russia.


The Village (2004): $2,750,000

Is the only actor to win a Best Actor Oscar when nominated alongside four previous Oscar winners. Has great appreciation for hip-hop music. Like the Beatnuts, one of his favorite groups, Brody is also from Queens. In 2004, Esquire Magazine named him the Best Dressed Man in America. Was considered for a role in Pearl Harbor (2001). Is a big hip-hop fan and plans on becoming a producer. He is being mentored by The RZA. His father, Elliot Brody, is a retired history teacher of Polish-Jewish descent who lost family members in the Holocaust. His mother Sylvia Plachy, the renown photographer, fled Communist Hungary as a child during the 1956 revolution against Russia. In 1992, he was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident in which he flew over a car and crashed feet-first into a crosswalk. He spent months recuperating. Shares a birthday with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Is the only American actor to win a César, the French equivalent to the Oscar. Did sessions in an isolation tank, performed prison exercises, and went on a protein diet for his role in The Jacket (2005). Close friends with Asia Argento. Was friends with the late Tupac Shakur, with whom he starred in the little-known film Bullet (1996). Attended CUNY Queens College in the Flushing section of Queens, New York. Fought hard to convince producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal that he was a good choice for the lead role of Royce in "Predators".