In 1976 'John Malkovich joined Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, newly founded by his friend Gary Sinise. After that it would take seven years before Malkovich would show up in New York and win an Obie in Sam Shepard's play "True West". In 1984 Malkovich would appear with Dustin Hoffman in the Broadway revival of "Death of a Salesman", which would earn him an Emmy when it was made into a made-for-TV movie the next year. His big-screen debut would be as the blind lodger in Places in the Heart, which earned him an Academy Award Nomination for best supporting actor. Other films would follow, including The Killing Fields and The Glass Menagerie, but he would be well remembered as Vicomte de Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons. Playing against Michelle Pfeiffer and Glenn Close in a costume picture helped raise his standing in the industry. He would be cast as the psychotic political assassin in Clint Eastwood's In the Line of Fire, for which he would be nominated for both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe. In 1994 Malkovich would portray the sinister Kurtz in the made-for-TV movie Heart of Darkness, taking the story to Africa as it was originally written. Malkovich has periodically returned to Chicago to both act and direct.


In the Line of Fire (1993): $1,000,000

Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1984" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 36. Education: Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University. Is of Croatian heritage. Briefly dated Michelle Pfeiffer. His first film experience was a job as an extra in Robert Altman's 1978 feature A Wedding (1978). Legend has it that he was told by the head of the Theatre Department at Illinois State University that he would not have a career as an actor. Even though he did not graduate from ISU (he never took the constitution test), the Theatre Department still claims him as an alumnus. On April 4, 2005, he returned to visit the Theatre Department where he was presented with an official diploma for his bachelor's degree in theatre. Is a big fan of Tom Waits and rap artist Dr. Dre. His favorite films include: La battaglia di Algeri (1966), Les quatre cents coups (1959), Citizen Kane (1941), Il conformista (1970), This Is Spinal Tap (1984), High Noon (1952), and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). Won a second Village Voice Obie this time for Direction for "Balm in Gilead" in 1985. First actor to win a major award (New York Film Critics) for portraying himself in a movie (non-cameo role). The film was Being John Malkovich (1999). Frequently visits Sarajevo Film Festival (Bosnia). He dropped out of Crazy People (1990) after around 2 weeks of filming and was replaced by Dudley Moore. His favourite song is Sandy Denny's "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" as covered by Nina Simone, and his favourite novel is The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. He was awarded the 1981 Joseph Jefferson Award for Director of a Play for "Balm in Gilead" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois. He was nominated for a 1985 Joseph Jefferson Award for Director of a play for "Coyote Ugly" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois. Good friend of Gérard Depardieu. They worked together on several projects: The Man in the Iron Mask (1998/I), "Les miserables" (2000) and "Napoleon" (2002).