Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti was born June 6, 1967. He graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall prep school, majored in English at Yale, and obtained his Master's Degree in Fine Arts, with his major in drama from the Yale University School of Drama.

Paul is the youngest of three children. His older brother, Marcus Giamatti, is also an actor. His sister, Elena, designs jewelry. His father, A. Bartlett Giamatti, was a professor of Renaissance Literature at Yale University, and went on to become the university's youngest president. (In 1986, Bart Giamatti was appointed president of baseball's National League. He became Commissioner of Baseball on April 1, 1989 and served for five months until his untimely death on September 1, 1989. He was commissioner at the time Pete Rose was banned from the game.) Paul's mother, the former Toni Smith, was an actress before she married Dr. Giamatti. Paul's father has written six books.

Giamatti's acting roots are in theatre, from his college days at Yale, to regional productions (Seattle, San Diego and Williamstown, Massachusetts) to Broadway.
Son of A. Bartlett Giamatti, late president of Yale University, major league baseball commissioner and nemesis of Pete Rose. He is the younger brother of Marcus Giamatti. In the 1998 remake of Doctor Dolittle, Paul portrayed a human in charge of a talking orangutan, in the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, he portrays a talking orangutan in charge of humans. His father was of Italian and English descent. His mother is of Irish descent. He's the voice talent for Tiger Woods headcover in a series of Nike Golf commercials His life ambition is to star in a crime caper with Robert Duvall and John Hurt. He plans on contacting the two stars with his idea should Sideways win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Often plays roles based on real people - Private Parts, Man on the Moon, American Splendor and Cinderella Man. Graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall Graduated from Yale University with a degree in English Graduated from the Yale University School of Drama with a master's degree in drama In Sideways his character, Miles, looks at a picture of himself as a younger man standing with a man in sunglasses. This is a photo of Paul Giamatti with his father, A. Bartlett Giamatti. Has appeared in three remakes, Sabrina, Doctor Dolittle, and Planet of the Apes. Was listed as a potential nominee on the both the 2003 and 2007 Razzie Award nominating ballots. He was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Supporting Actor category on the 2003 ballot for his performance in the film Big Fat Liar and in the Worst (Leading) Actor category for his performance in the film Lady in the Water. He failed to receive either nomination. Despite his character of Miles in Sideways and his passion for pinot, Giamatti himself admits that he has very little knowledge of wines and is not much of a fan of them. During the shooting of the upcoming The Hawk Is Dying, which is mainly about his character and a Red-Tailed Hawk, he became a raptor-enthusiast. Father died in 1989. Has one child, a boy named Samuel, born in 2001. Ex-brother-in-law of Kathryn Meisle. Is a Boston Red Sox fan Has starred in three films (Private Parts, American Splendor and Man on the Moon) that feature characters who appear on "Late Night with David Letterman," and a forth, StoryTelling, which starred Conan O'Brien, who hosted "Late Night" after Letterman moved to his own show on CBS. Is a big fan of Science-fiction. Lived in Seattle, Washington for a brief period after college. Russell Crowe stated in an interview that working with Giamatti was one of his favorite experiences in the show business.