On this date in 1953, actor John Gavin Malkovich was born in Christopher, Ill., to Daniel and Joe Anne (née Choisser) Malkovich. His father was a state conservation director and publisher of Outdoor Illinois, a conservation magazine. His mother owned the Benton Evening News. He attended Eastern Illinois University and Illinois State University, majoring in theater. Malkovich joined Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater in 1976. He won an Obie for his role in the 1983 play “True West.” He appeared in the Broadway revival of “Death of a Salesman” with Dustin Hoffman in 1984 and won an Emmy for the TV movie version.
Malkovich has made over 70 movies. His first film work was as an extra in Robert Altman’s “A Wedding” (1978). His real screen debut was as a blind man in “Places in the Heart” (1984). Other films include “The Killing Fields” (1984), “The Glass Menagerie” (1987), “Dangerous Liaisons” (1988), “Portrait of a Lady” (1996), “Con Air” (1997), “The Man in the Iron Mask” (1998), “Being John Malkovich” (1999), “Johnny English” (2003), “Burn After Reading” (2008) and “Changeling” (2008), which starred Angelina Jolie.
More recently he appeared in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011), “Warm Bodies” (2013), “Zoolander 2” (2016), “Unlocked” (2017), “Supercon” (2018) and “Velvet Buzzsaw” (2019). He also wrote and starred in “100 Years: The Movie You Will Never See” (2016), directed by Robert Rodriguez. The movie is locked in a vault in the south of France, not to be seen before 2115.
Malkovich was married to actress Glenne Headly from 1982-88. They divorced after Malkovich became involved with Michelle Pfeiffer on the set of “Dangerous Liaisons.” He met his long-term partner Nicoletta Peyran on the set of “The Sheltering Sky” in 1989. They have two children, Amandine and Loewy.
