ADAM DRIVER
A CUTTING EDGE MOVIE STAR
By Lee Parham
House of Gucci star Adam Driver was a late bloomer in Hollywood, but the actor has quickly established himself as a perennially top-tier talent.
Before he was Kylo Ren in Star Wars or fighting Matt Damon in The Last Duel, Adam Driver served in the US Marine Corps for nearly three years from 2002-04.
After being medically discharged in 2004, Driver pivoted careers and decided to go back to school, attending the famous Juilliard School in New York City.
Like many, Driver's acting career began on television, bouncing around in minor roles before landing the part of one of the leads in Lena Dunham's Girls, which ran for 6 seasons on HBO.
His earliest film roles were minor parts in movies by acclaimed directors, such as Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, Lincoln by Steven Spielberg, and a standout role in the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis.
Driver finally got a chance to prove himself in a big budget motion picture after being cast as the villainous Kylo Ren in J.J. Abrams Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
The film lifted Driver's career to new heights, putting him in the public spotlight for the first time, and Kylo Ren has often been lauded as the best character from the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Beyond Star Wars, Adam turned his career towards more arthouse films, featuring in the likes of Paterson, Logan Lucky, The Report, and Spike Lee's BlackKklansmen, earning his first Oscar nomination.
Driver wouldn't have to wait long for more love from the Academy, receiving a Best Actor nod for his performance in Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story alongside Scarlett Johansson.
Most recently, Driver has made friends with iconic director Ridley Scott, appearing in two of his films in 2021, the first being historical epic The Last Duel, where he faces off against Matt Damon.
Driver is also part of the impressive ensemble cast of Scott’s House of Gucci, where he plays Maurizio Gucci, husband to Patrizia Reggiani, portrayed by Lady Gaga.
From galaxies far, far away to period pieces and modern-day dramas, Adam Driver was a bit of a late bloomer in Hollywood but has quickly become one of the industry's most prolific talents.