Nathaniel Faxon (born October 11, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. A frequent presence on comedic films and TV series, he won the

Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay Film adaptation, adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include st ...

for co-writing '' The Descendants'' (2011) and starred in the Fox comedy series '' Ben and Kate'' (2012–2013), the FX comedy series ''

Married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

'' (2014–2015) and voices Elfo in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

adult animated television series ''

Disenchantment In social science, disenchantment (german: Entzauberung) is the cultural rationalization and devaluation of religion apparent in modern society. The term was borrowed from Friedrich Schiller by Max Weber to describe the character of a modern ...

'' (2018-). He also co-wrote and co-directed '' The Way, Way Back'' (2013) and '' Downhill'' (2020) with writing partner Jim Rash.

Early life

Faxon's early years were spent in the seaside community of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, where he attended the Brookwood School. He later graduated from the Holderness School near

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

, New Hampshire, and then

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

in 1997.

Career

Acting

Faxon is an alumnus of the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

-based improvisational and sketch comedy troupe

The Groundlings The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniq ...

, where he began performing in 2001. Faxon may be best known for his appearances in comedic films such as '' Orange County'' (2002), '' Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story'' (2007), ''

Bad Teacher ''Bad Teacher'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Jake Kasdan from a screenplay by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. Starring Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch, John Michael Higgins and Jason Segel, the film tel ...

'' (2011), and several Broken Lizard films including '' Beerfest'' (2006). He co-starred in

Darren Star Darren Star (born July 25, 1961) is an American writer, director and producer of film and television. He is best known for creating the television series '' Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–2000), ''Melrose Place'' (1992–1999), '' Sex and the Cit ...

's semi-autobiographical satire '' Grosse Pointe'' and had recurring roles in several television series such as ''

The Cleveland Show ''The Cleveland Show'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A spin-off of ''Family Guy'', the series centers on Cleveland Brown, his new wife Donna Tubbs, a ...

'', ''

Joey Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...

'', '' Up All Night'' and '' Reno 911!''. Faxon has been featured in a series of prominent

Holiday Inn Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia. and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee that year. The chain was a division ...

commercials featuring Joe Buck as well as an ad by Blockbuster. However, he did not get a significant lead role until 2012 when he was cast as the titular Ben in '' Ben and Kate'', for which he received many positive reviews. Faxon starred alongside Judy Greer in the FX comedy series ''

'', which ran for two seasons.

Writing and directing

Faxon and writing partner Jim Rash, whom he met while performing at The Groundlings, co-wrote the screenplay for the film '' The Descendants'', starring

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...

and directed by

Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (; born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for the films ''Citizen Ruth'' (1996), ''Election'' (1999), '' About Schmidt'' (2002), '' Sideways'' (2004), '' The D ...

. On February 26, 2012, the screenplay for ''The Descendants'' won an Oscar, with Faxon, Rash, and Payne all receiving Oscars for their efforts. The duo made their directorial debut with '' The Way, Way Back'' (2013), based on their original screenplay, and starring

Steve Carell Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in ''The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where Ca ...

Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, inclu ...

, and

Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as ''Lawn Dogs'' (1997 ...

, among others. The film premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

, where Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired it for $10 million, and was released domestically to acclaimed reviews that July.

Personal life

Faxon is married to Meaghan Gadd and they have three children: Ruthie, Otis and Beatrice.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Faxon, Nat 1975 births Living people American male comedians American male film actors American male screenwriters American male television actors Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Hamilton College (New York) alumni Holderness School alumni Male actors from Massachusetts People from Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts Screenwriters from Massachusetts Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters