Photo: Georges Biard / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Paul Dano is my favorite kind of actor: the one who makes discomfort watchable. From Little Miss Sunshine's silent teenager onward, he has specialized in characters wound so tight you brace for the snap, and the snap always lands differently than you expect. I respect that he never cashed in his indie credibility for easy stardom — instead he moved behind the camera, writing and directing with the same patience he brings to performing. He proves screen presence isn't about volume; some of his loudest moments are completely silent. Whenever his name appears in a cast list, my expectations for the whole film rise.
Overview
Paul Franklin Dano ( DAY-noh; born June 19, 1984) is an American actor and film director. His work includes both independent film and blockbusters, and his accolades include nominations for a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Dano made his film acting debut in L.I.E. (2001) and gained wider recognition for playing Dwayne Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Paul Dano
- Name (Japanese)
- ポール・ダノ
- Reading
- ぽーる・だの
- Born
- June 19, 1984 (age 41)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Rat
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / film producer / screenwriter / film director
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Wilton High School
- University
- Pace University
Awards & achievements
- 2007 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
- 2008 Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor
- Film Independent Spirit Awards
- Actor Awards
- Gotham Awards
- Critics' Choice Awards
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Actor — see all → · Film producer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.