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Paul Dano
Image:PaulDano.jpg Paul Dano as Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine
Birth name	Paul[1]
Born	June 19, 1983 (age 23)[2] Wilton, Connecticut, USA
Other name(s)	Paul Franklin Dano
Official site	http://www.paul-dano.com/
Notable roles	Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine

Paul Franklin Dano^[3] (born June 19, 1983, in Wilton, Connecticut^[4]) is an American actor. He is most noted for his role as Dwayne in the feature film Little Miss Sunshine and his supporting roles in several other independent films. He also starred in L.I.E.. He has appeared in several Broadway productions including A Christmas Carol, Ragtime, Inherit the Wind, A Month in the Country, and A Thousand Clowns at the Roundabout Theatre. As a side project, he also provides vocals and lead guitar for the band Mook. He lives in New York City in the East Village and attended The New School where he majored in English. Before that he attended Wilton High School in Wilton, Connecticut.

Contents 1 Awards 2 Personal quotes 3 Awards 4 Filmography 5 References

• L.A. Outfest (2001, Grand Jury Award as Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film for "L.I.E." (2001), tied with Kett Turton for "Gypsy 83" (2001))
• Stockholm Film Festival (2001, Best Actor for "L.I.E.")
• Independent Spirit Awards (2002, Best Debut Performance for "L.I.E.")
• Fantasporto (2003, "Directors' Week Award" as Best Actor for "L.I.E.")
• Gotham Awards (2006, nominated, "Best Ensemble Cast" for "Little Miss Sunshine"; shared with Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin)
• Screen Actors Guild Awards (2007, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for "Little Miss Sunshine", shared with Kinnear, Collette, Carell, Breslin and Arkin)
• Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2007, as Best Young Actor for "Little Miss Sunshine")
• Independent Spirit Awards (2007, nominated, as Best Supporting Male for "Little Miss Sunshine")

[On why he chooses acting over music] "I think I'd be too stubborn and have to do it on my own terms. There's a lot of hope in music and there are some really amazing artists out there, but as far as popular music goes, a lot of it is just not for me. So I don't know where I'd fit in or whatever."

"Everything you do, every experience that you have, enlightens you a little bit or worsens you. L.I.E. was big for me. I think it's one of the best things I've been a part of in my life so far."

[On working with Daniel Day-Lewis in the movie "The Ballad of Jack and Rose"] "It was incredible. I mean, Daniel Day-Lewis and I were enemies in the movie. I'm the "snake" and his daughter Rose is the "rose". You couldn't get any more opposite from the character I play in ("The Girl Next Door") than the one I play in that. I'm the villain, the snake, sleazy and like this sexual creature. There were days when we wouldn't even look at each other until the end of the day because we were intense. I got into that; it was great. It would help me, too. You know, I look up to him. Before I even auditioned for the movie I did so it was incredible.

[On preparing for his role in Little Miss Sunshine] "In my house, I tried not talking for a couple days and it was almost impossible to be at a dinner table with my parents and not point out to them what I thought was silly that they were saying. You just want to rebel! It was so difficult."

[On working with Steve Carrell] "I knew Steve from The Daily Show and that funny scene he had in Bruce Almighty. I didn't maybe know him by name at that point, but I was just like, "That dude is hilarious!". He's genuinely a very down-to-earth, sweet guy. I have a lot of respect for him. We became good friends. Nobody was really on a pedestal or anything. When you're working with people you look up to and they put you on the same level, it makes your job a little easier confidence-wise. I never felt nervous, it was just a lot of fun."

• Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards — Best Young Actor - Little Miss Sunshine[1]
• Independent Spirit Awards - Someone To Watch Award - L.I.E.

• Where the Wild Things Are (2008) (voice) .... Alexander
• There Will Be Blood (2007).... Eli Sunday
• Weapons (2006).... Chris
• Little Miss Sunshine (2006) .... Dwayne
• Fast Food Nation (2006) .... Brian
• The King (2005) .... Paul Sandow
• The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) .... Thaddius
• Taking Lives (2004) .... Young Asher
• The Girl Next Door (2004) .... Klitz
• Light and the Sufferer (2004) .... Don (AKA: Light)
• The Emperor's Club (2002) .... Martin Blythe
• Too Young to Be a Dad (2002) (TV) (as Paul Franklin Dano) .... Matt Freeman
• L.I.E. (2001) (as Paul Franklin Dano) .... Howie Blitzer
• The Newcomers (2000) .... Joel

1. ^ IMDB.com profile http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0200452/
2. ^ IMDB.com profile http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0200452/
3. ^ IMDB.com profile http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0200452/
4. ^ Grandjean, Pat, "First People" column, item titled "The Buzz", Connecticut Magazine, November 2006, page 17

• Paul Dano at the Internet Movie Database
• Paul-dano.com (fan site)
• reverbnation.com/mook (page about pauls band mook)
• www.myspace.com/mookband (More info on Mook)