Kinnear, Greg (1963- )

US actor. He became popular for his wry commentating from the early 1990s, first on the chat-show analysis programme Talk Soup (1991-94) and then on the late-night chat show Later (1994-96). He began acting in feature films from the mid-1990s, and received an Academy Award nomination for his supporting role as Jack Nicholson's gay neighbour in the 1998 comedy/drama As Good as it Gets.

He appeared in the comedy Blankman (1994) and landed his first starring role in 1996, as a con artist in the comedy Dear God. He had some success for supporting roles as the self-absorbed love interest in Sydney Pollack's remake of Sabrina (1995), Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail, and the black comedy Nurse Betty (2000). After a string of television and feature films of varying success, he went on to star in a trio of acclaimed films: an adaptation of the fast food exposé Fast Food Nation, the quirky comedy Little Miss Sunshine, and the football biopic Invincible (all 2006).

He was born in Logansport, Indiana, the son of a diplomat who moved the family to Washington, DC, and abroad, including Beirut, Lebanon, and Athens, Greece. Returning to the USA, he earned a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Arizona at Tucson in 1985. He moved to Los Angeles soon after, and in the late 1980s he appeared on MTV and television series such as LA Law and Life Goes On.