Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Adam Eisenberg ( EYE-zən-burg; born October 5, 1983) is an American actor, playwright, and filmmaker. Recognized for playing smart but socially awkward characters in both comedies and dramas, his accolades include a BAFTA Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, and three Golden Globes.

Eisenberg made his television debut with the short-lived comedy-drama series Get Real (1999–2000). Following his first leading role in the film Roger Dodger (2002), he starred in films such as The Squid and the Whale (2005), Adventureland (2009) and Zombieland (2009). He gained wider recognition for starring as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher's film The Social Network (2010), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Eisenberg then starred in the Woody Allen films To Rome with Love (2012) and Café Society (2016), the heist films Now You See Me (2013) and its two sequels (2016 and 2025), and independent dramas such as The Double (2013).

He starred as Lex Luthor in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) superhero films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), and had a lead voice role as Blu in the animated films Rio (2011) and Rio 2 (2014). In 2022, he starred in the FX / Hulu miniseries Fleishman Is in Trouble and made his film directorial debut with the black comedy When You Finish Saving the World. He has since directed, written, and starred in the comedy-drama A Real Pain (2024), which earned him the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay and an Academy Award nomination in the same category.

Eisenberg has contributed pieces to The New Yorker and the website McSweeney's. He has written and starred in three plays for the New York stage: Asuncion, The Revisionist, and The Spoils. He released his first book, Bream Gives Me Hiccups: and Other Stories, in 2015.

Jesse Adam Eisenberg was born in Astoria, Queens (NYC) and grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey. His mother, Amy (née Fishman), who now teaches cross-cultural sensitivity in hospitals, previously worked as a clown named Bonabini at children's parties and as a director/choreographer for a high school for 20 years. She was also a Socialist Zionist and member of the Hashomer Hatzair youth organization. His father, Barry Eisenberg, drove a taxicab, then worked at a hospital, and later became a college professor, teaching sociology. He has two sisters: Hallie Eisenberg, a former child actress who was once famous as the "Pepsi Girl" in a series of commercials; and Kerri Eisenberg, now Kerry Lea, who also worked as an actress, ran a vegetarianism- and animal rights-based children's theatre troupe, later becoming an independent artist in New York.

Eisenberg was raised in a secular Jewish household. His ancestors came from Poland and from the area that later became Ukraine. He attended the East Brunswick Public Schools at Frost Elementary School, Hammarskjold Middle School (6th & 7th), Churchill Junior High School (8th & 9th), and spent his sophomore and junior years at East Brunswick High School. He then transferred to the Professional Performing Arts School in New York for his senior year. When he was a senior, he received his breakthrough role in the independent comedy-drama film Roger Dodger. His work in the film prevented him from enrolling at New York University. Instead, he studied anthropology and contemporary architecture at The New School in Greenwich Village, where he majored in liberal arts, with a focus on democracy and cultural pluralism.

Eisenberg struggled to fit in at school due to an anxiety disorder, and began acting in plays at an early age. When he was seven he starred as Oliver Twist in a children's theater production of the musical Oliver!, and by 12 he was an understudy in the 1996 Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke. At 13, he understudied the role of Young Scrooge in a musical version of A Christmas Carol starring Tony Randall. He had his first professional role in Arje Shaw's off-Broadway play The Gathering at age 16. He said, "When playing a role, I would feel more comfortable, as you're given a prescribed way of behaving."

Eisenberg started writing screenplays at 16, some of which were optioned by major studios, but he claimed that he was dissatisfied with the lack of control he had over his creations once they were sold. He once got into trouble with Woody Allen's lawyers when, as a teenager, he penned a play about how Allen came to change his name and managed to get the script to Allen's "people." Instead of a seal of approval, he received cease and desist letters from Allen's attorney. Eisenberg later starred in two films directed by Allen, To Rome with Love and Café Society.

Eisenberg made his television debut in the series Get Real, from 1999 to 2000. In 2001, he appeared in a UK Dr Pepper commercial as "Butt Naked Boy." After appearing in the made-for-television film Lightning: Fire from the Sky at 18, he starred in the independent film Roger Dodger (for which he won an award at the San Diego Film Festival for Most Promising New Actor), and in The Emperor's Club, both of which were released in 2002 to generally positive reviews. Eisenberg was sick for the majority of the nightclub scene and can be seen sweating in different shots.

In 2005, Eisenberg appeared in Cursed, a horror film directed by Wes Craven, and The Squid and the Whale, a well-reviewed independent drama starring Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels. In 2007, he starred opposite Richard Gere and Terrence Howard in The Hunting Party, a comic thriller in which he plays an American journalist reporting from Bosnia and was also cast in the indie comic-drama Holy Rollers alongside his sister, Hallie Eisenberg, who played his fictional sister in the film. He played a young Hasidic Jew who becomes involved in the ecstasy smuggling trade, using his religion as a disguise to deal without suspicion. Filming took place in New York in 2008. In 2009, Eisenberg played the lead role alongside Kristen Stewart which would be the first of many collaborations between them in Adventureland, a comedy directed by Greg Mottola and filmed in Kennywood Park, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Filming wrapped in October 2007, and the film had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. During the late 2000s, he also had roles in the independent films Solitary Man, playing college student Daniel, and Camp Hell, a horror film directed by George Van Buskirk.

In 2012, he starred alongside Melissa Leo in Why Stop Now, a drama about a drug addict mother (Leo) and her piano prodigy son (Eisenberg), and in the magical realist romantic comedy To Rome with Love, directed by Woody Allen. That same year, he filed a $3 million lawsuit against the producers of the 2010 direct-to-DVD film Camp Hell, claiming exploitation. According to the lawsuit, Eisenberg agreed to appear in the film as a favor to his friends. He was on set for one day of filming in 2007, earned about $3,000, and logged only a few minutes of total screen time. Because of his minimal involvement in the production, he was surprised to see that his face was prominently featured on the cover of the DVD, implying that he starred in the film. His lawsuit asserts various California law causes of action, including claims for unfair business practices and publicity rights.

In 2013, Eisenberg reunited with Woody Harrelson for the magician heist thriller Now You See Me, playing a world-famous close-up magician and street performer recruited into a secret group of elite magicians to pull off bank heists with magic tricks, redistributing the money from a wealthy businessman (Michael Caine) to victims of his corrupt capitalist schemes. That year he announced his plan to continue writing, for both stage and screen, as well as continuing to act. He debuted his second play, The Revisionist, and starred in Richard Ayoade's drama, The Double (2013), which was shot in 2012. In the following years, Eisenberg reprised his role as Blu in Rio 2 (2014), and reunited with Stewart in the action comedy American Ultra (2015), playing a rogue sleeper agent being chased by the C.I.A.

In 2015, Eisenberg portrayed Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky in the biographical drama film The End of the Tour, appearing opposite Jason Segel, who portrayed the late author David Foster Wallace. Eisenberg's third play, The Spoils, premiered off-Broadway in The New Group Perishing Square Signature Center Alice Griffin Box Theatre. The play featuring Eisenberg as Ben, also starring Kunal Nayyar, Michael Zegen, Erin Darke, and Annapurna Sriram, was the winner of The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation Theatre Visions Fund Award. On September 8, 2015, Eisenberg released his first book, Bream Gives Me Hiccups, a collection of short humor pieces.

Eisenberg serves on the Board of Advisors for Playing On Air, a public radio show/podcast that works with contemporary playwrights to produce plays for "today's digital audience." He has written one short play for Playing On Air, called A Little Part of All of Us (2015), which he starred in with Justin Bartha. He has voiced for two other plays, The Final Interrogation of Ceaucescu's Dog (2015), written by Warren Leight, and The Blizzard (2016), written by David Ives and directed by John Rando. Eisenberg played the supervillain Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was released in March 2016, to generally negative reviews. His performance in particular was criticized by comic book fans and film reviewers, later earning him the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor. He defended himself by saying he attempted to "make these people real and relatable and interesting and engaging." Years later, Eisenberg shared that he felt joining the project was detrimental to his career because he was poorly received in the high-profile film.

Eisenberg then reunited with Woody Allen and Kristen Stewart (for the third time) in Café Society. The film held its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 11, 2016. Eisenberg next reprised his role as street magician J. Daniel "Danny" Atlas in Now You See Me 2, which was released on June 10, 2016, previewed June 9, to mixed reviews. The film was shot primarily in London and Macau. It grossed over $267 million worldwide, and Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer announced that they had "already begun early planning" for Now You See Me 3. On June 2, 2016, Eisenberg's play The Spoils began a run at London's Trafalgar Studios in the West End, with Scott Elliott returning to direct. Eisenberg again played the lead role, along with Nayyar and Sriram, while Zegen and Darke's characters were replaced by Alfie Allen and Katie Brayben respectively. In May 2016, Eisenberg teased that he would reprise his role of Lex Luthor in the Justice League film (2017). An official press kit, released by Warner Bros. on December 22, 2016, confirmed the return. He appeared as Luthor in the post-credits scene alongside Joe Manganiello as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke. Eisenberg joined Riley Stearns's dark comedy The Art of Self-Defense alongside Imogen Poots and Alessandro Nivola. Principal photography began in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 11, 2017 and the film had its world premiere in 2019.

Eisenberg portrayed Marcel Marceau in the 2020 film Resistance, written and directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz, which focused on Marceau's part in the French resistance during World War II. He also reappeared as Luthor in the post-credits scene for Zack Snyder's Justice League alongside Manganiello.

Eisenberg starred as Toby Fleishman in FX's limited series Fleishman is in Trouble opposite Lizzy Caplan. Created by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, it is an adaptation of her New York Times bestselling debut novel of the same name. The series premiered on FX on Hulu on November 17, 2022. Eisenberg made his feature directorial debut in When You Finish Saving the World which was adapted from his own original audiobook series. The film stars Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard and is produced by his Zombieland co-star, Stone. The film premiered at 2022 Sundance Film Festival and was released in cinemas on January 20, 2023. That same year he appeared as the main character, Ralphie, in the film Manodrome and received favorable reviews for his acting.

The following year, he directed and wrote the comedy-drama A Real Pain, a film which he also acted in opposite Kieran Culkin, who won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it received positive reviews. Searchlight Pictures paid $10 million for the distribution rights. He earned two Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Screenplay, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

He was the executive producer of the 2024 documentary Secret Mall Apartment.

Eisenberg's next project is The Debut, a musical comedy film starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti, which he will direct, write, and also contribute original music for.

Eisenberg dated Anna Strout from 2002 to 2012 after they met on the set of The Emperor's Club, where she worked as an assistant to Lisa Bruce. He then dated Mia Wasikowska, his co-star in The Double, from 2013 to 2015. He later resumed his relationship with Strout and they married in 2017. Their son, Banner, was born in April 2017. They divide their time between Bloomington, Indiana (his wife's hometown), and New York City. He previously lived with his younger sister Hallie and her boyfriend, singer-songwriter Owen Danoff, until June 2016, when Hallie and Danoff moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

Eisenberg has played the drums since he was eight years old. His favorite band is Ween.

Eisenberg collaborated with Child Mind Institute in their #MyYoungerSelf project, where "each day in May a prominent individual will speak to his or her younger self about growing up with a mental health or learning disorder." In a video published on May 2, he spoke about his OCD and anxiety growing up.

Eisenberg is fond of cats and has been involved in fostering animals. He has been associated with Farm Sanctuary and has presented at several of their galas. In 2015 he stated, "I'm like 95% vegetarian."

During the 2014 Gaza War, Eisenberg visited Beit Lessin Theater in Tel Aviv for the premiere of a Hebrew adaptation of The Revisionist, going against advice from the US State Department to not travel to the region and visiting cities in Israel such as Jerusalem and Haifa.

In September 2015, Eisenberg announced that from November, he would match donations made to Middle Way House, a domestic violence shelter in Bloomington, Indiana, up to $100,000 until April 3, 2016. All contributions went toward the organization's mortgage payment fund that was matched by a committee, led by Eisenberg. On the shelter, Eisenberg said, "It's an incredible collective. It's the kind of place where the residents go through their wonderful program and end up working there. It's saved so many lives." In an interview with Variety in March 2018, Eisenberg stated that he has raised almost $1 million for the shelter.

Eisenberg is a cast member with Theater of War, a performing arts non-profit that presents readings of Sophocles's Ajax and Philoctetes to military and civilian communities across the United States and Europe. "As an actor, sometimes you feel limited by the role you're in; stories without much meaning. [Theatre of War] allows you do something that has more substance and benefits people ... It's a greater purpose than just entertainment," Eisenberg said of the organization.

According to the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Eisenberg's most critically acclaimed films are Roger Dodger (2002), The Squid and the Whale (2005), Adventureland (2009), Zombieland (2009), The Social Network (2010), The End of the Tour (2015), Wild Indian (2021), and A Real Pain (2024).

Eisenberg has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the following:

83rd Academy Awards: Best Actor, nomination, for The Social Network (2010)

97th Academy Awards: Best Original Screenplay, nomination, for A Real Pain (2024)