How Adrian Grenier Became A Hollywood Star And Where He Is Now
Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Adrian Grenier is an American actor who began his career professionally in 1997 and is best known for his acting in the HBO comedy-drama series, Entourage, produced by Mark Wahlberg, Doug Ellin, Larry Charles, and Rob Weiss. He has also acted in and directed various independent films and documentaries, such as Shot In The Dark and Teenage Paparazzo, the latter of which featured Lindsay Lohan, Alec Baldwin, and Whoopi Goldberg. In addition, he has also directed documentaries surrounding sustainable living and environmental health. His environmental advocacy, especially in matters of reducing single-use plastic for marine species protection, even led to him being appointed as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme in 2017. It's clear that Grenier had much more to offer the world than just his on-screen presence. Let's discover more about how he became a Hollywood star and what he's been up to recently.
Unlike most celebrities who can boast an impressive ensemble of high-ranking mainstream Hollywood movies, Grenier actually broke into acting through independent films. Shortly after graduating from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts, he went on to study molecular biology at Bard College in New York. However, his heart was set on acting and the arts. In 1997 he made his film debut in the indie drama, Arresting Gena. By 1999, he landed his breakout role in the teen comedy, Drive Me Crazy, starring Melissa Joan Hart and Ali Larter. It was a considerable success, grossing $22.6 million against a budget of $8.5 million.
After nailing his role as a lead actor in Drive Me Crazy, he starred in the crime comedy thriller, Harvard Man, opposite rising actresses Sarah Michelle Prinze, Eric Stoltz, Joey Laurey Adams, and Eric Stoltz. Although it was a complete flop, it did place Grenier opposite a few legendary celebrities. Around the same time, he also appeared in a black comedy directed by John Waters called Cecil B. Demented, starring Melanie Griffith, Stephen Dorff, and Alicia Witt, which, despite being a box office bomb, was praised by certain critics for its unique sense of humor.
As his acting career progressed into the 2000s, his following project would be the 2002 war drama film, Hart's War, starring Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, and Terrence Howard. The movie flopped at the box office for $33.1 million against a budget of a whopping $70 million, but being in a film with names as renowned as these early in an actor's career is enough to have agents ringing your phone. In 2001, he was also given a minor role in Steven Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence, opposite Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, and William Hurt. Grenier went on to star in a few other movies alongside actors like Woody Allen, Jason Biggs, and Danny DeVito before his breakthrough role in the HBO drama series, Entourage.
Grenier's fame was catapulted to a whole new level in 2004 when he played the role of Vincent Chase in the HBO comedy-drama, Entourage, where he starred alongside Kevin Connolly, Jeremy Piven, Debi Mazar, and Perrey Reeves. The series was a massive success and ran for eight seasons, from July 2008 to September 2011. With Mark Wahlberg on the team as one of the executive producers, the show was loosely based on his life experiences on his journey to fame and stardom. According to Celebrity Net Worth, during the peak of Grenier's time on Entourage, he was earning $200,000 per episode, after beginning at only $20,000. These figures greatly increased his net worth, which is currently set at $12 million. Then, in 2015, following the end of the television series, Entourage the movie was released, grossing $43.9 million at the box office, of which Grenier received $2 million for his role in the film.
Another major marker in the Trash Fire actor's career came in 2006 with his role in The Devil Wears Prada, where he shared the screen with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt. In addition to winning an American Film Institute Award for Movie of the Year, comedy-drama also grossed $326.7 million at the box office internationally. He continued with a few other independent projects throughout the remainder of the 2000s until 2013 when he starred in the apocalyptic film, Goodbye World, alongside Gaby Hoffmann, Ben McKenzie, and Scott 'Kid Cudi' Mescudi, which received mixed reviews.
Despite not having an extensive array of movies he has starred in, Grenier has taken the time to step back from the limelight of on-screen acting and has instead sat behind the camera as a director and producer. His interest in directing began shortly after his film debut in 1999 with the establishment of his own company, Reckless Productions, 2001. He focused more on socially-oriented documentaries and not so much on fiction or adaptation films. Under his company, he directed Shot In The Dark in 2002, a documentary following the Grenier's own journey to be reunited with his estranged father. His project premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was also released on HBO.
Subsequently, he released the television series. Alter-Eco, where the main focus was on sustainability and tips for living a more eco-friendly lifestyle. It was released on Planet Green, a branch of the Discovery channel. He would then go on to release Teenage Paparazzo in 2010 and How To Make Money Selling Drugs in 2012, both of which critical acclaim. While his productions may not have been a top-seller at the box office when compared to the works of Spike Lee, it was well-received by viewers.
Grenier has been vocal as an advocate for sustainable living throughout the years, going as far as launching an eco-themed app in 2009 entitled Ecohero. The app was designed to allow consumers to assess a product's environmental and health impact using a barcode scanner and carbon calculator feature. A few other celebrities who fall under the bracket of 'environmentalists' are Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cate Blanchard to name a few. It's truly admirable to see that Adrian Grenier can step outside of himself and use his influence to be a force of positive change in the world.
Sources: Celebrity Net Worth, Indie Wire, Tribeca Festival
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