Rise to Fame
He spent years grinding through NYC indie films and odd jobs (waiter, private detective's assistant) before getting his first real shot. Playing Chuck Barris in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), directed by George Clooney, earned him a Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear. Then Moon (2009) happened: a near-solo performance that critics loved but awards voters ignored. He finally won the Oscar for Three Billboards in 2018 at 49. It was his first nomination. Thirty years of craft, one trip to the podium.
In the Spotlight
His Oscar didn't convert him into a franchise star. He keeps taking chameleonic roles in smaller projects, and occasionally surfaces in ensembles like Argylle (2024). The White Lotus Season 3 earned him a third Emmy nomination, which is about right for how he operates. He's reuniting with Martin McDonagh for Wild Horse Nine, shooting on Easter Island with John Malkovich and Mark Ruffalo. Nobody has quite figured out how to market him, which is probably why he's still around.
Side Notes
Both parents were actors, and he appeared onstage at 10 in an East Village sketch playing Humphrey Bogart. That early training stuck. He's known for weaving tap dancing into his performances, a move that shows up in films and in his own Oscar acceptance speech. He's been with actress Leslie Bibb since 2007. He also paints and has shown work in galleries, and he's been a member of the New York-based LAByrinth Theater Company since 1992, back when he was still delivering food by bike. Some things stick.