Giovanni Ribisi (born December 17, 1974 in Los Angeles, California) is an Italian-American actor of Sicilian origin. His parents are Gay Landrum, a talent agent, and Albert Ribisi, a musician. He is the twin brother of actress Marissa Ribisi and has a younger sister, Gina Ribisi.
He portrayed the supporting antagonist Parker Selfridge in Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash. He also voiced Selfridge in the video game.
Biography[]
Ribisi began his career in network television with recurring and guest roles on a number of shows, including The New Leave It to Beaver, The Wonder Years and My Two Dads. He entered the public eye with a prominent performance in The X-Files episode D.P.O. as well as with his recurring role as Frank Jr., the brother of Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) on Friends.
He has appeared in five episodes of My Name Is Earl, earning a 2007 Emmy nomination for his performance on the series. His film credits include Perfect Stranger, Gone In Sixty Seconds, Saving Private Ryan, That Thing You Do!, Boiler Room, subUrbia, The Gift, Basic, Lost in Translation, Flight of the Phoenix, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and Ted.
In the same year Avatar was released, he starred in Michael Mann's Public Enemies alongside Avatar co-star Stephen Lang.
Ribisi has also appeared on the video of British band Keane's single Crystal Ball, which was released worldwide on August 21, 2006. He also appeared with Winona Ryder and John C. Reilly in Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's music video Talk About The Blues.
Ribisi was married to Mariah O'Brien from March 18, 1997, through November 3, 2001; the couple had a daughter, Lucia, born in December 1997 and named after the doomed heroine in the Donizetti opera, Lucia di Lammermoor.
Due to his parents being Scientologists, Ribisi was raised as a Scientologist as well. He participated in the gala opening of Scientology's controversial "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death" Museum in December 2005. His twin sister, Marissa, is also a Scientologist and is married to indie-rocker Beck. Regarding his religion, during a 2017 interview on the Jim and Sam Show, Ribisi said of his faith, "It's a personal thing, it's something that works for me, and I think it's that simple."
2017-2019, Ribisi starred as Marius/“Pete” in the Amazon series Sneaky Pete over its three seasons.
2022, Ribisi starred as Joe Columbo in the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer, along with Miles Teller.
2023, He starred as Dan Cogdell in the Showtime miniseries Waco: The Aftermath, sequel of Waco, along with Michael Shannon and Michael Cassidy, his acting was praised. He worked as the first time Cinematography in Strange Darling, his work was praised by critics. later, he supported his funded for strike and actors, while Stephen Lang was the leader of strike.
On 2024, he starred in Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga alongside with Sam Worthington as H. Silas Pickering, like Parker Selfridge, his character is important to saga. in August, he debuted as theatrical film Cinematography "Strange Darling" and the film was receive acclaim.
Role in the Avatar films[]
Ribisi as Selfridge.
In 2007, Ribisi joined the main cast as as RDA administrator Parker Selfridge, his role is the boss of Miles Quaritch, who he has mutuals liking each other. Ribisi’s performance in the film was praised as convincing and amazingly accurate to the character. he admires in James Cameron and his Interest in Computer Graphics helped him for 3D as Ribisi formed a small visual effects company called Stereo D, when James Cameron needed a visual effects company to convert a shot for the film.
In 2017, Ribisi agreed to reprise his role from Avatar in all four Avatar sequels. In Avatar: The Way of Water, his role was considered disappointing by some viewers due to how brief it was, wishing to see more of his character. However Jon Landau revealed Selfridge will have more importance in the later sequels.
Trivia[]
- Daughter Lucia (born December 1997) is named after the doomed heroine in the Donizetti opera.
- Studied acting at The Beverly Hills Playhouse with Milton Katselas.
- Once competed on family game show I'm Telling with sister Marissa Ribisi.
- Won the ShoWest Newcomer of the Year Award in 1999.
- Made the cover of "Vanity Fair" after receiving critical kudos for Saving Private Ryan.
- Best known on TV in the recurring role of Lisa Kudrow's dimbulb brother on Friends.
- Clashed with filmmakers on the Basic set because of the inclusion of a female Special Forces operative. Women are not eligible for combat in the US military. He felt it compromised the integrity of the story.
- He is 15 minutes older than twin sister Marissa.
- Was approached to play Lynch McGraw in "Hero Wanted" but turned it down.
- Ribisi thought about Selfridge as "the world's biggest douchebag but innocent in some capacity"
- Ribisi want to played Na'vi in the sequels and hope James Cameron will find the way to make it happens.
- He is set for all four of James Cameron’s upcoming Avatar, even in Avatar: The Way of Water, he is a brief cameo character.
- Giovanni Ribisi and Stephen Lang are closed and always meet each other in some occasional, they always teasing to each other
- 2022, Lang and Ribisi didn't have interacted in Avatar: The Way of Water premier like the first film, because Ribisi wasn't in film's main cast,
- 2023, Lang attended Ribisi's premier of Waco: The Aftermath and have a reunion.
- Giovanni Ribisi, Sam Worthington and Stephen Lang are voice actors in the video game franchise Call Of Duty.
- Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang and Sam Worthington is the most actor who worked together for more than 5 fims, Lang for Public Enemies, Worthington for Horizon: An American Saga and every Avatar films for both.
- Giovanni Ribisi and Stephen Lang are the only actors in Avatar that worked with Sam Raimi, Ribisi for The Gift and Lang for Don't Breath
- Giovanni Ribisi and Jack Champion are the only actors in Avatar that worked in Wes Craven franchise series, Ribisi for The Hill Have Eyes and Champion for Scream. They also worked with Courteney Cox, Liam Neeson, Bryan Cranston, Ribisi for Friends, A Million Ways To Die In The West and Sneaky Pete, Champion for Scream VI, Retribution and Everything’s Going to Be Great.
- Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang and Jack Champion are the only actors in Avatar that played antagonists in horror films, Ribisi (The Gift), Lang (Don't Breath) and Champion (Scream VI).
- Giovanni Ribisi and Sam Worthington are the main cast of Horizon: An American Saga, the another franchise by Kevin Costner.
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