In a career that spans decades, Jeremy Piven TV has played many memorable characters and earned a wide range of awards. But his most enduring work may be as Ari Gold on the HBO series Entourage, which earned him three Emmys over the course of nine seasons. Born in New York City, Piven grew up in Evanston, Illinois, and studied at the Piven Theatre Workshop, which his parents founded in 1972. He also attended the Second City National Touring Company and trained at Harand Theater Camp in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, both of which helped him hone his craft as an actor.
Piven’s first big role came as a regular cast member on the HBO series Larry Sanders Show, where he played head writer Jerry. He appeared in other notable films, including Black Hawk Down, The Family Man, Old School and Runaway Jury before landing his breakthrough role as a manic talent agent on the Hollywood-set Entourage. He also starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom Cupid and the feature film Serendipity, both of which reunited him with his Entourage co-star John Cusack.
Master of Characters: Jeremy Piven’s Impact on the Acting Landscape
In 2006, Piven starred in the crime action film Smokin’ Aces as Buddy Israel, a Las Vegas car salesman who becomes a mob informant. He also co-starred in the comedy The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard and the dark drama Very Bad Things alongside Christian Slater and Jon Favreau. After the sexual misconduct scandal involving producer Harvey Weinstein inspired women to come forward and share their own experiences, Piven was accused of inappropriate behavior by several women. He denied the accusations and re-teamed with Cusack in the movie Assassination Nation.