Biography
Paul Franklin Dano (born 19 June 1984) is an American actor and filmmaker. He began his career in theatre, appearing on Broadway as a child, before making his film debut in The Newcomers (2000). He received the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in L.I.E. (2001).
Dano is known for roles including Dwayne Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Paul Sunday and Eli Sunday in There Will Be Blood (2007), Seth in Looper (2012), John Tibeats in 12 Years a Slave (2013), Alex Jones in Prisoners (2013), Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy (2014), and Edward Nashton / The Riddler in The Batman (2022). He played Keith Gill in Dumb Money (2023).
He made his directorial debut with Wildlife (2018), which he co-wrote with his partner Zoe Kazan. Dano received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his role in the miniseries Escape at Dannemora (2018) and appeared in the series The Studio (2025).
