Actor John Malkovich was born on December 9, 1953 in Christopher. He and his four siblings were raised in Benton by his mother, an editor for a local newspaper, and his father, who was the conservation director for the state of Illinois. His passion for acting took root during his time at Illinois State University, and it grew rapidly thereafter. After trying his hand at acting, Malkovich decided to leave Illinois State in 1976 and join the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago.  Though he found success starring in onstage performances, he had to work other jobs in order to make ends meet. This included driving a school bus, painting houses, and working for a landscaping company on his spare time.

In 1984 Malkovich made debuted in his first major role with actor Dustin Hoffman in the Broadway rendition of Death Of a Salesman, and shortly after was cast in his first film, The Killing Fields. His role in the 1984 film Places in the Heart earned him his first Oscar nomination, and his second nomination came for his supporting role in the 1993 movie In The Line Of Fire.

In 1999, he helped to produce the film Being John Malkovich, which offered the viewer a unique glimpse inside his mind. He has remained very active throughout his career by starring, acting, or directing a film nearly every year since 1984. His filmography includes more than 75 movies and TV series, and he has played a role in five different film and TV projects in 2014 alone.

Learn more:
John Malkovich's IMDb profile