John Krasinski

John Krasinski (born October 20, 1979, Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter who first garnered attention for his portrayal of paper salesman Jim Halpert in the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–13). He later became a successful director, especially known for the horror film A Quiet Place (2018), which launched a popular franchise.

Early life

Krasinski was born in Newton, Massachusetts, to Mary Claire (née Doyle) Krasinski, a nurse, and Ronald Krasinski, a doctor. Krasinski, the youngest of three sons, would grow to be 6 feet 3 inches (1.9 meters) tall, but he was still shorter than his two brothers. His early influences included comedians Jim Carrey, Chris Farley, and Conan O’Brien. As a child, one of his friends and Little League teammates was B.J. Novak, who was later a writer and actor on The Office. Krasinski’s first acting performance was in a high school play that Novak had written. Krasinski went on to attend Brown University, earning a bachelor’s degree in English literature in 2001.

Acting

While at Brown, Krasinski worked as a summer script intern on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 2000. After graduating, he had several small acting gigs while waiting tables in New York City to pay the bills. Success was sporadic and included parts in a play and a small role in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent in 2004. About that same time, he considered giving up on acting, but his mother persuaded him to stick it out a bit longer. Three weeks later, he had the chance to audition for an American version, set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, of the British comedy TV series The Office. The producers initially wanted Krasinski to audition for the role of Dwight Schrute, who was Jim Halpert’s nemesis on the show, but Krasinski successfully held out for Halpert—a role he perfected with a charming, goofy, down-to-earth performance. (Actor Rainn Wilson was ultimately cast for the role of Schrute.) Novak reportedly did not know that his old friend was auditioning for Halpert, but when he found out, he believed Krasinski to be a natural for the part: “You can’t tell he’s acting. I’m actually convinced that he doesn’t really know how to act.” Despite Krasinski’s fear early on that The Office would quickly be canceled, the show became a hit and ran from 2005 to 2013.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

During its run, Krasinski also appeared in several movies, including Duane Hopwood (2005), Jarhead (2005), The Holiday (2006), Shrek the Third (2007), and License to Wed (2007). In 2008 he starred with George Clooney and Renée Zellweger in the film Leatherheads. After The Office wrapped, he played Jack Silva, a contractor guarding an annex of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the 2016 movie 13 Hours, a film about the 2012 Benghazi attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya. In 2018 he landed the role of CIA analyst Jack Ryan in the Amazon Prime Video thriller series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, which ran for four seasons before ending in 2023.

Directing and writing: A Quiet Place series

Krasinski took most of the money he made from the pilot of The Office and bought the rights to David Foster Wallace’s short story collection, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. In 2009 he made his movie directorial debut with the film adaptation. He returned to the director’s chair for the dramedy The Hollars (2016), in which he also starred as a man who returns home after his mother becomes sick.

Afterward, producers pitched him to play the role of the father in a draft script called A Quiet Place by screenwriters Bryan Woods and Scott Beck. Krasinski agreed to the role but wanted to rewrite and direct the film. He shared a writing credit with Woods and Beck, directed the movie, and starred as the father of the family, Lee Abbott. Krasinski’s wife, British-American actress Emily Blunt, played his character’s wife, Evelyn Abbott. The movie depicts an apocalyptic world where blind and savage alien creatures are triggered by the slightest noise, forcing the Abbotts to go to great lengths to keep quiet and protect their family from getting eaten alive. The film was released in 2018 and was a huge hit. Krasinski followed that up with a 2020 sequel, A Quiet Place Part II.

In 2024 Krasinski directed the animated comedy If, about a young girl who can see people’s imaginary friends. The movie reunited him with Steve Carell, his costar from The Office. Krasinski also wrote the film and voiced one of the characters. He next cowrote A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), a prequel that is set during the start of the alien invasion.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

Personal life

Krasinski and Blunt married in 2010. The couple have two daughters. To celebrate his 40th birthday in 2019, Krasinski helped raise more than $500,000 for Family Reach, which provides financial support to families fighting cancer. When the COVID-19 pandemic left much of the world in lockdown in 2020, Krasinski hosted an online talk show, Some Good News, in which he highlighted inspirational stories, interviewed fellow celebrities, and helped raise money for pandemic relief. Krasinski has said that one of the favorite things he likes to hear people say about him is that he seems like a nice guy. In 2020 Krasinski was named the “Sexiest Guy Who Entertained Us in Lockdown” in a People magazine Readers’ Choice Poll.