Name: Jesse Adam Eisenberg Date of Birth: 5 October 1983 Place of birth: Queens, New York City Special moves: Singing. Playwriting. Acting. Films include: The Social Network, 30 Minutes Or Less, Rio, Holy Rollers, Zombieland, Adventureland

What you probably already know:

Jesse Eisenberg is a fledgling star with an instantly recognisable head of curly hair. It’s probably in owing to this barnet that he’s become your typical Indie flick actor; most people recognise him from his stint in Adventureland, where he lusted after a difficult and free-spirited Kristen Stewart. Sigh. However, it was surprise hit Zombieland which really put him on the map; knocking Michael Cera off his pedastal as the ultimate lust-worthy geek, Eisenberg put in a sterling effort as the neurotic Columbus in this horror-comedy zombie road-trip acrost post-apocalyptic America, with only a psychotic Woody Harrelson for company.

It would goes without saying that it was Eisenberg’s lead role in The Social Network which gave him his big star credentials. Taking on the role of Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, was an extraordinarily wise choice; in one fell swoop he earned the Best Actor Award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, as well as first-time nominations for Best Actor at the Golden Globes AND the Academy Awards. Not bad going, eh?

What you might not know:

Jesse’s mother was a professional clown. That’s a pretty good start to this bit, isn’t it? His mother was a professional clown who performed at children’s birthday parties in their hometown of East Brunswick for no less than 20 years. No wonder he found himself bitten by the acting bug; Jesse was a frequent flyer in the world of school plays and, in his senior year of high school, was accepted into New York University. Did he go? Nope. Instead, he took on the role of Nick in the 2002 movie “Roger Dodger” and clawed his way up the acting ladder, working his way through the likes of The Village and Get Real, a TV show in which he starred alongside Anne Hathaway, along the way.

He later went on to work with Hathaway in Rio, in which the pair play… well, they play parrots, in a project which seems weirdly close to Jesse’s heart: “I’m hoping to do several sequels to Rio – Rios 2 through 10. You know, this movie is so wonderful, and we were wondering where the story might go, because this is the same company that did Ice Age and we suspected it may have some odd sequels.”

Whatever you say Jesse!

From independent films, such as The Squid And The Whale, to big blockbusters like The Social Network, Jesse next plans to make his move into the world of theatre, both in a writing and acting capacity. In fact, his first professional role was a case of treading the boards in Arje Shaw’s off-Broadway play, The Gathering. With some theatrical projects lined up in the near future, as well as his own script well underway, it looks as if this is definitely a guy who wants to improve his craft rather than his fame factor.

Jesse Eisenberg quote:

I have a lot of personal anxieties. And I’ve realized that playing a character stuck in a life-or-death situation like this allows me to release those anxieties in a very healthful, cathartic way.

What to say at a dinner party:

“Jesse Eisenberg is a thoughtful and talented actor, who will only work on a project which he wholly supports. With roles lined up for Now You See Me and The Bop Decameron (the latest Woody Allen film), as well as some juicy theatre roles and comedy parts, it seems as if Eisenberg will be climbing even further up the career ladder in the near future. This is definitely an actor who is serious about his craft.”

What not to say at a dinner party:

“Jesse Eisenberg? Isn’t he the guy from Lonely Island?”

Final thought:

Jesse Eisenberg’s latest stint is in 30 Minutes Or Less; Jesse is the hapless pizza guy kidnapped by two fledgling criminals, who strap a bomb to his chest, and inform him that he has mere hours to rob a bank or else. We’re not exactly sold on this one but we’re sending out one of our top BFF reporters tonight to check it out and report back. You just never know, it may do a Zombieland and be the next surprise Eisenberg hit!

Anything else you think the world should know? Drop us a comment below!