Biography And Filmography:

Born on June 26, 1980 in Los Angeles, California and son of the late Hollywood producer Jack Schwartzman and Talia Shire, both an actress and director, Jason Schwartzman can brag about his family genes with such celebrity relations as Academy Award winner and cousin Nicolas Cage, and uncle Francis Ford Coppola. It was his cousin and director Sofia Coppola who got the young man interested in pursuing acting as a career.  Sophia introduced him to the casting director working on the film "Rushmore” with Bill Murray and a young Luke Wilson. 

Even though he had auditioned for the part of Tom Hanks' matchmaking son in "Sleepless in Seattle", acting and performing were not Jason's primary focus. Music was his passion. In 1994, he formed a rock band called "Phantom Planet" as the drummer and main songwriter. "Phantom Planet" was given a record deal and signed to Geffen Records and released its first album, "Phantom Planet Is Missing" in 1998, shortly before the movie "Rushmore" was released to outstanding reviews. 

Schwartzman chose his future movie roles wisely, appearing in Roman Coppola's sci-fi comedy "CQ" in 2001, a film about a stressed director (Jeremy Davies) making a film about the future. Next was the high school comedy "Slackers" (2002) starring Devon Sawa, a story about what happens when the school geek discovers three fellow college students scamming the system, and he blackmails them to win over the school's most popular girl. He ended that year appearing in the more contemporary "S1m0ne" (2002) starring Al Pacino and Winona Ryder, where a producer's film is endangered when his star walks off the project, so he decides to digitally create an actress to substitute for the star, becoming an overnight sensation that everyone thinks is a real person.

He then took the starring  role, working next to Brittany Murphy, as a speed freak in the well received crime drama "Spun" in 2003. He then tried his hand at series television appearing in six episodes of the sitcom "Cracking Up" (2004), where he played the role of Ben, a student, who moves into a Beverly Hills family's guest house where every family member seems to act crazier than the next, even though they look like a picture-perfect family. 

Jason then got his big-screen break starring in the lead role of David O. Russell's comedy "I Heart Huckabees" (2004) with Dustin Hoffman, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, Jonah Hill and Jude Law, about a husband and wife team who play detective, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the two help others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means. Schwartzman played the lead role of Albert Markovski, a troubled foe of the superstore Huckabees who hires the two to help him solve the problems that are plaguing him. 

He was next cast in a supporting role as Will Ferrell's intensely alert, but lying Hollywood talent agent in the movie adaptation of the classic '60s series "Bewitched" (2005) with Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine and Steve Carell as Uncle Arthur. The actor next co-starred in the big screen version of Steve Martin's best selling book "Shopgirl" (2005) as Ray, an unsophisticated, lazy bachelor who competes with a rich sophisticate (Steve Martin) for the attention of a Beverly Hills glove salesgirl (Claire Danes). 

In “Marie Antoinette” (2006), he was cast as the young King of France, Louis XVI, who gets married to the young daughter of Austrian Habsburg nobility Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst), only to waste the next several years unable to consummate the marriage, much to the disappointment of the royal advisors wanting to see the next heir to the throne. While Jason gained rave reviews for his performance, the film was only able to pull out one Oscar award for Best Costume Design.

The following year was somewhat of a bumpy year with the actor appearing in the little seen "The Darjeeling Limited" (2007) starring alongside Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody, where three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other. The movie was a flop and failed to bring even the most modest reviews. But his fans did not seem to mind the setback of "Darjeeling", and cried out for more of the actor. His star status in Hollywood had been cemented.

The actor jumped right back into movie making with the comedy "The Marc Pease Experience" (2008) starring with Ben Stiller, in the story about a former high school musical star Marc Pease, who finds himself still living in the past, eight years after graduating. The actor scored another big hit with the animated family comedy "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" (2009) working with A-list celebrities George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Bill Murray, in a story about angry farmers who are tired of sharing their chickens with a sly fox, and look to get rid of their opponent and his family. 

He then starred in the Judd Apatow comedy "Funny People" (2009) starring alongside his pals Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler Jonah Hill and Eric Bana. Jason is also working on a television series due in 2009 titled "Bored To Death" with Jason in the starring role.

The musician has recently created his own music label called "Coconut Records" to be used on all his new music projects and upcoming commercial albums.

Watch Jason Schwartzman Interview About His New Music Label "Coconut Records"

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