Jon Favreau

Jon Favreau was born and raised in Queens, NY on October 19, 1966. Having graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, he pursued a short-lived career as a stock broker before he decided to become an actor. He moved to Chicago to work in im-prov and occasionally as an extra on such films as Hoffa (1992). He auditioned and got his first speaking role on the TV Show Angel Street.

1993 saw Jon co-starring in the film Rudy and it was during this shoot that he became friends with actor Vince Vaughn. In 1994 Jon was a guest-star on Seinfeld as 'Eric the Clown' and was also a short-lived star of Chicago Hope. Jon also had a role in Alan Parker's film Mrs. Paker and the Vicious Circle but his part was left on the cutting room floor. More successful was his turn in the college comedy PCU.

Jon then moved to Los Angeles and subsequently wrote the screenplay for Swingers which was partially based on his own experiences. The screenplay was bought by Miramax and as a bonus hired Jon to act in the film along with Vince Vaughn. The film, directed by Doug Liman and released in 1996, became a cult-classic and made Vaughn a leading man and led to Jon's recurring role as Pete Becker on Friends.

Jon starred in the big budgeted Deep Impact which was released in 1998 as was Very Bad Things.

Jon made his film directorial debut with Made in 2001, based on his screenplay, which also starred buddy Vaughn and Peter Falk as his mentor. The film was received poorly critically and at the box office. That same year saw the debut of Dinner for Five, a tv show on IFC hosted by Favreau and featuring many of his co-stars and friends as they talk about their career experiences.

2003 would prove to be a banner year for Jon as not only did he star in Daredevil but his next directorial effort, Elf became a box office hit. This led to his being hired as the director for the sci-fi fantasy Zathura which was released in 2005.

Jon's recent acting roles have been relatively minor - 2006 saw him guest-starring on My Name is Earl, Monk and he also co-starred in the Vince Vaughn / Jennifer Anniston film The Breakup. His career as a director has however been burgeoning, as he has been attached to the films John Carter of Mars and Iron Man, both based on the sci-fi/comic heroes. Jon also co-produced and directed the pilot for the TV show In Case of Emergency which aired on ABC in January 2007.

-CBS Interactive