Spencer Breslin (born May 18, 1992) is an American
actor
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
and
songwriter
A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
. He has appeared in feature films, including ''
Disney's The Kid'', ''
The Santa Clause 2'', ''
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause'', ''
The Cat in the Hat
''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by American author Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow tie. The Cat shows up at the house ...
'', ''
Raising Helen'', ''
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement'', ''
The Shaggy Dog'', and ''
Harold''. His television credits include ''
Teamo Supremo'',
''Stephen King's Storm of the Century'', and ''
Law & Order''.
As of 2016, Breslin has been writing songs for and playing in his band, Broken Machine, and co-hosting the ''Spencer & Lara's Vomitorium''
podcast
A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
.
Early life
Breslin was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
New York, to Michael Breslin, a
telecommunication
Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...
s consultant of
Irish and
Austrian-Jewish heritage, and Kim Breslin (née Walsh), a
talent manager
A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager, or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of Entertainer, artists within the entertainment industry. The responsibility of a talent manager is to ove ...
of predominantly Irish and
English heritage.
He has two siblings: older brother Ryan (b. 1985) and younger sister
Abigail (b. 1996), who are both actors.
They were raised in the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...
, where they were
homeschooled by their mother.
Personal life
Breslin married Australian activist
Grace Tame in 2017; they divorced in 2021 after 4 years of marriage.
Acting career
Early Career (1997–2004)
Breslin was discovered by a talent scout at a New York City playground at the age of 3 and went on to star in more than 50 commercials for
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
,
Life
Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
cereal, Pampers, and other products.
He made his TV debut at age 4 and was a series regular in the first season of ABC's 1997 sitcom ''
Soul Man'', in which he played the youngest child of
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer.
Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Nigh ...
's character.
He later guest-starred in several shows, including ''
Law & Order'', before appearing in
''Stephen King's Storm of the Century'' in 1999.
At 8 years old, Breslin starred in the 2000 fantasy
comedy-drama
Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
film ''
Disney's The Kid'' as Rusty alongside
Bruce Willis, who played the adult version of the same character, Russ.
For that role, Breslin won the 2000
Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film by a Young Actor Age Ten or Under at the
22nd Young Artist Awards presented by the
Young Artist Association.
He was also nominated for the 2001
Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor, awarded by the
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films is an American non-profit organization established in 1972 dedicated to the advancement of science fiction, fantasy, and Horror fiction, horror in film, television, and home video. The Aca ...
, and the 2000
Young Star Award for Best Young Actor in a Comedy Film, presented by ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''.
He played a little boy in the 2000 comedy film ''
Meet the Parents''. Later that year, he played Joey in the
Disney Channel Original Movie ''
The Ultimate Christmas Present'', and was nominated for the 2000 Young Artist Award for
Best Performance in a TV Movie (Comedy or Drama) Young Actor Age 10 or Under.
A young Breslin played Curtis the Elf in the 2002 Christmas comedy-fantasy film ''
The Santa Clause 2'', the first of four films in which he co-starred alongside
Tim Allen. He also appeared in the 2002 TV movie ''
Mom's on Strike;'' and as a pesky younger brother in the 2003 film ''
You Wish!''.
Breslin was nominated for a 2003 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role at the
24th Young Artist Awards for his work in 2002's ''
Return to Neverland'' voicing the role of Cubby the lost boy. That same year, he also played the voice of Captain Crandall/Cap in the Disney animated television series ''
Teamo Supremo''.
In 2003, Breslin starred alongside
Dakota Fanning and
Mike Myers
Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...
in the 2003 fantasy comedy film ''
The Cat in the Hat
''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by American author Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow tie. The Cat shows up at the house ...
'' as Conrad, the older brother of Fanning's character. The film was critically panned and grossed $134 million worldwide.
Breslin played on-screen siblings with his real-life younger sister
Abigail Breslin
Abigail Breslin (born April 14, 1996) is an American actress. Following a string of film parts as a young child, she rose to prominence at age 10 after playing Olive Hoover in ''Little Miss Sunshine'' (2006), for which Breslin received a nomin ...
in the 2004 comedy drama ''
Raising Helen'', starring
Kate Hudson as their aunt and guardian.
The two siblings worked together again in the 2004 romantic comedy ''
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement'', in which Breslin at the age of 12 played a prince and Abigail made a
cameo as a girl at an orphanage.
The film made $134.8 million at the worldwide box office.
In 2004, Breslin was a regular on the short-lived CBS sitcom ''
Center of the Universe'' starring
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...
.
He appeared in the ''
Wonderfalls'' episode
"Lovesick Ass."
Also in 2004, Breslin was asked to read alongside
Alyson Stoner,
Dylan and Cole Sprouse, and Hailey Anne Nelson when
Dr. Seuss won his Star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
.
Mid-Career (2005–2009)
In 2006, Breslin reprised his role as Curtis the Elf in ''
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.''
He also appeared in the superhero action-adventure comedy ''
Zoom'' and the comedy ''
The Shaggy Dog'' that same year.
Breslin went on to star as the titular character in the 2007 comedy ''
Harold'', about a teen who starts prematurely balding at an early age.
He also appeared as Josh in
M. Night Shyamalan's doomsday thriller ''
''The Happening''''.
Later Career (2010–present)
Breslin lent his voice as Anthony to the 2010 animated 3-D educational sci-fi adventure film ''
Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey''.
In 2010,
MTV listed Breslin as one of "The 17 Coolest 17 Year-Olds from Around the World".
Breslin appeared as Max in the 2011 film ''
Born to Race''. He then played Jason in the 2012 romantic comedy drama ''
Stuck in Love''.
Breslin appeared alongside Abigail as Cousin Derek in the 2012 crime drama ''
Perfect Sisters''.
Breslin also began to work in other aspects of film making, serving as an executive producer on the animated ''Really Bad Movie!'' in 2013, as well as writing and directing his own short films.
Breslin starred as Isaac in the 2016 horror film ''Some Kind of Hate'', which starred
Grace Phipps and
Sierra McCormick and played at the
Stanley Film Festival, the
Fantasia International Film Festival, and
Fright Fest.
As of July 2016, Breslin was co-hosting the ''Spencer & Lara's Vomitorium'' weekly
podcast
A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
, dedicated to "complaining about the unbearable, insufferable, and aggravating."
Music
Breslin finished recording his folk-indie debut album ''Labor Day'' in October 2009; the album was released in August 2012.
It was recorded by
Ladybug Transistor's Gary Olson and produced by
James William Hindle.
Breslin has founded his own record label, Acadian Recording Company.
As of July 2016, he was playing in his rock 'n roll,
indie folk band; Broken Machine.
Breslin writes all of his own music.
Discography
''Labor Day''
''Labor Day'' is Breslin's debut album,
released under his own label, Acadian Recording Co., on August 14, 2012.
Written and composed by 16-year-old Breslin, ''Labor Day'' was recorded by Gary Olson — known for his engineering work for acts such as
Cold Cave,
Jens Lekman, and
The Essex Green
The Essex Green is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn that has released four albums to date. The band is primarily composed of songwriters Jeff Baron, Sasha Bell and Chris Ziter, and specializes in a classic sound inspired by 1960s–197 ...
— over three, week-long sessions in Brooklyn from 2008 to 2009. The album was produced by James William Hindle, whose own music has been featured in ''
The O.C.'',
''One Tree Hill'', and other shows. Musicians featured include, among others, Kevin Barker (
Joanna Newsom,
Vetiver, and
Antony and the Johnsons), Isobel Knowles (
Architecture in Helsinki), Kyle Forester (
Crystal Stilts), and Eric Farber (
Ladybug Transistor). The record also features a spoken word cameo by actor
Jesse Eisenberg (''
The Social Network
''The Social Network'' is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2009 book '' The Accidental Billionaires'' by Ben Mezrich. It portrays the founding of social networkin ...
'', ''
The Squid and the Whale'').
Track listing
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Breslin won the 2000
Young Artist Award for
Best Performance in a Feature Film by a Young Actor Age Ten or Under. He was also nominated for the 2000 Young Artist Award for
Best Performance in a TV Movie (Comedy or Drama) - Young Actor Age 10 or Under, the 2000
YoungStar Award for Best Young Actor in a Comedy Film, the 2001
Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor, the
2003 Young Artist Award as Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role, and the
2007 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film by a Young Ensemble Cast.
List of awards
References
External links
*
Archive of an instance of Breslin's official website(His official website's domain name is no longer controlled by him)
Spencer Breslin's Filmography2008 video of Spencer Breslin thanking the US Armed Forces for their service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breslin, Spencer
1992 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American people of Austrian-Jewish descent
American people of English descent
American people of Irish descent
American comedy podcasters
Living people
Male actors from Manhattan
People from the Lower East Side