Born in New York, USA, Paul Dano is an American actor, musician, and producer popularly known for his role in his debut movie L.I.E. (2002) for which he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. Dano, who first appeared on TV in 1998 at the age of 14, had begun performing as a stage artist when he was 10. Appearing in several classical Broadway plays, the actor eventually started getting roles in films. In 2006, he gave another promising performance in the movie Little Miss Sunshine, winning the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer. Dano followed this up with another critically acclaimed role in the movie There Will Be Blood (2007) - earning a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He has also starred in the movies Looper (2012), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Prisoners (2013), Swiss Army Man (2016), and Okja (2017). In 2014, Dano won several accolades including Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor, New York Film Critics Online Award for Best Actor, and San Francisco Film Critics Circle for Best Actor for his performance in the movie Love & Mercy.