Jeremy Piven 's Biography

Piven was born in New York, New York on July 26,1965 and grew up in Evanston, Illinois, in north suburban Chicago. He attended Camp Chi, a Jewish Community Center camp in Lake Delton, Wisconsin, in the 1970's. He graduated from Evanston Township High School before attending Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. While at Drake he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha (Pika) fraternity. He has worked for the Piven Theatre Workshop, which was founded by his parents, Byrne (deceased) and Joyce Hiller Piven. He has appeared in a number of films with close friend John Cusack, who is also from Evanston and is an alumnus of the Piven Theatre Workshop (as are Cusack's sisters Joan and Ann).

Piven currently plays Hollywood agent Ari Gold in the HBO series Entourage. He received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor in 2005 and won the award in 2006. Piven was also the star and producer of the short-lived ABC dramedy series Cupid, and was a supporting cast member on the last three seasons of the sitcom Ellen.

Piven says, of Chicago: "I have a place in Chicago and I get there as much as I can. ... The city is so unbelievably beautiful. It's one of the greatest cities on the planet. My heart beats differently when I'm in Chicago. It slows down and I feel more at ease." He also insisted that Cupid be filmed in Chicago.

Although Piven is Jewish, he shares beliefs of many Eastern Religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Piven starred in a Travel Channel special detailing his journey across India.