An exceptional young player from a family of Hollywood royalty, Jason Schwartzman wasn't looking for an acting career. Yet as the star of Wes Anderson's droll comedy "Rushmore" (1998), he proved not only a capable performer, but a powerful screen presence with a promising future. As enterprising love-struck Max Fischer, the diminutive (5'5"), dark-haired Schwartzman (who possessed expressive eyes, thick brows and a generally snarky demeanor) delivered a sensitive, engaging and remarkably funny debut performance. Given the daunting task of making his film debut in a starring role, the actor's performance perfectly complemented costar and comedy legend Bill Murray as Max's best friend and chief rival for the affections of Rushmore Academy's first grade teacher, the luminous young widow Miss Cross (Olivia Williams). Schwartzman proved a natural, with impeccable comic timing and deadpan dry delivery, firmly establishing him as a bona fide talent right out of the gate.
Born on June 26, 1980 in Los Angeles, CA the son of late producer Jack Schwartzman and actress-director Talia Shire, the young actor could count among his clan such notables as cousin Nicolas Cage and uncle Francis Ford Coppola (both of whom have won Academy Awards). It was cousin director Sofia Coppola (Uncle Frank's daughter) who noted the similarities between him and the character of Max (described as "a playwright, horrible in school [who] loves older women"). Sophia made the introduction of Schwartzman to the casting director of "Rushmore.” Nervous about embarking on a career in the movie industry (accurately labeled "the family business" by Schwartzman), he often consulted his experienced mother for advice during filming. Whatever the method, his highly acclaimed performance in the critically touted film serves as a testament to its success.
Although he had auditioned for the role of Tom Hanks' matchmaking son in 1993's "Sleepless in Seattle" (which went to Ross Malinger), acting was not Schwartzman's primary focus. In 1994, he formed a band called Phantom Planet, serving as a drummer and songwriter, hearkening back to another familial influence, his grandfather, Oscar-winning composer Carmine Coppola. Phantom Planet was signed to Geffen Records and released its debut album, Phantom Planet Is Missing, in late 1998, shortly before "Rushmore" was released to rave reviews. While he has insisted that his career in the L.A.-based pop-rock outfit comes first, Schwartzman has signed on to do another movie with the Wes Anderson/Owen Wilson filmmaking team, this time playing one of a family of zany geniuses in a New York City set comedy. Even Schwartzman's decidedly un-WASPy looks befit both his real-life roles as a rock star drummer and a thoughtful actor. His unique screen presence and unquestionable talent for acting added to his creativity and determination as a musician just might equal a thriving career in both fields.
Schwartzman chose his subsequent roles carefully, appearing in low-budget, low-profile films which kept their integrity as individual expressions. He appeared in Roman Coppola's directorial debut "CQ" (2001), a period film about a struggling director (Jeremy Davies) making a movie about the future, and the anti-high school comedy "Slackers" (2002). He ended that year appearing in the more mainstream "Simone" (2002), starring Al Pacino as a down-and-out Hollywood director making a last ditch comeback by turning a computer-generated woman (Rachel Roberts) into a star. After gaining recognition for "California," a song he wrote for Phantom Planet that became widely known thanks to the success of the independent film “Orange County” (2002), Schwartzman starred to great effect as a speed freak in the critically acclaimed "Spun" (2003). The young actor attempted a foray into series television with the sitcom "Cracking Up" (Fox, 2004), playing a student who moves into the guest house of a seemingly picture-perfect, but apparently crazy Beverly Hills family. Despite the pedigree of creator Mike White and a healthy dose of critical raves, the series died on the vine.
Schwartzman's gift for portraying quirky characters seemed far better suited to edgier big-screen fare, as evidenced by his turn in writer-director David O. Russell's fourth feature "I [Heart] Huckabees" (2004). Schwartzman played the troubled foe of the superstore Huckabees who hires a husband and wife team of "existential detectives" (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to help him solve the problems that are plaguing him. He next popped up in a supporting role as Will Ferrell's intensely focused, truth-impaired Hollywood agent in the big screen remake of the classic '60s series "Bewitched" (2005) before co-starring in the big screen adaptation of Steve Martin's bestselling novella "Shopgirl" (2005) as Ray, an uncultured, not-so-successful bachelor who competes with a wealthy sophisticate (Martin) for the affections of a Beverly Hills glove salesgirl (Claire Danes). In Sophia Coppola’s stylish period piece, “Marie Antoinette” (2006), Schwartzman gave a slyly detached performance as the young King of France, Louis XVI, who weds the daughter of Austrian nobility (Kirsten Dunst), only to spend the next several years failing to consummate the marriage, much to the chagrin of the court advisors wanting an heir to the throne.