Multiple Independent Spirit Award nominee Jeremy Renner earned a reputation as a reliable lead in dark-themed dramas, thanks to his stellar portrayal of renowned serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the biopic “Dahmer” (2002). With no qualms about committing to decidedly un-cuddly characters which would include a white supremacist in “Neo Ned” (2005) and a sexist boss in “North Country” (2005), Renner worked steadily below the radar in largely independent films. However his boyish face and flair for subtle complexity were increasingly tapped for supporting roles in major releases, including “S.W.A.T.” (2003) and “The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford” (2007). With each critical nod, Renner secured a firmer footing in Hollywood as a recognizable and dependable face in a variety of feature films.
Renner was born on Jan. 7, 1971, in California’s Central Valley town of Modesto. While the Beyer High School graduate was attending Modesto Junior College, he migrated between majors which included computer science and criminology before he discovered the drama department. Falling in love with this new vocation, Renner moved south to San Francisco where he built up his acting chops in local theater productions and landed his first acting job – working with police cadets by impersonating an outlaw for their training exercises.
When he decided to get more serious about an acting career, Renner moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a makeup artist while going to countless auditions and performing in small theaters. Among his most memorable theatrical performances was the drama "Search and Destroy," which he also co-directed, and which notoriously charmed film producer Barry Levinson enough that he financed its extended run. In 1995, Renner scored the lead in the mainstream comedy "National Lampoon's Senior Trip" (1995) and began to book movies-of-the-week, commercials and TV guest spots, including a role on "Angel" (The WB, 1999-2004) as Penn, a 17th-century vampire/serial killer.
The unknown actor got a huge break when he was cast in the biopic "Dahmer" (2002), earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his chilling portrayal of cannibalistic serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. His critically acclaimed performance paved the way for his first major mainstream outing, starring opposite Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson in the big budget film adaptation of the 1970s crime drama, "S.W.A.T." (2003), playing an ousted member of the Los Angeles Police Department's S.W.A.T team who is at odds with his ex-partner (Farrell). In the critically-acclaimed labor drama “North Country” (2005), Renner played an iron mine supervisor who conspires against a female mine worker’s (Charlize Theron) attempts to stop sexual harassment at work. While “North Country” appeared in mainstream theaters and earned a great deal of awards season buzz, Renner had several little-seen indies that same year, including starring roles as a man suspected of fraud and murder by an insurance adjuster (Forest Whitaker) in “A Little Trip to Heaven” (2005) and a neo-Nazi committed to a psychiatric hospital in “Neo Ned” (2005), which was a hit on the festival circuit.
Renner took a brief respite from darker roles to co-star alongside Amy Stewart and Seamus Dever in the college-set screwball comedy “Monkey Love” (2005). After co-starring as a death row inmate in the darkly funny “Love Comes to the Executioner” (2006), Renner returned to heavy drama to play a gambling addict whose life intersects with a single mom (Minnie Driver) in a life-altering way in “Take” (2007). A pair of mainstream films helped boost Renner’s profile, beginning with the post-apocalyptic horror sequel “28 Weeks Later” (2007).
After running for his life in futuristic London, Renner traveled to the Old West for the Brad Pitt vehicle “The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford” (2007), appearing in a supporting role as a cousin of James and one of the more moral-minded members of the notorious James Gang. Following the critically praised film, Renner had a guest appearance on the offbeat medical drama “House” (Fox, 2004-) and landed a starring role in the war drama “The Hurt Locker” (2008). Cast alongside relative unknowns Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty, Renner played a U.S. Army Sergeant tasked with disposing of unexploded bombs uncovered in Iraq. His first heroic role promised to be another career spike for the actor, who earned another Independent Spirit nomination for his work. The following year, was cast in a regular role on the police drama “The Unusuals” (ABC, 2009-).