American actor Giovanni Ribisi was born on December 17, 1974 in Los Angeles, California. He is of Italian-American descent and is the twin brother of actress Marissa Ribisi.
Giovanni Ribisi first began his career working on television, gaining recurring and guest roles on a number of shows. At the age of ten, he appeared on an episode of Michael Landon’s Highway to Heaven. In 1983, he was given the role of Duffy Guthrie in Still the Beaver, and has also appeared on an episode of The Twilight Zone. In 1988, he was cast as Cory Kupkus in My Two Dads, appearing in three episodes of the show. He was also seen in Married with Children and in the television movie Promised a Miracle. Ribisi was also given a role in the series The Wonder Years and NYPD Blue.
His first film was the 1995 horror Mind Ripper. The next year, he was cast in SubUrbia, by Richard Linklater. The next year, he was cast in Lost Highway with Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette. Ribisi was also given roles in Phoenix in 1998, Saving Private Ryan and The Mod Squad. He also narrated Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, which starred Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett. Ribisi also appeared on numerous episodes of the sitcom Friends, being cast as the brother of Phoebe Buffay played by Lisa Kudrow. His more famous films include Cold Mountain and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, both starring Jude Law. In 2003, he became known playing John in Lost in Translation. He was also in Flight of the Phoenix and The Dog Problem, as well as 2007’s Perfect Stranger. He has also been nominated for an Emmy Award for his recurring role in the television series My Name is Earl, where he plays the character Ralph Mariano.