Bio
Giovanni Ribisi is an American actor best known for his roles in movies like Saving Private Ryan, Boiler Room, The Gift, Basic, Lost in Translation, Flight of the Phoenix and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
He has also played numerous recurring roles in television series like The Wonder Years, My Two Dads, Friends (as Phoebe Buffay's brother), My Name is Earl and Dads.
Ribisi was born Antonino Giovanni Ribisi in Los Angeles, the son of Gay Landrum, a manager of actors and writers, and Albert Anthony Ribisi, a musician who had been the keyboard player in People! (a band whose cover version of I Love You reached No. 14 on Billboards Hot 100, in the spring of 1968).
Ribisi is the twin brother of actress Marissa Ribisi and the brother of Gina Ribisi, a voice actress. Ribisi is of Sicilian (from his paternal grandfather), German, and English descent.
Ribisi began his career in network television with recurring and guest roles on a number of shows, including The New Leave It to Beaver, Married With Children, The Wonder Years and My Two Dads.
He entered the public eye with a prominent performance in The X-Files episode D.P.O. (an episode that also starred Jack Black), as well as with his recurring role as Frank Jr., the brother of Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) on Friends, but also starred as an extra earlier on in Season 2's The One with the Baby on the Bus.
Between 2005-2008, he appeared in multiple episodes of My Name Is Earl as the recurring character Ralph, earning a 2007 Emmy nomination for his performance on the series.
Ribisi has appeared on the video of British band Keane's single Crystal Ball, which was released worldwide in 2006. He appeared with Winona Ryder and John C. Reilly in Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's music video Talk About the Blues. He also appeared twice on the HBO comedy series Entourage.
Ribisi is an active Scientologist, and participated in the gala opening of Scientology's Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Museum. His twin sister, Marissa, is married to musician Beck; both are also Scientologists.
His daughter, Lucia Santina (born August 6, 1997), was featured on Beck's album, The Information and two of Sia's albums, Some People Have Real Problems and We Are Born.