Actor Chris Klein made his professional debut in the satirical high school-set comedy "Election" (1999). Filmed in director Alexander Payne's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, Klein was discovered when Payne visited his high school on a locations scout. After an audition, the young actor was cast as Paul Metzler, a sweet, naïve and popular sidelined athlete who is persuaded by his teacher (Matthew Broderick) to run against the overachieving Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) for class president. Playing the least malevolent character in the film, Klein offered a portrayal that was likened by many critics to Keanu Reeves' charming early performances. Brown-haired, tall, and athletic in build, the actor again played a likable jock in that summer's surprisingly sensitive teen sex comedy "American Pie". This time he portrayed Oz, a lacrosse player who, in an attempt to impress girls, seeks to prove he is more than a mindless sports hero by joining a choir.

His rising status was further confirmed when he was signed to star opposite Leelee Sobieski in the romance "Here on Earth" (2000). Klein subsequently headlined the low-brow incest-themed comedy "Say It Isn't So" (2001, produced by the Farrelly brothers) and was tapped to star in the remake of the 1970s actioner "Rollerball" and appear in the ensemble of the Vietnam-era drama "We Were Soldiers" (both 2002), the true-to-life telling about the Air Calvary’s landing in the Ia Drang Valley on November 14, 1965—the first major, and perhaps bloodiest, battle of the Vietnam War. In “The United States of Leland” (2003), Klein was the boyfriend of a girl (Michelle Williams) whose autistic brother is stabbed 20 times by an alienated teenager (Ryan Gosling). He then had a supporting role in “Just Friends” (2005), a mainstream comedy about a suave music executive (Ryan Reynolds) whose former life as a shy and overweight high school senior is resurrected when he runs into the best friend (Amy Smart) he had a crush on.

• Also Credited As:
  Christopher Frederick Klein
• Born:
  March 14, 1979 in Hinsdale, Illinois
• Job Titles:
  Actor

Family

• Brother: Tim Klein. born c. 1982
• Father: Fred Klein. born c. 1951
• Mother: Terri Klein. born c. 1950
• Sister: Debbie Klein. born c. 1978

Significant Others

• Companion: Ginnifer Goodwin. rumored to be dating as of June 2006
• Companion: Lindly Gardner. briefly dated in 2006
• Companion: Katie Holmes. dating as of January 2000

Education

• Millard West High School, Omaha, Nebraska, 1997
• Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, dramatic arts

Milestones

• 1991 Moved with family from Chicago to Nebraska (date approximate)
• 1999 Co-starred in the teen ensemble comedy "American Pie", playing Oz
• 1999 Had a featured role as class president candidate Paul Metzler in the dark comedy "Election"
• 2000 Appeared opposite Leelee Sobieski in the love story "Here on Earth"
• 2001 Played a sweet-natured guy who falls in love with a woman he mistakenly comes to think is his sister in "Say It Isn't So"
• 2001 Reprised role of Oz in "American Pie 2"
• 2002 Appeared in the ensemble of the Vietnam-era drama "We Were Soldier"
• 2002 Had lead in the remake of "Rollerball"
• 2004 Starred with Ryan Gosling in "The United States of Leland"
• 2005 Cast in director Roger Kumble's romantic comedy "Just Friends" with Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart
• 2006 Played Mandy Moore's devoted, dopey boyfriend in Paul Weitz' "American Dreamz"
• Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois
• Bumped into director Alexander Payne while the director was scouting locations for "Election"

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