Kevin Dillon

Kevin Dillon Headshot

Actor

Birth Name: Kevin Brady Dillon

Birth Date: August 19, 1965

Age: 59 years old

Birth Place: Mamaroneck, New York

Siblings: Matt Dillon

While older brother and early 1980s heartthrob Matt Dillon received the lion's share of fan mail and meaty leading roles throughout both their careers, younger sibling Kevin Dillon gravitated toward character parts, with ingratiating performances in a wide variety of films and television projects. His New York accent and flinty demeanor assured him of tough guy parts in movies like "Platoon" (1985) and "A Midnight Clear" (1992), but he could play funny too, in films like "Heaven Help Us" (1985), as well as play sensitive in "Immediate Family (1989).

Television offered more rewarding parts for Dillon in the late 1990s and 2000s - with the year 2004 providing him the chance to shine apart from the famous last name when was cast as Johnny Drama, the hapless older brother of a movie superstar, in "Entourage" (HBO, 2004-11) - a part he could, no doubt, play in his sleep. He earned numerous awards and nominations for his alternately hilarious and touching performance, finally receiving the recognition that had long escaped him while in the shadow of his famous brother.

Dillon was born on Aug. 18, 1965; one of five children (four brothers and a sister) born to Paul Dillon, a painter and sales manager, and his wife Mary Ellen of Mamaroneck, NY. Though his initial interest was commercial art - he had studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York - Dillon dabbled in acting while in high school, and found himself following in his brother's footsteps after a meeting with an agent tied to Matt's first big flick, "Tex" (1982). He made his debut with the 1983 TV movie "No Big Deal," in which he played a troubled juvenile offender who resists attempts to socialize him at a new school.

The role set the pace for many of his subsequent projects; he was the resident loudmouth at a tough Catholic school in the 1950s comedy-drama "Heaven Help Us" (1985), and took over the Steve McQueen role in Chuck Russell's likable remake of "The Blob" (1988). Oliver Stone's "Platoon" (1985) gave Dillon a chance to dig deeper as Bunny, a gun-happy soldier in Vietnam whose amoral side emerges in a tragic village invasion. Dillon also proved a capable dramatic actor in features like Franc Roddam's "War Party" (1988), starring as a young Native American involved in a bloody re-enactment of a cavalry attack, and "Immediate Family" (1989), as a teenaged father-to-be, which earned him a Young Artists Award nomination.

Already in his late twenties by the early 1990s, Dillon had not repeated his brother's rapid ascent to stardom as a young actor, but that did not halt his output, nor impede his will to succeed on his own merit. He was featured in a series of worthy showcases in the early years of the decade, including that of drummer John Densmore in Oliver Stone's overblown biopic "The Doors" (1992); a tough World War II soldier in "A Midnight Clear" (1992); and Sean Flynn, the doomed, devil-may-care photographer son of Errol Flynn in the TV-movie "Frankie's House" (1992). The quality projects began drying up by the middle of the 1990s, with Dillon's performances largely relegated to video store customers - such as with 1996's "True Crime."

TV did not treat him much better at this time, as when he was miscast as James Fenimore Cooper's hero Hawkeye in a miniseries version of "The Pathfinder," (1996), but Dillon did do fine work as a thoughtful Gulf War vet in the gruesome "Stag" (1997) and a husband accused of murdering his own daughter in the miniseries, "Gone in the Night" (1997).

It was becoming apparent that television seemed to be where the work was for Dillon, and episodic series were the next logical step for the actor. After auditioning for the role of Danny Sorenson on "NYPD Blue (ABC, 1993-2005) - a part landed by former child star Rick Schroeder - he had a recurring part on the series as a police officer. More guest shots followed, with roles on the short-lived series "Karen Sisco" (ABC, 2003) and the colossal hit, "24" (Fox, 2001-10), as did a short stint as a series regular on "That's Life" (CBS, 2000-02). But things were about to change overnight for the actor best known as Matt's younger brother.

In 2004, Dillon was cast as Johnny "Drama" Chase, the older brother to box office champ Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) on the HBO comedy-drama "Entourage," executive-produced by rapper-turned-A-list Actor, Mark Wahlberg. A C-list actor with a long string of bit parts to his name - most notably an absurd action series called "Viking Quest" - Drama serves mainly as cook, fitness instructor, and comic foil to Chase and his pals - in short, a bit of a buffoon, but Dillon wisely found the character's heart and played him as slightly wounded and hopeful, even in the most ridiculous of story arcs. By the third season, Drama's career took an upswing with a part on an Edward Burns-produced television series and a role in Vincent's epic, "Medellin."

He even found a fan base in France, of all places, which apparently never lost its devotion to the "Viking Quest" series. Dillon was frequently singled out as one of the show's high points, and received nominations from most of the major TV awards, including an Emmy nod in 2007, a Screen Actors Guild nomination in 2007 and 2008, and a Golden Globe nom in 2008, which he lost to fellow co-star, Jeremy Piven.

The success of "Entourage" also gave Dillon's film career a boost, as he was given a supporting turn as a hapless gambler in "Poseidon" (2006) and was top-billed in the broad comedy, "The Foursome" (2006). Things in his personal life took off like gangbusters as well. In April 2006, Dillon married actress Jane Stuart in Las Vegas, with his "Entourage co-stars Kevin Connolly and Jerry Ferrara in attendance. Meanwhile, he continued to receive acclaim for "Entourage," earning another Emmy nod for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2009.

Credits

ReaganStream

Actor
Jack Warner
Movie
2024
18%

Mob LandStream

Actor
Trey
Movie
2023
48%

Buddy Games: Spring AwakeningStream

Actor
Doc
Movie
2023
33%

A Day to Die

Actor
Conner Connolly
Movie
2022

Frank and Penelope

Actor
Sheriff
Movie
2022

Hot Seat

Actor
Orlando Friar
Movie
2022

Wire Room

Actor
Justin Rosa
Movie
2022

On the Line

Actor
Justin
Movie
2022

Hot Seat

Actor
Orlando Friar
Movie
2022

CreepshowStream

Actor
Kevin
Series
2019

Buddy Games

Actor
Doc
Movie
2019

Celebrity Sweat

Actor
Show
2018

Dirt

Actor
Rick Radden
Movie
2018

Brothers in Arms

Self
Movie
2018

The Making Of: Entourage

Actor
Show
2015

EntourageStream

Actor
Johnny Drama
Movie
2015
33%

The ThrowawaysStream

Actor
Dan Fisher
Movie
2015

Compulsion

Actor
Fred
Movie
2013

Live! With Kelly and Michael

Guest
Talk
2012

How To Be A GentlemanStream

Actor
Bert Lansing
Series
2011
26%

Blue BloodsStream

Guest Star
Series
2010

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

Guest
Talk
2009

Alan Carr: Chatty Man

Guest
Show
2009

Hotel for DogsStream

Actor
Carl Scudder
Movie
2009
46%

Celebrity Rides: Dillon & the Rebel

Actor
Show
2008

Poseidon

Actor
Lucky Larry
Movie
2006

The Foursome

Actor
Rick Foster
Movie
2006

EntourageStream

Actor
Johnny "Drama" Chase
Series
2004
65%

Out for Blood

Actor
Hank Holten
Movie
2004

Karen Sisco

Guest Star
Series
2003
95%

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Guest
Talk
2003

24Stream

Guest Star
Lonnie McRae
Series
2001
87%

Live With Regis and Kelly

Guest
Show
2001

That's Life

Actor
Paulie DeLucca
Show
2000

Interstate 84

Actor
Vinnie
Movie
2000

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Self
Show
1999

Lazos Malignos

Actor
Billy Crapshoot
Movie
1998

Misbegotten

Actor
Billy Crapshoot
Movie
1998

Secret Agenda

Actor
David McLean
Movie
1998

Medusa's Child

Actor
Show
1997

The View

Guest
Talk
1997

Stag

Actor
Dan Kane
Movie
1997
40%

Gone in the Night

Actor
David Dowaliby
Show
1996

Brazo Fuerte

Actor
Pathfinder / Hawkeye
Movie
1996

The Pathfinder

Actor
Pathfinder/Hawkeye
Movie
1996

True Crime

Actor
Tony Campbell
Movie
1995

Criminal Hearts

Actor
Rafe
Movie
1995

No Escape

Actor
Casey
Movie
1994

NYPD BlueStream

Guest Star
Off. Neil Baker
Series
1993
83%

A Midnight ClearStream

Actor
Cpl. Mel Avakian
Movie
1992
88%

Frankie's House

Actor
Sean Flynn
Movie
1992

The DoorsStream

Actor
John Densmore
Movie
1991
56%

The SimpsonsStream

Guest Voice
Himself
Series
1989
85%

Tales From the Crypt

Actor
Series
1989
82%

War Party

Actor
Skitty Harris
Movie
1989

When He's Not a Stranger

Actor
Rick
Movie
1989

Immediate Family

Actor
Sam
Movie
1989

L'Ennemi insoupçonnable

Actor
Movie
1989

Sin Conocer

Actor
Movie
1989

The BlobStream

Actor
Brian Flagg
Movie
1988
64%

Opération Phoenix

Actor
Movie
1988

Jóvenes de Acción

Actor
Movie
1988

The Rescue

Actor
J.J. Merrill
Movie
1988

Al Rescate

Actor
Movie
1988

Remote Control

Actor
Cosmo
Movie
1987

Meurtres en VHS

Actor
Movie
1987

PlatoonStream

Actor
Bunny
Movie
1986
89%

Heaven Help Us

Actor
Rooney
Movie
1985

No Big Deal

Actor
Arnold Norberry
Movie
1983

Today

Guest
News
1952

News aboutKevin Dillon