Owen Kline
Kline at the Walter Reade Theater in 2022
Born
Owen Joseph Kline

(1991-10-14) October 14, 1991
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, filmmaker
Years active2001–present
Parents
RelativesGreta Kline (sister), Gilbert Cates (great-uncle), Gil Cates Jr. (first cousin once removed)

Owen Joseph Kline (born October 14, 1991) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for his directorial debut Funny Pages (2022)[1] and his performance as Frank Berkman in The Squid and the Whale (2005).

Early life

Kline was born and raised in New York City, to actor Kevin Kline and actress Phoebe Cates. His father is of German-Jewish and Irish descent, and his mother has Russian-Jewish and Chinese ancestry. He has one younger sister, Greta Kline, a musician/singer-songwriter. At age 7, he fell ill, and during a two-week stay in the hospital was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He acted in his adolescence in the independent films The Anniversary Party (2001) and Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and The Whale (2005),[2] but did not pursue a subsequent career in acting, instead remaining in junior high school. He performed in provocative novelty bands in high school, released prank call CDs, and created xeroxed comics, joke books and zines.[3] He attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, studying illustration and film.[4]

He worked as an assistant to the archivist at New York film museum Anthology Film Archives, and for musicologists Billy Miller and Miriam Linna at their Norton label and Kicks Books imprint. He crewed on early work of filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie, and acted in their film John's Gone (2010), and in Michael M. Bilandic's[5] films Hellaware (2013), and Jobe'z World (2018).

Work

In 2013 Kline wrote and directed the short comedy Fowl Play, about a group of low-rent criminals fooled into buying a hen for a cockfight in Flushing, Queens. He co-wrote and directed the short film Jazzy for Joe (2014), a narrative comedy about, and starring, New York broadcaster Joe Franklin raising an abandoned baby, which premiered at BAMcinemaFest 2015.[6]

Kline spent six years continually writing, directing and editing his debut feature Funny Pages, a black comedy about a young dropout cartoonist striking out on his own in Trenton, New Jersey. Produced by the Safdie Brothers and distributed by A24, it premiered in the Director's Fortnight at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in 2022.[7]

Prior to Funny Pages, Kline provided archival research for books, including Mark Newgarden and Paul Karasik's How to Read Nancy.[8]

In 2021, Kline contributed a two-page comic about Our Gang star Norman "Chubby" Chaney to film critic Nick Pinkerton's premiere issue of Bombast: A Journal of Film & Funnies.[9]

Filmography

Year Title Director Writer Actor Editor Notes
2001 The Anniversary Party No No Yes No dir. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming
2005 The Squid and the Whale No No Yes No dir. Noah Baumbach
2010 John's Gone No No Yes No dir. Josh and Benny Safdie
2010 Sinners of Kings Highway Yes Yes No Yes Short film, directorial debut
2012 Dave Buddin Drinks at Home Yes Yes No Yes Documentary
2013 Fowl Play Yes Yes No Yes Short film
2014 Jazzy for Joe Yes Yes No Yes Short film
2016 Steve Dalanchinsky Yes Yes No Yes Documentary
2018 Jobe'z World No No Yes No dir. Michael M. Bilandic
2022 Funny Pages Yes Yes No Yes First feature film
2022 Mystery Reel Yes Yes No Yes

References

  1. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (May 24, 2022). "Funny Pages review – a deliciously dark coming-of-age comedy". The Guardian. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  2. ↑ "A family flounders in tale". Roger Ebert. November 7, 2005. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Episode 96". Lydian Spin Podcast. May 14, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Episode 96". Lydian Spin Podcast. May 14, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Magic, Misdirection and the Amazing Kreskin: Michael Bilandic and Owen Kline on Funny Pages | Filmmaker Magazine". August 25, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Owen Kline's Closet Picks". Criterion Collection. November 22, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  7. ↑ "'Funny Pages' Review: Owen Kline Examines The Limits Of Privilege In Sharp New Comedy [Cannes]". May 24, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ Karasik, Paul; Newgarden, Mark (October 31, 2017). How to Read Nancy: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels Paperback – Illustrated. Fantagraphics Books. ISBN 978-1606993613.
  9. ↑ "Bombast – Issue One". Bombast Issue #1. March 3, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
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