John Lurie

John Lurie Bio

John Lurie was born on December 14, 1952, in Minnesota. He is a renowned jazz musician, composer, actor, and visual artist. He relocated to New York City to pursue a music career after finishing high school in Massachusetts. In 1978, he and his pianist brother Evan moved to New York City and started the fictional jazz group the Lounge Lizards. The cooperation between Lurie and director Jim Jarmusch, which started with 1982's Permanent Vacation, considerably increased their fame among the general audience. When Stranger Than Paradise was released in 1984, it propelled Jarmusch to the top of American independent cinema and gave Lurie the opportunity to act and compose the cult classic. He furthered his reputation as a character actor with subsequent roles in such disparate movies as Down by Law, Desperately Seeking Susan, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Wild at Heart. Nevertheless, music remained his major passion. He starred in movies including Stranger than Paradise and Down by Law, and he also wrote the Grammy-nominated music for Get Shorty.