Miles Teller

Miles Teller (born February 20, 1987)^[1] is an American actor. He made his feature film debut with the independent drama Rabbit Hole (2010), and gained wider recognition for his roles in the coming-of-age film The Spectacular Now (2013) and the Divergent film trilogy (2014–2016). His breakthrough role came in the drama Whiplash (2014) which earned him critical acclaim.

Miles Teller
Teller in 2022
Born	(1987-02-20) February 20, 1987 (age 37) Downingtown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2004–present
Spouse	Keleigh Sperry ​ (m. 2019)​

Teller went on to star in the superhero film Fantastic Four (2015) and the biographical film War Dogs (2016). He garnered a mainstream resurgence for his starring role in the action film Top Gun: Maverick (2022).^[2] In television, he has starred in the Amazon Prime Video crime drama Too Old to Die Young (2019) and the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer (2022).

Early life

Teller was born in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.^[3] His mother, Merry, is a real estate agent, and his father, Michael, is a nuclear power plant engineer.^[4][5][6] He has two older sisters, Erin and Dana.^[5][7] His paternal grandfather was of Russian Jewish descent,^[8] and his ancestry also includes English and Irish forebears.^[9][10]

Teller spent his early years in Pennsylvania and Delaware^[11] before his family moved to Citrus County, Florida, at age twelve.^[4] Growing up, he was involved with acting, was president of his high school's drama club, and played alto saxophone, drums, piano and guitar.^[12][13][14] He also played baseball competitively and had dreams of turning professional.^[15] He graduated from Lecanto High School in Lecanto, Florida.^[5] Subsequently, he attended the New York University Tisch School of the Arts; there, he studied method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and screen acting with Stonestreet Studios.^[16][17][18] He earned a BFA in drama in 2009.^[19]

In 2007, Teller was a passenger in a car that lost control at 80 mph (130 km/h) and flipped eight times. He has multiple scars on his face from the crash.^[20]

Career

Early work and film debut (2004–2013)

Teller appeared in many short films between 2004 and 2010. After graduating from Tisch School of the Arts in 2009,^[16] he made his major film debut in Rabbit Hole (2010), after Nicole Kidman handpicked him for the role.^[21] Teller starred in the stage musical Footloose in high school,^[21] and later starred in the 2011 remake film of the same name.^[22] In 2013, he starred in 21 & Over^[23] and The Spectacular Now, opposite Shailene Woodley.^[24]

Whiplash and Divergent (2014–2021)

Teller at the film premiere of Divergent in 2014

In Damien Chazelle's second film Whiplash (2014), Teller played a drummer who tries to impress his abusive jazz teacher (J. K. Simmons),^[25] which earned him nominations for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actor, the Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture and the BAFTA Rising Star Award.^[26]

Teller received further recognition for playing Peter Hayes in Divergent (2014), and the film's sequels, Insurgent (2015) and Allegiant (2016).^[27] He has also played Mister Fantastic in the reboot film Fantastic Four (2015)^[28][29] and arms dealer David Packouz in War Dogs (2016).^[30] He trained for 5 months to get in shape for the role of biopic boxer Vinny Paz in film Bleed for This (2016).^[31][32]

In 2017, he starred in two biopic films, Only the Brave and Thank You for Your Service. In November 2020, it was announced that Teller will star in a political satire called The Fence.^[33] In September 2021, it was reported that filming on The Offer, the Paramount+ miniseries about the production of the film The Godfather in which Teller plays producer Albert S. Ruddy, was temporarily halted due to COVID concerns. The miniseries ran from April to June 2022.^[34] In November 2021, he appeared in Taylor Swift's music video "I Bet You Think About Me" directed by Blake Lively.^[35]

Top Gun: Maverick and beyond (2022–present)

In 2022, he starred in Top Gun: Maverick. He was initially hesitant to accept the role, as he was wary of the potential success and attention he would receive from starring in a major film alongside Tom Cruise. He was convinced to accept it by Cruise himself, who persuaded him that he was perfect for the role.^[36] In May 2022, Miles Teller stated that he had been pitching a follow-up film centered around his character to the studio. The actor referred to his pitch as Top Gun: Rooster.^[37] By July of the same year, he stated that he has been having ongoing discussions regarding a sequel with Tom Cruise. In regard to the popularity and support, Teller said that the experience has "been awesome" and that "I've never really experienced something like this in my life."^[38]

Teller made his hosting debut on the opener of the 48th season of Saturday Night Live in 2022,^[39] and during the Super Bowl LVII telecast in 2023, Teller, his wife, and their dog starred in a commercial for Bud Light in which they pass the time while waiting for a customer service representative to speak to them, dancing to the on-hold music.^[40]

Personal life

Teller in 2014

Since 2013, he has been in a relationship with model Keleigh Sperry.^[41] They were engaged at the Molori Safari Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa, on August 20, 2017,^[42] and were married on September 1, 2019, in Maui, Hawaii.^[43][44]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Rabbit Hole	Jason	[45]
2011	Footloose	Willard Hewitt
2012	Project X	Miles (College Jock)
2013	The Spectacular Now	Sutter Keely
	21 & Over	Miller
2014	Whiplash	Andrew Neiman
	That Awkward Moment	Daniel
	Divergent	Peter Hayes
	Two Night Stand	Alec
2015	The Divergent Series: Insurgent	Peter Hayes
	Fantastic Four	Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic
2016	The Divergent Series: Allegiant	Peter Hayes
	Get a Job	Will Davis	[46]
	War Dogs	David Packouz	[6]
	Bleed for This	Vinny Pazienza	[32]
2017	Only the Brave	Brendan "Donut" McDonough	[47]
	Thank You for Your Service	Adam Schumann
2022	Top Gun: Maverick	Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw
	Spiderhead	Jeff
2025	Michael †	John Branca	Post-production
	The Gorge †	Levi	Post-production; also executive producer
TBA	The Ark and the Aardvark †	Gilbert (voice)	In production[48]
	Eternity †	Larry	Post-production; also executive producer

Key

†	Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	The Unusuals	James Boorland	Episode: "Boorland Day"
2019	Too Old to Die Young	Martin Jones	Miniseries; 10 episodes
2022	The Offer	Albert S. Ruddy	Miniseries; 10 episodes; also executive producer
	Saturday Night Live	Himself (host)	Episode: "Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar"

Music video

Year	Title	Role	Artist
2021	"I Bet You Think About Me"	Groom	Taylor Swift featuring Chris Stapleton

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
2011	Chlotrudis Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Rabbit Hole	Nominated
2013	Sundance Film Festival	Special Jury Prize for Dramatic Acting (shared with Shailene Woodley)	The Spectacular Now	Won
	Alliance of Women Film Journalists	Best Depiction of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction		Nominated
	Indiana Film Journalists Association	Best Actor		Nominated
	MTV Movie Awards	Best Kiss (shared with Shailene Woodley)		Nominated
		Best Breakthrough Performance		Nominated
	Napa Valley Film Festival	Rising Star Award (shared with Dianna Agron)	Himself	Won
2014	Chlotrudis Awards	Best Actor	The Spectacular Now	Nominated
	Georgia Film Critics Association	Breakthrough Award	21 & Over The Spectacular Now	Nominated
	BAFTA	Rising Star Award	Whiplash	Nominated
	Gotham Independent Film Awards	Best Actor		Nominated
	MTV Movie Awards	Best Male Performance		Nominated
		#WTF Moment		Nominated
		Best Musical Moment		Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Actor		Nominated
	Golden Schmoes Awards	Breakthrough Performance of the Year		Nominated
2015	CinemaCon Award	Ensemble Award (shared with Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell)	Fantastic Four	Won
	Teen Choice Awards	Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Scene Stealer	The Divergent Series: Insurgent	Nominated
	Chlotrudis Awards	Best Actor	Whiplash	Nominated
2016	Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Screen Combo (shared with Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell)	Fantastic Four	Nominated
	Indiana Film Journalists Association	Best Actor	Bleed for This	Nominated
	Teen Choice Awards	Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Scene Stealer	The Divergent Series: Allegiant	Nominated
2022	Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Award	Best Supporting Actor	Top Gun: Maverick	Nominated
	People's Choice Awards	The Male Movie Star of 2022		Nominated

References

1. "Celebrity birthdays for the week of Feb 19-25". The Associated Press. February 13, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023. Miles Teller is 36
2. "Top Gun: Maverick's Miles Teller On Inheriting Goose's Iconic Moustache – Exclusive Image". Empire. December 4, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
3. Longsdorf, Amy (November 17, 2016). "Movies: Miles Teller says Pennsylvania upbringing helped him in 'Bleed for This'". The Morning Call. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
4. "Rabbit Hole presskit" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
5. Persall, Steve (November 11, 2014). "Snoopy? How rising star Miles Teller, a Lecanto High graduate, found acting (w/video)". Tampa Bay Times. Florida. Retrieved August 6, 2015. Teller's father, Mike...; His household was musical 'controlled chaos' with Miles, sisters Erin and Dana, and mother Merry.
6. Lewis, Tim (August 22, 2016). "Miles Teller: 'I felt extremely misrepresented'". The Observer – via www.theguardian.com.
7. Greco, Patti (August 27, 2013). "Miles Teller on The Spectacular Now, Moonwalking, and the Divergent–Hunger Games Comparisons". Vulture.com (New York). Retrieved December 10, 2013. ...my two older sisters — Dana, who is like eighteen months older...
8. "Miles Teller". Vogue Italia - L'Uomo Vogue. February 9, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
9. Miller, Gerri. "Hollywood Now: That Awkward Moment, Labor Day, Somewhere Slow". InterfaithFamily. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014. Teller, who is Jewish on his father's (father's) side, and Christian on his mother's side...
10. O'Hare, Brian (November 14, 2016). "Something to Believe In: Bleed For This' Ben Younger, Miles Teller and Aaron Eckhart Will Their Way to Greatness". MovieMaker. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2017. So how did English/Irish/Russian-Jewish Teller from Lecanto, Florida...
11. Whitty, Stephen (March 15, 2015). "Miles Teller on 'Insurgent', 'Whiplash' and his not-so-secret crush". NJ.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
12. Swanson, Carl (February 2, 2014). "Miles Teller on Awkward, Fame, and Efron". Vulture.com. New York. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2014. Teller played baseball, saxophone, and drums—in a church youth-group band, briefly
13. Weston, Hillary (October 7, 2014). "Miles Teller: Cinema's Next Great Bad Ass?". Blackbook. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
14. Connor, Katie L. (August 30, 2013). "Unexpected Crush Alert: Miles Teller". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved December 10, 2013. I was Homecoming King but I was in all AP classes. I played alto saxophone in Jazz Band and drums in a rock band. I was the president of the Drama Club. I was in National Honor Society and Student Council for a little bit.
15. "Mr Fantastic Miles Teller on baseball dreams and growth spurts". Belfast Telegraph. February 6, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
16. Morris, Alex (December 2, 2014). "How Miles Teller Drummed His Way to the Top". Vulture. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
17. Kaufman, Amy (October 8, 2014). "'Whiplash' director, stars march to a friendly beat — off-screen". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
18. "Stonestreet Studios Alumni". tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
19. "Alumni List". tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
20. Valiente, Alexa (August 19, 2016). "Miles Teller on How a Car Accident that Nearly Killed Him Changed His Life". ABC News.
21. Yamato, Jen (November 8, 2010). Miles Teller on Rabbit Hole, Nicole Kidman and Cutting Footloose. Archived August 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Movieline
22. Durbin, Jonathan (2011). Miles Teller. Interview
23. Weinstein, Joshua L. (May 26, 2011). Miles Teller Joins Relativity's '21 and Over.' The Wrap
24. Hynes, Eric; Jeremy Kinser; Nate von Zumwalt (January 26, 2013). "2013 Sundance Film Festival Awards Updates". Sundance Film Festival. Sundance Institute. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
25. Gleiberman, Owen (January 17, 2014). "Sundance: 'Whiplash' is the movie that could make Miles Teller a star". Entertainment Weekly. CNN. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
26. Denham, Jess (January 7, 2015). "Baftas 2015: Jack O'Connell, Margot Robbie and Shailene Woodley among rising star nominees". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
27. Williams-Shaw, H. "'Divergent' Sequels Get Release Dates; Director Neil Burger Not Returning". Screenrant. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
28. Kroll, Justin (February 19, 2014). "'Fantastic Four' Cast Revealed". Variety. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
29. "'What's the Deal?': Jeff Sneider on 'Fantastic Four' Casting, Fan Expectations (Video)". The Wrap. February 21, 2014.
30. Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 12, 2015). "'Whiplash' Star Miles Teller Joins Jonah Hill In 'Arms And The Dudes'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
31. "Aaron Eckhart, Miles Teller Board Vinnie Pazienza Boxing Biopic". Variety. February 3, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
32. "How Miles Teller Got in Boxing Shape for 'Bleed for This'". Men's Journal. December 4, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
33. Wiseman, Andreas (November 11, 2020). "Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley & William Hurt To Star In Timely Political Satire 'The Fence' From Icelandic Director Grimur Hakonarson — AFM Hot Pic". Deadline. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
34. Petski, Denise (January 11, 2022). "'The Offer': Making Of 'The Godfather' Series Gets Premiere Date On Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
35. Kreps, Daniel (November 15, 2021). "Taylor Swift Goes Rogue at an Ex's Wedding in New 'I Bet You Think About Me' Music Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
36. Rodrick, Stephen (December 21, 2020). "Miles Teller Is Ready for Takeoff". Men's Health. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
37. Griffiths, Elliott (May 25, 2022). "Miles Teller Open To Top Gun: Maverick Sequel Involving His Character". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
38. Gawley, Paige (July 7, 2022). "Miles Teller Says He's Had 'Conversations' With Tom Cruise About Possible 'Top Gun 3' (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
39. White, Peter (September 20, 2022). "'SNL': Miles Teller, Brendan Gleeson & Megan Thee Stallion To Host Opening Three Episodes Of Season 48". Deadline. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
40. Caplan, Anna Lazarus; Calderone, Ana (February 12, 2023). "Miles Teller and Wife Keleigh Give a 'Sneak Peek' at Their Home Life in Bud Light's Super Bowl Ad". People. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
41. "The Hollywood Reporter & Samsung With The Cinema Society Host A Screening Of A24's 'The Spectacular Now'". Getty Images. July 27, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
42. "Miles Teller Engaged to Longtime Girlfriend Keleigh Sperry". People. August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
43. "Just Married in Paradise: See the First Photos From Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry's Elegant Wedding in Maui". Vogue. September 2, 2019.
44. Ross, Martha (November 16, 2021). "Miles Teller finally says he's vaccinated after new Taylor Swift video and months of controversy". The Mercury News. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
45. "Miles Teller opens up about the "horrible" experience of working on his first movie Rabbit Hole with Nicole Kidman". Digital Spy. November 26, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
46. "Anna Kendrick and Miles Teller star in trailer for Get A Job". Empire. April 2, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
47. "'Thank You for Your Service' and 'Only the Brave' Establish The Ethos Of A New Decade For Miles Teller". Decider. March 21, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
48. Lodderhose, Diana (October 3, 2016). "Miles Teller Sails To 'The Ark and The Aardvark'". Deadline. Retrieved January 24, 2022.

External links

• Media related to Miles Teller at Wikimedia Commons
• Miles Teller on Twitter
• Miles Teller at IMDb