Jon Favreau

Jon Favreau was born in Queens, New York, the only child of schoolteachers Madeleine and Charles Favreau. Favreau attended the Bronx High School of Science before enrolling at Queens College and working on Wall Street. By the mid-1980s, he had relocated to Chicago, Illinois, to take part the comedy and improv scene there.

Favreau eventually made his way to Hollywood, California, appearing in films like “Folks!” (1992) and “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle” (1994), as well as on the popular television show “Seinfeld.”

After his father gave him screenwriting software as a gift, Favreau penned a script about his experiences as an actor on the Hollywood scene; it was eventually picked up by director Doug Liman, made on a small budget and distributed by Miramax. The final product, 1996's “Swingers,” became an indie fave and starred Favreau along with his real-life close friend, actor Vince Vaughn.

Favreau went on to be featured in several films throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, including “Deep Impact” (1998), “Love & Sex” (2000) and “Something's Gotta Give” (2003). He also earned a recurring part on the beloved TV sitcom “Friends” during its third season, playing Pete, a computer mogul romantically linked to Monica (Courteney Cox).

In the summer of 2001, Favreau made his feature film directorial debut with “Made,” a Mafioso comedy in which he co-starred once again with Vaughn. (The two would work together in additional films over the years, including 2006's “The Break-Up” and 2008's “Four Christmases.”)

In November 2003, Favreau made his sophomore effort behind the camera with the holiday hit comedy “Elf,” starring Will Ferrell. Favreau continued his TV work as well, serving as producer and host of “Dinner for Five,” an IFC program which premiered in 2002 and served up Hollywood insiders talking about the biz. The show was nominated for a 2005 Emmy Award for outstanding nonfiction series.

Favreau entered the comic book film world with a small part in “Batman Forever” (1995) and with his depiction of Franklin Nelson in 2003's “Daredevil.” Years later, he took the reins as director and executive producer of “Iron Man” (2008), a big-budget film adaptation of the Marvel Comics series of the same name.

Starring Robert Downey Jr. as inventor Tony Stark, “Iron Man” was a major success among moviegoers, paving the way for two sequels.

Having worked as executive producer on 2012's “The Avengers” and the TV series “Revolution,” Favreau recent on-camera work include the 2014 comedy “Chef” which he also wrote and directed.

He produced and directed he 2016 movie "The Jungle Book."

Favreau married physician Joya Tillem in 2000. The couple has three children.