Paul Franklin Dano is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in films such as L.I.E.

L.I.E.

L.I.E. is a 2001 American independent film about a relationship between Howie, a 15-year-old boy, and a pedophile known as 'Big John'. The title is an acronym for the Long Island Expressway. The film was directed by Michael Cuesta, who has said that the film is about exploring sexuality...

(2001), The Girl Next Door (2004), Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama film. The road movie's plot follows a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant.Little Miss Sunshine was the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer...

(2006), There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood is a 2007 drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film is based on Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!. It tells the story of a silver miner-turned-oilman on a ruthless quest for wealth during Southern California's oil boom of the late 19th and...

(2007), and Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are (film)

Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 American fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are. It combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery...

(2009).
Dano was born in New York City, the son of Gladys (née Pipp) and Paul Dano. He spent the first few years of his childhood in New York City and initially attended the Browning School

Browning School

The Browning School is a United States college preparatory school for boys founded in 1888 by John A. Browning. It offers study from Pre-Primary level through Form VI and is ranked as one of the top private schools in New York City...

, while his father worked as a businessman in New York.

While he was still a child, Dano's family moved from New York to New Canaan

New Canaan, Connecticut

New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...

, Connecticut, finally settling in Wilton

Wilton, Connecticut

Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...

, Connecticut, where Dano continued his education at Wilton High School

Wilton High School

Wilton High School is a public high school in Wilton, Connecticut, and considered "one of Connecticut’s top performers" in various measures of school success. The current principal is Robert O'Donnell. Previously the long-time-principal was Timothy H. Canty, who also attended the school in the...

, graduating in 2002 to further attend Eugene Lang College

Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts

Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts is the seminar-style, undergraduate, liberal arts college of The New School university. It is located on-campus in New York City's Greenwich Village on West 11th Street off 6th Avenue.-History:...

 in New York, NY.

As a child he was involved in community theatre, and while performing in New Canaan

New Canaan, Connecticut

New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...

 his parents were encouraged to take him to New York City.