Adrian Grenier is an American actor, producer, director, musician, and environmentalist. He is best known for playing Vincent Chase in the TV series “Entourage.” He starred in the films “Drive Me Crazy,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” and “Entourage.” Take a look below for 30 more awesome and interesting facts about Adrian Grenier.
1. Grenier was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the son of Karesse Grenier and John Dunbar.
2. His parents were never married.
3. He was raised by his mother in New York City.
4. His father was from Ohio, and has English, German, Scottish and Irish ancestry.
5. His mother was born in New Mexico, to a family of mostly Mexican and some French descent.
6. A DNA test on the series “Finding Your Roots” showed Grenier to have approximately 8% Native American ancestry and that his direct matrilineal line is Native American.
7. The program determined that his ancestor, Diego de Montoya, was the leader of an encomienda, a protectorate of Puebloan peoples in Pueblo San Pedro in New Mexico.
8. He shares this ancestor with author and commentator Linda Chavez, making them ninth cousins.
9. Grenier graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and attended Bard College in New York.
10. In 1997, Grenier left Bard to embark on a film career.
11. He made his film debut in the independent drama, “Arresting Gena,” then in 1999 played opposite Melissa Joan Hart in “Drive Me Crazy” and in 2001 starred in James Toback’s “Harvard Man.”
12. In 2004, Grenier played Vincent Chase in the HBO series “Entourage,” gaining his most substantial notability and success.
13. “Entourage” ran for eight seasons and was nominated for numerous Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
14. In 2006, he played Nate Cooper, the boyfriend of Andrea Sachs in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
15. In 2013, he starred in the post-apocalyptic film “Goodbye World” alongside Gabby Hoffman.
16. Grenier stepped back in front of the camera in 2015 to reprise his role of Vincent Chase in the “Entourage” film adaption.
17. He is a campus adviser for the Academy for Global Citizenship in Chicago, Illinois.
18. In 2001, he started Reckless Productions. The company focused on producing socially minded films.
19. One of its first films, “Shot in the Dark,” chronicled Grenier’s journey to reconnect with his estranged father, Dunbar, with whom his mother broke up when he was still a baby.
20. An advocate of sustainable living, Grenier and his business partner, film producer Peter Glatzer founded the lifestyle brand SHFT.com in 2010.
21. SHFT is a brand which promotes sustainability through film, design, art and culture and lives both online and offline.
22. In 2014, Grenier and Glatzer partnered with Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture to create SHFT Mobile Kitchen Classroom, a teaching kitchen on wheels for high-school students in New York City.
23. Grenier plays guitar, bass, drums and harmonica.
24. He was a member of two New York bands: the lead singer in Kid Friendly and the drummer in The Honey Brothers before moving on to build Wreckroom, a music incubator and recording studio in May 2012.
25. In 2015, Grenier took on a role as Dell’s first Social Good Advocate, championing healthier, more sustainable choices and actions through digital storytelling and advocacy.
26. Grenier has long been active on behalf of environmental and social causes, from his role as the first Social Good Advocate to creating the Lonely Whale in 2015 as a vehicle to inspire empathy and action for protecting the ocean environment and marine life.
27. On World Environment Day 2017, Grenier was appointed as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program.
28. Grenier has shown his support for Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged public schools, by filming a PSA for the organization.
29. In 2009, Grenier launched an eco-themed app for the iPhone and Android mobile platforms. The app, called Ecohero, incorporated a barcode scanning technology to help consumers weigh products’ environmental and health impact.
30. Grenier is an investor and advisor to the mobile video app MONTAJ. Released in January 2013, MONTAJ allows anyone to create videos, joining small video clips using a smartphone camera.