Life and career

Ehrenreich was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Sari, is an interior designer, and his stepfather is an orthodontist. He was raised in Reconstructionist Judaism

Reconstructionist Judaism

Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement based on the ideas of Mordecai Kaplan . The movement views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. It originated as a branch of Conservative Judaism, before it splintered...

. Ehrenreich began acting at the at Palisades Elementary school in Pacific Palisades, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, and continued doing so at Crossroads School

Crossroads School (Santa Monica, California)

Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences is a K-12 independent, college preparatory school in Santa Monica, California, United States. The school is a member of the G20 Schools Group.-History:...

 in Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...

.

Ehrenreich was discovered at a friend's bat mitzvah reception by Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...

 when Spielberg saw a short comedy movie featuring the actor at the age of 14. In an interview, Ehrenreich described the comedic performance he gave in the movie: "I ran around as a skinny little punk, trying on girls’ clothes and eating dirt". The meeting with Spielberg led to acting roles on television shows.

In 2007, Ehrenreich auditioned and won the role of Bennie Tetrocini in Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...

's movie Tetro

Tetro

Tetro is a 2009 drama film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Vincent Gallo, Alden Ehrenreich and Maribel Verdú. Filming took place in 2008 in Buenos Aires, Patagonia, and Spain...

. Coppola requested Ehrenreich read a passage from The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...

for his main audition.

He currently lives in New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, and is majoring in theatre

Theatre

Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...

 at New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

. In 2009, he founded the theatre and film company, The Collectin, with Zoe Worth.

Filmography

• Supernatural
  Supernatural (TV series)
  Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
  
  .... Ben Collins (TV Series: 1 episode, 2005)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
  CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
  CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
  
  .... Sven (TV Series: 1 episode, 2006)
• Switcheroo! (2008) .... Dan
• Tetro
  Tetro
  Tetro is a 2009 drama film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Vincent Gallo, Alden Ehrenreich and Maribel Verdú. Filming took place in 2008 in Buenos Aires, Patagonia, and Spain...
  
  (2009) .... Bennie
• Greased (2009) .... Ben (Short Film)
• Somewhere
  Somewhere (film)
  Somewhere is a 2010 American drama film that was written and directed by Sofia Coppola. The film follows Johnny Marco, a newly famous actor, as he recuperates from a minor injury at the Chateau Marmont, a well-known Hollywood retreat. Despite money, fame and professional success, Marco is trapped...
  
  (2010) .... Himself (Uncredited)
• Twixt (2011) .... Flamingo
• Stoker
  Stoker (film)
  Stoker is an upcoming 2012 drama film directed by Park Chan-wook and written by Wentworth Miller. It stars Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, and Matthew Goode.-Cast:*Mia Wasikowska as India Stoker*Nicole Kidman as Evelyn Stoker...
  
  (2012) .... Whip Taylor

External links

• Official site for the movie Tetro