Noah Nicholas Emmerich (born February 27, 1965) is an American film actor who first broke out in the cult hit Beautiful Girls. He was later seen in movies like The Truman Show, Cop Land, Frequency, Love & Sex, Windtalkers, Miracle, and Little Children. He is considered an "actor's actor" for his understated performance style and naturalism.
Emmerich was born in New York City, the son of Constance (née Marantaz) and Andre Emmerich (1924 - 2007), a Frankfurt-born gallery owner and art dealer. Emmerich's brother, Toby Emmerich, is president of production at New Line Cinema and a screenwriter as well, and his brother, Adam Emmerich, is a leading mergers & acquisitions lawyer at the firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York. In 1990, Emmerich met his wife, actress Melissa Fitzgerald known for her role as Carol Fitzpatrick from the NBC television show The West Wing, and they were then married November 28 1998.
Their father Andre Emmerich (born 11 October 1924 in Frankfurt - September 25, 2007) was a top art dealer in New York City, and who owned an important gallery for contemporary art for many years. His parents had emigrated from Germany in 1931 to Amsterdam, and in 1940 to Queens. He then graduated from Oberlin College in 1944. Emmerich is not related to director Roland Emmerich.
He studied the Meisner technique of acting privately under Ron Stetston, a prominent actor/director who is currently senior member of the acting staff at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City.
Born and raised in New York City, he attended Yale University, where he sang with the a capella group the Yale Spizzwinks. He attended NYU Film School where he wrote and directed an award winning short film called "The Painter." Emmerich came to prominence with starring roles in the cult hit Beautiful Girls (1996) and the Jim Carrey blockbuster Truman Show, The (1998). He is considered a real "actor's actor," noted for his understated, subtle realism and his deep emotional presence on screen. His production company, Sandbox Entertainment, has a first-look production deal with New Line Cinema. His older brother is Toby Emmerich.
