Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (born June 6, 1967) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. He began acting in films during the 1990s, appearing in several supporting performances, and came to fame in the early 2000s, after his roles in the well-received films American Splendor, Sideways and Cinderella Man.

Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti was born June 6, 1967. He graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall prep school, majored in English at Yale, and obtained his Master's Degree in Fine Arts, with his major in drama from the Yale University School of Drama. Paul is the youngest of three children. His older brother, Marcus Giamatti, is also an actor. His sister, Elena, designs jewelry. His father, A. Bartlett Giamatti, was a professor of Renaissance Literature at Yale University, and went on to become the university's youngest president. (In 1986, Bart Giamatti was appointed president of baseball's National League. He became Commissioner of Baseball on April 1, 1989 and served for five months until his untimely death on September 1, 1989. He was commissioner at the time Pete Rose was banned from the game.) Paul's mother, the former Toni Smith, was an actress before she married Dr. Giamatti. Paul's father has written six books. Giamatti's acting roots are in theatre, from his college days at Yale, to regional productions (Seattle, San Diego and Williamstown, Massachusetts) to Broadway.