With his cherubic face and shaggy-banged hair, actor Paul Dano channeled the frustrations of adolescent awkwardness to great effect while on his path to eclectic adult roles. The up-and-comer made his first splash as a wayward Long Island youth in the independent “L.I.E.” (2001) before another indie that could – this one called “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006) – finally brought him mainstream recognition. As Dwayne, the sweet, but withdrawn son of a comically-troubled, road-tripping family, Dano stole scenes from a group of certified scene-stealers – often, without saying a word, since Dwayne spent a good half of the film mute by choice. On the strength of “Sunshine,” Dano watched his stock rise, scoring a lead role in the much anticipated film “Fast Food Nation” (2008).

Born on June 19, 1983, Paul Franklin Dano and a younger sister were raised in Wilton, CT. Bitten by the bug as early as the fourth grade, Dano always knew that acting was what he wanted to do with his life. By the time he was in middle school, he had been professionally introduced to Broadway by starring in plays like Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and “A Month in the Country.” After graduating from Wilton High School, Dano planned to focus on acting while singing and playing guitar for the band Cherry Revision.

Dano started his onscreen career with a guest spot on the WB comedy, “Smart Guy (1997-99), before booking his first film role in the family drama, “The Newcomers” (2000). He immediately moved up to leading roles with his performance in the independent film, “L.I.E.” (2001), a dark drama about a teenage Long Island thief in the midst of a family breakdown. The movie snagged a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and its lead won a coveted Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. Not bad for a guy just starting out.

Following the attention “L.I.E.” and Dano’s performance received, the actor transitioned into higher-profile work. First, on Oct. 20, 2002, Dano landed the first of two guest spots on HBO’s big draw, “The Sopranos” (1999- ), as A.J. Soprano’s friend, Patrick Whalen. He then tried his hand at some studio film work with “The Emperor’s Club” (2002), playing a prep school student. Sometime in 2003, Dano took an audition with music video directing team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Farris, then looking to make their first feature film with the dysfunctional family comedy “Little Miss Sunshine.” The directors were unable to get the production started, but Dano continued to keep tabs on the project while he segued into others.

Dano soon landed a big role in 20th Century Fox’s “The Girl Next Door” (2004), which also starred his “Emperor’s Club” co-star Emile Hirsch. Hirsch played a high school student who falls for the classmate/next-door-neighbor with a dark porn past. Dano, of course, played one of Hirsch’s two best friends. A shy guy inexperienced with women, the character memorably ended up with the big payoff at the end of the movie. That year, Dano also appeared as a younger version of Gena Rowland’s murderous son in the Angelina Jolie thriller, “Taking Lives” (2004).

In March of 2005, Rebecca Miller’s second film, “The Ballad of Jack and Rose” (2005), was released. Shot during the summer of 2003, Dano had portrayed another layered character, the “snake” who charmingly figures into the life of an isolated father’s daughter, symbolically named “Rose.” He was praised for holding his own opposite enigmatic screen icon Daniel Day-Lewis, as well as his next powerhouse co-star William’s Hurt, when Dano played his son in “The King” (2005).

In June of 2005, Dayton and Farris finally got the greenlight to start a month-long shoot for “Little Miss Sunshine” – this time, with Dano fully on board. For most of the movie, Dano as Dwayne – a Nietzsche-loving teenager who decides to give up speaking until he can get into flight school – sat mute, conveying reactions and emotions through facial gestures. The fact that Dano held his own alongside such seasoned comic veterans as Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear and Alan Arkin, did not go unnoticed by critics. In January of 2006, “Little Miss Sunshine” debuted at Sundance, where it was picked up for distribution by Fox Searchlight. Released later that summer, “Sunshine” became one of the year’s biggest films and cast a wider spotlight on the young actor’s career. Defying all odds, due to its indie and comic roots, “Sunshine” would even garner an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture of the Year, losing to the Martin Scorsese-helmed mob flick, “The Departed” (2006).

Several months after wrapping “Sunshine,” Dano quickly went to work with Richard Linklater on his adaptation of the book, “Fast Food Nation” (2006). To prep for his role as fast food restaurant worker, Brian, Dano valiantly made three unsuccessful attempts at landing a McDonald’s job. By then, he was a full-time resident of Manhattan’s East Village, studying literature and writing at The New School when he wasn’t shooting films or playing with his regular band, Mook.

Entering the realm of sought-after prestige-project actor, Dano began filling up his schedule with a number of different projects, most notably as the young preacher Eli Sunday in Paul Thomas Anderson’s long-awaited “There Will Be Blood” (2007) and as the voice of Alexander in Spike Jonez’ adaptation of “Where the Wild Things Are” (2008).