Childhood & Early Life
Fred Savage was born on 9 July 1976, in Highland Park, Illinois, in the United States. His father is Lewis Savage, an industrial real estate broker and consultant, and his mother is Joanne. His younger brother Ben Savage also became an actor, and his younger sister Kala Savage, became an actress as well as a musician.
He grew up in Glencoe, Illinois, before the family moved to California. He attended Brentwood School, a private school in Brentwood, in Los Angeles. He completed his education in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in English from the Stanford University.
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Career
Fred Savage's career in films began with the 1986 comedy-drama film 'The Boy Who Could Fly'. Written and directed by Nick Castle, the film is about a fourteen-year-old girl who loses her terminally ill father, and her autistic friend played by Savage. The film didn't do well commercially, but received mostly positive reviews. The movie also earned Fred the 'Young Artist Award', for Best Supporting Actor, which was the first award in his career.
His career in TV also started in 1986, with a supporting role in the well-known TV series 'The Twilight Zone'. The show, which had started airing in 1985, on the CBS network, ran till 1989, covering three seasons.
In 1987 he appeared in 'Dinosaurs! - A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time!', a short film in which he played the lead role. The same year, he appeared in the adventure fantasy film 'The Princess Bride', a movie based on a novel of the same name by William Goldman. The film was a commercial success, and received mostly positive reviews. The film earned Fred his second award, the 'Young Artist Award', for Best Actor.
The next year, he appeared in 'Vice Versa', a 1988 American comedy film, which was about an ancient skull stolen by some thieves from a Buddhist monastery. Though the film flopped at the box office, Fred's performance won him the 'Saturn Award for Best Young Performer'.
In 1988 Fred Savage started playing the lead role in 'The Wonder Years', a TV comedy series, which eventually became one of the most successful shows of the time, winning a Primetime Emmy Award, only after six episodes. The show ran till 1993, covering a total of six seasons. Fred's performance was appreciated and it earned him three awards and two nominations.
Throughout the ensuing years, he appeared in several movies, such as 'The Wizard' (1989), 'A Guy Walks into a Bar' (1999), 'The Rules of Attraction' (2002), and 'Welcome to Mooseport' (2004).
Fred Savage made his directorial debut in 2007 with the comedy film 'Daddy Day Camp'. Starring actors such as Cuba Gooding, Jr., Lochlyn Munro and Richard Gant, the film was a moderate commercial success. However, it became one of the worst reviewed films. The film won the 'Golden Raspberry Award' for Worst sequel and Savage was nominated for the 'Golden Raspberry Award' for Worst Director.
His next significant role on TV was in the TV series 'Working', where he played the lead role. The show, aired from 1997 to 1999, and covered two seasons. Having done several roles in television over the next decade, such as 'Oswald' (2001-2003), and 'Crumbs' (2006), his latest role on TV was as an actor in 'The Grinder', a comedy series, which aired from September 2015 to May 2016.
Throughout his career, he also directed several episodes of various TV shows. Some of them are 'Wizards of Waverly Place' (2007-2008), 'Gigantic' (2011), 'Perfect Couples' (2011), '2 Broke Girls' (2011- present), 'The Crazy Ones' (2013), and 'Casual' (2015).
Major Works
'The Princess Bride', a 1987 fantasy adventure film was among the early works of Fred Savage. Directed by Rob Reiner, the film also starred Peter Falk, Betsy Brantley, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, and Chris Sarandon. The story, which was adapted from a 1973 novel of the same name by William Goldman, was narrated by a grandfather to his sick grandson. It was about a farmhand on a mission to rescue a princess. The film was a commercial success, and received mostly mixed reviews.
The comedy drama television series 'The Wonder Years' which aired on the ABC network was the most significant work in the entire career of Fred Savage. Fred, who portrayed a young boy named Kevin Arnold, received three awards and two nominations, which included one for the Golden Globe Awards. The show became hugely popular, and was named by TV Guide as one of the 20 best shows of the 1980s. The show won several awards such as the 'Primetime Emmy Award', 'Peabody Award', and 'Television Critics Association Award'.
The American comedy TV series 'The Grinder' is among Fred's most recent works on television. The show, which premiered on September 29, 2015, was about an actor, who returns to his hometown after a long time. Though he has no experience in the field of law, he believes that since he played a lawyer in a TV show, it makes him qualified to practice law. The show was loved by both critics and audience.
Awards & Achievements
Fred Savage has received numerous awards and nominations throughout his career. Some of them are the 'Young Artist Award' for Best Young Actor, for his role in the 1987 movie, 'The Princess Bride', ‘Saturn Award' for Best Young Performer, for his role in the 1988 movie 'Vice Versa' and 'People's Choice Award' for Favorite TV Performer (1989–90), and 'Young Artist Award' for Best Actor (1988–89), both for his role in the TV series 'The Wonder Years'.
