Greg Kinnear, Oscar-Nominee and ACS Athens Alumnus, Returns to Campus

Born Gregory Buck Kinnear on 17 June 1963 in Logansport, Indiana, he is the youngest of three brothers. His father, Edward Kinnear, was a career diplomat with the U.S. State Department, and his mother, Suzanne (née Buck), was a homemaker. The family’s postings took them around the world: Beirut (where young Greg briefly attended elementary school in 1975, and then Athens, where they lived for seven formative years (1974–1981). It was in Greece that Kinnear discovered his love for performance and communication.

While at ACS Athens, he hosted his own radio show, “School Daze with Greg Kinnear,” interviewing classmates and teachers in a mock talkshow format that foreshadowed his future career. He also starred in school theater productions and soaked up the multicultural environment that the school’s international student body provided — experiences he has repeatedly credited as pivotal. After graduating in 1981, he returned to the United States and earned a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Arizona in 1985.

Dr. Peggy Pelonis, President of ACS Athens, accompanied Kinnear on the eventful tour of the campus:

“Walking him through the school and watching him revisit the very hallways he once knew as a student added a special layer of nostalgia to his visit.”

Kinnear spent time on campus with current students interested in film, media, and the performing arts. With characteristic warmth and candor, he urged them to remain curious, resilient, and faithful to their passions — advice delivered in an open, inspiring dialogue that left a lasting impact on the young audience.

A Career Still in Full Flight

Kinnear’s return comes during one of the busiest periods of his nearly fourdecade career:

- Smoke (Apple TV+, premiered 27 June 2025) – A nineepisode crime drama created by Dennis Lehane, starring Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett. Kinnear plays Commander Harvey Englehart, head of the fictional Umberland Fire Department.
- Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV+, expected 2026) – David E. Kelley’s adaptation of the bestselling novel, featuring an allstar ensemble including Nicole Kidman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Elle Fanning, and Kinnear as Kenny.
- The Untitled Eternity Project – Currently filming in Athens and Italy with Bérénice Marlohe, William H. Macy, Nolan Gerard Funk, and Meadow Williams.

From hosting Talk Soup and Later with Greg Kinnear in the 1990s to earning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for As Good as It Gets (1997) opposite Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, Kinnear has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including Little Miss Sunshine, You’ve Got Mail, The Matador, Sabrina, Phil, and the recent Sight (2024).

For the ACS Athens community, however, Greg Kinnear’s visit was more than a celebrity homecoming. It was living proof that the curiosity, creativity, and global perspective nurtured within these walls can propel students to the world’s biggest stages — and that, decades later, they never forget where it all began.