Born on October 22: Jeff Goldblum, amateur jazz musician and Hollywood star

Jeff Goldblum was born in Pennsylvania in 1952. From an early age, he learned to play the piano and had a true revelation when he discovered jazz.

"Very quickly, I wanted to play the piano. And I never let go. I discovered that music was the source of all human emotions," he confided. Another passion also had as a young boy: he dreamed of becoming an actor. At 17, he set off to conquer New York with this goal in mind. While studying theater, the young actor was spotted by a producer and began his career on Broadway in a musical.

He then landed a series of small film roles, and his eccentric appearance quickly made a name for himself. In 1980, he landed one of the two lead roles in the series "The Bashful." He also appeared in hit films such as "The Fly" (for which he endured five hours of makeup every day), "The Player," "Jurassic Park," "Independence Day," and also on the small screen, such as "Will & Grace."

The actor hasn't forgotten his other passion and continues to play jazz, far from the film sets. He regularly performs on stage with his actor friend Peter Weller and producer John Mastro, notably at the Rockwell Hotel, where they meet every Wednesday in front of captivated audiences. In 1990, they named themselves The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra when they were invited to play at the Hollywood Jazz Festival.

This discreet passion burst into the open in 2017, when he accompanied his friend Gregory Porter on piano during a BBC broadcast. A year later, he and his band finally released their first album, "The Capitol Studios Session," in which he covers great jazz standards. Two other albums subsequently completed their discography, while the group continued to perform live, regularly inviting guests such as Miley Cyrus and Fiona Apple to join them in the studio or on stage.

A new career for this eccentric artist who seems determined to explore all facets of his personality. "Life always finds a way," as his character said in "Jurassic Park."

(MH with Céline Massart - Photo : Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Jeff Goldblum with The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra on stage at the Cirque Royal in Brussels, Belgium, on October 11, 2023