<P> Peter Hayden Dinklage was born on June 11, 1969, in Morristown, New Jersey, to John Carl Dinklage (1931--2004), an insurance salesman, and Diane Dinklage (b . 1943), an elementary - school music teacher . He was born with achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism . Dinklage grew up as the only dwarf in his family in Brookside, New Jersey, with his parents and older brother, Jonathan . He is of German and Irish descent . As a child, Dinklage and his brother performed puppet musicals for people in their neighborhood . Dinklage has described his brother, who is a violinist, as being the "real performer of the family", saying that his brother's passion for the violin was the only thing that kept him from pursuing acting . </P> <P> Dinklage had his first theatrical success in a fifth - grade production of The Velveteen Rabbit . Playing the lead, he was delighted by the audience's response to the show . Dinklage attended Delbarton School, a Catholic preparatory school for boys, where he developed his acting . In 1984, Dinklage was inspired by a production of the play True West, written by American playwright Sam Shepard, to pursue a career in acting . </P> <P> Dinklage then attended Bennington College, where he studied for a drama degree and also appeared in numerous productions before graduating in 1991 . After that he moved to New York City with his friend Ian Bell to build a theater company . Failing to pay the rent, they moved out of their apartment . Dinklage then worked at a data processing company for six years before pursuing a career as a full - time actor . </P> <P> Dinklage initially struggled to find work as an actor, partially because he refused to take the roles typically offered to actors with his condition, such as "elves or leprechauns". He made his credited film debut in the low - budget independent comedy - drama Living in Oblivion (1995) where he performed alongside Steve Buscemi . The film tells the story of a director, crew, and cast filming a low - budget independent film in the middle of New York City . Dinklage's role was that of a frustrated actor with dwarfism who complains about his clichéd roles . The film has been well received by critics . The following year he appeared as a building manager in the crime drama Bullet starring rapper Tupac Shakur . Even after his well - received performance in Living in Oblivion, Dinklage still could not find someone willing to be his agent . After a recommendation from Buscemi to the director Alexandre Rockwell, Dinklage was cast in the comedy 13 Moons (2002). When later interviewed for a theater website, he was asked what his ideal role was, and he replied "the romantic lead" who gets the girl . </P>

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