Robert Schwartzman

Robert Schwartzman (born December 24, 1982) is an American actor, musician, and film director, Schwartzman is also best known as the lead vocalist of the rock/pop band Rooney. He has also acted in the short black-and-white film Lick the Star and The Virgin Suicides, both directed and co-written by his cousin Sofia Coppola, as well as The Princess Diaries. 2Personal life Schwartzman was born in Los Angeles, California, United States, he is the youngest of three boys of Talia Shire (née Coppola) and the late producer Jack Schwartzman. Many other members of Schwartzman's family are involved in film: he is the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, cousin of Nicolas Cage, Sofia Coppola, Roman Coppola and Christopher Coppola, and grandson of Italia Coppola (née Pennino) and Carmine Coppola (the source of his old stage name) and his niece, Gia Coppola. His brother is Jason Schwartzman, lead singer of the band Coconut Records (also an actor and former drummer of the band Phantom Planet) and his half-siblings are Stephanie Schwartzman and cinematographer John Schwartzman. Schwartzman is of Jewish descent on his father's side and of Catholic Italian descent on his mother's side. 2Career Schwartzman attended Windward School in Los Angeles, California. Schwartzman formed his band Rooney in his junior year of school in 1999. He left the band temporarily when he attended Eugene Lang College in New York City in 2001. Schwartzman wrote songs in his dorm room and flew home every month to perform new material for Rooney in his first semester at colleg