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Braff's love of acting dates back to his childhood in South Orange, New Jersey, where he watched his father, an attorney, work in community theater for fun. "I was 8 years old and on opening night when the curtain closed and the lights went up, it was the most exciting thing I'd ever seen" says Braff. At age 11, he attended the renowned children's acting camp, StageDoor Manor, and was scouted by a talent manager who got him started professionally.

Braff's first role came at 14 in a television pilot produced by Bruce Paltrow (St. Elsewhere), where he co-starred opposite the producer's daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow. He went on to appear in the films Getting to Know You (opposite Heather Matarazzo and Bebe Neuwirth), and Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, where he played the son of Allen's and Diane Keaton's characters. He recently co-starred in The Broken Hearts Club, winner of a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film.

Braff has also appeared in theater in New York, working opposite Alec Baldwin, Angela Bassett and Liev Schreiber in Macbeth at New York's Public Theatre and as Romeo in Shakespeare-on-the-Sound's production of Romeo and Juliet.

Displaying a chameleon-like ability to transform himself into a wide range of characters, Braff has played a blond, gay drug addict, a nerdy introvert and a Scottish warrior, among other roles. "The challenge of becoming a character that's totally different from who I am is what excites me about acting, Braff notes. It makes each experience new."

A graduate of Northwestern University's film school, Braff studied theater acting while writing and directing his own short films, including Lionel on a Sun Day, which won numerous awards during the 1998 festival season. He has also directed a number of commercials and public-service announcements in both New York and Los Angeles. When he's not busy with his acting career, Braff continues to work on his screenplay and looks forward to his next opportunity to act in theater.

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