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Adrien Brody

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Adrien Brody
Brody in 2023
Born
Adrien Nicholas Brody

(1973-04-14) April 14, 1973 (age 51)
New York City, U.S.
Alma mater
OccupationActor
Years active1989–present
PartnerElsa Pataky (2006–2009)
MotherSylvia Plachy

Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973)[1] is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's war drama The Pianist (2002), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at age 29, becoming the youngest actor to win in that category. He also became the second American male actor to win the César Award for Best Actor for the same film.

Brody has also starred in The Thin Red Line (1998), The Village (2004), King Kong (2005), Hollywoodland (2006), Cadillac Records (2008), Predators (2010), See How They Run (2022), and The Brutalist (2024). He has frequently collaborated with filmmaker Wes Anderson, appearing in his films The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023). He portrayed Salvador Dalí in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (2011) and Arthur Miller in Andrew Dominik's Blonde (2022).

In television, he has played Luca Changretta in the fourth season of the BBC series Peaky Blinders (2017), and Pat Riley in the HBO sports drama series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (2022–2023). He earned Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his roles as Harry Houdini in the History Channel miniseries Houdini (2014), and investor Josh Aaronson in the HBO series Succession (2021).

Early life

[edit]

Brody was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, the son of Sylvia Plachy, a photographer, and Elliot Brody, a retired history professor and painter.[2] Brody's father is of Polish Jewish descent;[3][4][5] Brody's mother, who was raised Catholic, was born in Budapest, Hungary, and is the daughter of a Catholic Hungarian aristocrat father and a Czech Jewish mother,[6][7][8] although Brody says he was raised "without a strong connection" to either Judaism or Christianity.[9]

As a child, Brody performed magic shows at children's birthday parties as "The Amazing Adrien".[10] He attended I.S. 145 Joseph Pulitzer Middle School and New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. His parents enrolled him in acting classes to distance him from the dangerous children with whom he associated.[11] He attended summer camp at Long Lake Camp for the Arts in the Adirondacks in upstate New York.[12] Brody attended Stony Brook University before transferring to Queens College for a semester.

Career

[edit]

Taking acting classes as a child, by age thirteen, he appeared in an Off-Broadway play and a PBS television film.[13] After appearing in Bullet in 1996 with Tupac Shakur and Mickey Rourke, Brody hovered on the brink of stardom, receiving an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his role in the 1998 film Restaurant, and later praise for his roles in Spike Lee's Summer of Sam and Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line.[14] One day, Roman Polanski watched Brody's performance in Harrison's Flowers (2000), and then Polanski decided to offer Brody the leading role of The Pianist (2002).[15] To prepare for the role, Brody withdrew for months, gave up his apartment and his car, broke up with his then-girlfriend,[13] and took piano lessons for four hours a day until he could master passages from some of Chopin's finest works. At 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall, he lost 30 pounds (14 kg), dropping him to 130 lb (59 kg). The role won him an Academy Award for Best Actor, making him, at age twenty-nine, the youngest actor ever to win the award, and, to date, the only winner under the age of thirty. He also won a César Award for his performance.[16]

Brody appeared on Saturday Night Live on May 10, 2003, his first TV work. During this appearance, he controversially gave an introduction for Jamaican reggae musical guest Sean Paul, while wearing faux dreadlocks and using a Jamaican accent. It was reported at the time that he had improvised the bit, causing him to be banned from Saturday Night Live, however, it was later revealed it was part of the dress rehearsal too.[17] Other TV appearances include NBC's The Today Show, and on MTV's Punk'd after being tricked by Ashton Kutcher.

After The Pianist, Brody appeared in four very different films. In Dummy (released in 2003, but originally shot in 2000, just prior to his work in The Pianist), he portrayed Steven Schoichet, a socially awkward aspiring ventriloquist in pursuit of a love interest (his employment counsellor). He learned ventriloquism and puppetry for the role (under the tutelage of actor/ventriloquist Alan Semok) convincingly enough to perform all of the voice stunts and puppet manipulation live on set in real time, with no subsequent post dubbing. He played Noah Percy, a mentally disabled young man, in the film The Village, by M. Night Shyamalan, shell-shocked war veteran Jack Starks in The Jacket, writer Jack Driscoll in the 2005 King Kong remake, and father-to-be Peter Whitman in The Darjeeling Limited by Wes Anderson. King Kong was both a critical and box office success—it grossed $550 million worldwide, and is Brody's most successful film to date, financially. He reprised his role voicing Driscoll in the video game adaptation of the film. Additionally, Brody played a detective in Hollywoodland. He has also appeared in Diet Coke and Schweppes commercials, as well as Tori Amos' music video for "A Sorta Fairytale".[18]

Brody at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival

On January 5, 2006, Brody confirmed speculation that he was interested in playing the role of The Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight, and also met with director Christopher Nolan. However, Nolan and Warner Bros. decided instead to cast Heath Ledger in the role.[19][20] He was also in talks with Paramount to play Spock in J. J. Abrams' Star Trek, but it ultimately went to Zachary Quinto.[21][22] In 2009, he starred in Splice, a science-fiction film written and directed by Vincenzo Natali. Originally a Sundance film, Splice was adopted by Dark Castle Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. In 2010, he played the star role of Royce in Predators (a sequel to the original Predator), directed by Nimród Antal and produced by Robert Rodriguez.[23]

In 2011, Brody starred in a Stella Artois beer ad called "Crying Jean" that premiered right after half-time of Super Bowl XLV as part of Stella's "She Is a Thing of Beauty" campaign. He appeared in Woody Allen's 2011 Academy Award-winning comedy, Midnight in Paris as Salvador Dalí.[24] On January 16, 2012, Brody made his debut as a runway model for Prada Men Fall/Winter 2012 show.[25]

In 2014, Brody collaborated again with Wes Anderson in the Academy Award-winning The Grand Budapest Hotel, where he played Dmitri. He received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or in a Movie for portraying the title character in Houdini, a History miniseries. The same year, Brody was cast as the title role of Lee Tamahori's action epic Emperor, about a young woman seeking revenge for the execution of her father by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V,[26][27] opposite Sophie Cookson.[28] The movie was finished and screened at Cannes in 2017[29] but its release has been held up by legal challenges.[30]

In 2015, he starred as Tiberius in the Chinese film Dragon Blade, which grossed $54.8 million in its opening week in China.[31] He also received the Cinema Vanguard award at the San Diego Film Festival the same year.[32]

In 2017, it was announced that he would join the cast of the fourth season of the BBC crime drama Peaky Blinders.[33] On August 4, 2017, he received the Leopard Club Award at the Locarno Festival.[34] The Leopard Club Award pays homage to a major film personality whose work has made a lasting impact on the collective imagination.

In 2019, Brody left Paradigm to sign with CAA Creative Artists Agency.[35]

In 2021, he received the Vanguard Award at SCAD's Savannah Film Festival.[36]

On April 11, 2023, it was announced that Brody would star in the lead role for Brady Corbet's The Brutalist, replacing Joel Edgerton in the lead role and joining an ensemble cast consisting of Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Jonathan Hyde, Emma Laird, and Peter Polycarpou.[37] It was also announced that the film would be co-produced by the US-based companies Andrew Lauren Productions and Yellow Bear along with the United Kingdom's Brookstreet and Intake Films, and Hungary's Proton Cinema,[37] and financed by Brookstreet UK, Yellow Bear, Lip Sync Productions, Richmond Pictures, Meyohas Studio, Carte Blanche, Cofiloisirs, and Parable Media.[37] CAA Media Finance handles US sales with Protagonist Pictures handling international sales.[37] Focus Features subsequently acquired international distribution rights to the film.[38] Brody's performance in the film as the Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor László Tóth was critically acclaimed, with critics praising his subtlety and stating that it was one of his finest performances since The Pianist.

Brody appeared in a one-man stage play, The Fear of 13, written by Lindsey Ferrentino, at the Donmar Warehouse in London in October–November 2024. The play is based on the true story of Nick Yarris, an exonerated death-row inmate from Pennsylvania.[39][40]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1992, Brody was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident in which he was thrown over a car and crashed head-first into a crosswalk.[41] He spent months recuperating. He has broken his nose three times doing stunts, including during the filming of Summer of Sam.[42]

Brody began dating Spanish actress and model Elsa Pataky in 2006. For Pataky's 31st birthday in July 2007, Brody purchased for her a 19th-century farm in Central New York state that was remodeled to look like a castle. Brody and Pataky were featured at their New York home in a 35-page spread for HELLO! magazine in October 2008.[43] The pair broke up in 2009.[44]

In 2010, Brody sued makers of the film Giallo, alleging they failed to pay his full salary.[45][46] In January 2011 it was reported that Brody had reached a settlement with the producers. Brody stated, "I very much enjoyed the process of making Giallo and am happy that things have been resolved and that people can now enjoy seeing the film."[47]

In February 2020, it was reported that he was in a relationship with English fashion designer and actress Georgina Chapman, whom he began dating while she was still married to but in a formal separation from Harvey Weinstein.[48]

Performances

[edit]
Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1989 New York Stories Mel Segment: "Life Without Zoe"
1991 The Boy Who Cried Bitch Eddie
1993 King of the Hill Lester Silverstone
1994 Angels in the Outfield Danny Hemmerling
1995 Ten Benny Ray Diglovanni
1996 Bullet Ruby Stein
Solo Dr. Bill Stewart
1997 The Last Time I Committed Suicide Ben
The Undertaker's Wedding Mario Bellini
Six Ways to Sunday Arnie Finklestein
1998 Restaurant Chris Calloway
The Thin Red Line Cpl. Geoffrey Fife
1999 Summer of Sam Richie Tringale
Oxygen Harry Houdini
Liberty Heights Van Kurtzman
2000 Bread and Roses Sam Shapiro
Harrison's Flowers Kyle Morris
2001 Love the Hard Way Jack Grace
The Affair of the Necklace Count Nicolas De La Motte
2002 Dummy Steven Schoichet
The Pianist Władysław Szpilman
2003 The Singing Detective First Hood
2004 The Village Noah Percy
2005 The Jacket Jack Starks
King Kong Jack Driscoll
2006 Hollywoodland Louis Simo Also additional cinematographer
2007 The Darjeeling Limited Peter Whitman
2008 Manolete Manolete
The Brothers Bloom Bloom
Cadillac Records Leonard Chess
2009 Giallo Inspector Enzo Lavia Also producer
Splice Clive Nicoli
Fantastic Mr. Fox Rickity Voice
2010 High School Edward "Psycho Ed" Highbaugh
Predators Royce
The Experiment Travis Cacksmackberg
Wrecked Man Also executive producer
2011 Detachment Henry Barthes Also executive producer
Midnight in Paris Salvador Dalí
2012 Back to 1942 Theodore White
2013 Inappropriate Comedy Flirty Harry Also wrote additional dialogue
Third Person Scott Lowry
2014 The Grand Budapest Hotel Dmitri Desgoffe und Taxis
American Heist Frankie Kelly Also executive producer
2015 Dragon Blade Tiberius
Stone Barn Castle — Documentary;
director, producer and composer
Backtrack Peter Bower
Septembers of Shiraz Isaac Amin Also executive producer
2016 Manhattan Night Porter Wren Also producer
2017 Emperor Charles V Unreleased[49]
Bullet Head Stacy
2018 Air Strike Steve
2021 Clean Clean Also co-writer, producer and composer
The French Dispatch Julien Cadazio
2022 See How They Run Leo Köpernick
Blonde Arthur Miller
2023 Manodrome Dad Dan
Ghosted Leveque
Fool's Paradise Chad Luxt
Asteroid City Schubert Green [50]
2024 The Brutalist László Tóth

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Home at Last Billy Television film
Annie McGuire Lenny McGuire Episode: "Annie and the Brooklyn Bridge"
1994 Rebel Highway Skinny Episode: "Jailbreakers"
1996 Bullet Hearts Chuckie Bragg Pilot
1999 Split Screen Harry Episode: "Waiting for Star Wars"
2003 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Adrien Brody/Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder"
2014 Houdini Harry Houdini Miniseries; 2 episodes
2015 Breakthrough Narrator Episode: "Decoding the Brain"[51][52]
2016 Dice Himself Episode: "Ego"
2017 Peaky Blinders Luca Changretta 6 episodes
2021 Chapelwaite Captain Charles Boone 10 episodes
Succession Josh Aaronson 2 episodes
2022–2023 Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Pat Riley 15 episodes
2023 Poker Face Sterling Frost Jr. 2 episodes

Stage

[edit]
Year Title Role Venue
2024 The Fear of 13 Nick Yarris Donmar Warehouse

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2005 Peter Jackson's King Kong Jack Driscoll Voice; Spike Video Game Award for Best Cast

Music videos

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2002 "A Sorta Fairytale" Tori's lover
2010 "Brodyquest" as himself

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Association Category Project Result
1999 Satellite Awards Outstanding Motion Picture Ensemble The Thin Red Line Won
2001 Independent Spirit Awards Best Male Lead Restaurant Nominated
2002 Boston Society of Film Critics Best Actor The Pianist Won
2003 Academy Awards Best Actor Won
BAFTA Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
César Awards Best Actor Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actor Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor Nominated
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor Nominated
2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Midnight in Paris Nominated
2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture The Grand Budapest Hotel Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Acting Ensemble Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Houdini Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Nominated
2016 Outstanding Narrator Breakthrough Nominated
2022 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Succession Nominated
Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actor in a Horror Series Chapelwaite Nominated
2024 Gotham Awards Outstanding Lead Performance The Brutalist Nominated
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actor Won
Astra Film Awards Best Actor Pending
2025 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Best Actor Pending
Palm Springs International Film Festival Desert Palm Achievement for Best Actor Won
Santa Barbara International Film Festival Cinema Vanguard Award Won

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Famous birthdays for April 14: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Loretta Lynn". United Press International. April 14, 2019. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "Adrien Brody Biography (1973–)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
  3. ^ "Interview: Adrien Brody, actor". The Scotsman. July 4, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  4. ^ Goodman, Lanie (November 3, 2002). "Adrien Brody takes on Chopin, Polanski and the burden of history". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  5. ^ Sugarman, Daniel (March 27, 2017). "Adrien Brody set to play a blinder in BBC series". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  6. ^ Leslie Camhi (March 18, 2005). "An Autobiography in Pictures". The Jewish Daily Forward. New York City: forward.com. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  7. ^ Meyers, William (January 27, 2005). "Rescuing Beauty From History's Dark Corners". The New York Sun. Archived from the original on December 29, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  8. ^ Fox, Chloe (November 12, 2006). "The prime of Adrien Brody". The Guardian. Manchester. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  9. ^ Waxman, Sharon (January 2, 2003). "A Hunger Artist; Adrien Brody Gained Gravitas by Losing Weight To Play a Holocaust Survivor in 'The Pianist'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  10. ^ Sylvia Plachy (December 31, 2002). "My Son the Oscar Contender". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on January 5, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  11. ^ "About Adrien Brody". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  12. ^ "Long Lake Theater Camp". LongLakeCamp.com. January 21, 2011. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  13. ^ a b Dotson Rader (July 25, 2004). "Adrien Brody: 'I Want To Succeed For The Right Reasons'". Parade. Archived from the original on May 28, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  14. ^ "Adrien Brody biography". biography.com. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  15. ^ "Adrien Brody on Winning the Oscar, Catching a Train with Wes Anderson, and Making Music With Popcorn". Variety. December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  16. ^ Grierson, Tim (March 7, 2023). "Best Actor Oscar-Winners Since 2000, Ranked Worst to Best". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  17. ^ SNL
  18. ^ "Adrien Brody: Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  19. ^ Jett (January 7, 2006). "BOF News Archives 45: Update on Sequel Rumors". Batman-on-film.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
  20. ^ Marshall, Rick. "Adrien Brody Almost Played Joker in 'The Dark Knight'". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  21. ^ Pascale, Anthony (February 26, 2007). "Casting Rumor: Damon, Brody & Sinise for Kirk, Spock & McCoy". Trekmovie.com. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
  22. ^ RutheStein (May 17, 2009). "Adrien Brody tries comedy in 'Brothers Bloom'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  23. ^ Borys Kit and Jay A. Fernandez (October 7, 2009). "Adrien Brody to star in new take on "Predators"". Reuters. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  24. ^ Goldberg, Matt. "Midnight in Paris Review". collider.com. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  25. ^ "Adrien Brody: Prada runway model". The Daily Telegraph. January 13, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  26. ^ Mitchell2012-02-13T07:41:00+00:00, Wendy. "Lee Tamahori signs on for Corsan's Emperor". Screen.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 19, 2014). "Cannes: Corsan Pairs Lee Tamahori With Adrien Brody For 'Emperor'".
  28. ^ McNary, Dave (August 18, 2014). "TORONTO: Sophie Cookson Starring Opposite Adrien Brody in 'Emperor'".
  29. ^ Rothe, E. Nina (July 10, 2014). "Discovering an Emperor With Adrien Brody and Lee Tamahori in Cannes". HuffPost.
  30. ^ "'Emperor' Producer Paul Breuls Arrested on Fraud Allegations". The Hollywood Reporter. July 5, 2017.
  31. ^ Frater, Patrick (February 24, 2015). "Jackie Chan's 'Dragon Blade' Scores $55 Million to Head China's New Year Box Office". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  32. ^ Galuppo, Mia (September 8, 2015). "Geena Davis, Adrien Brody to be Feted at San Diego Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  33. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (March 23, 2017). "Adrien Brody Joins 'Peaky Blinders' Season 4; First Story Elements Revealed". Deadline Hollywood.
  34. ^ "Ad Adrien Brody il Leopard Club Award 2017". locarnofestival.ch.
  35. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 4, 2019). "Adrien Brody Inks With CAA". Deadline Hollywood. Deadline.
  36. ^ "2021 Honored Guests". SCAD Savannah Film Festival. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  37. ^ a b c d Wiseman, Andreas (April 11, 2023). "Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn & Alessandro Nivola Among Cast Confirmed For Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist', Filming Underway In Hungary". Deadline. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  38. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (February 17, 2024). "Focus Features Buys International Rights to Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist,' Starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  39. ^ McIntosh, Steven (June 24, 2024). "Oscar winner Brody set for first London stage role". BBC. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  40. ^ "THE FEAR OF 13 by Lindsey Ferrentino". Donmar. Donmar Warehouse Projects. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  41. ^ Carpenter, Susan (November 7, 2007). "Adrien Brody's other passion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  42. ^ "Adrien Brody". South African TV Authority. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  43. ^ Hello (October 7, 2008). "Adrien and Spanish love Elsa share their 'dream castle' with HELLO!". Hello. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  44. ^ Marcy (May 16, 2009). "Adrien Brody's Girlfriend leaves him for Olivier Martinez". Zimbio. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  45. ^ Anthony McCartney (September 24, 2010). "Adrien Brody: Suing 'Giallo' Filmmakers Was My Only Option". HuffPost. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  46. ^ Novikov, Eugene (18 October 2010). "Adrien Brody Sues to Stop Release of Dario Argento's 'Giallo' - The Moviefone Blog". moviefone.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  47. ^ Fleming, Mike (January 20, 2011). "Adrien Brody Settles Pay Dispute On 'Giallo' - Deadline.com". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  48. ^ Roberto, Melissa (March 4, 2020). "Harvey Weinstein's ex-wife was 'shocked and humiliated' by scandal, disgraced mogul 'disgusts' her: report". Fox News.
  49. ^ Roxborough, Scott (July 5, 2017). "'Emperor' Producer Paul Breuls Arrested on Fraud Allegations". The Hollywood Reporter.
  50. ^ Kit, Borys (August 13, 2021). "Rupert Friend, Jason Schwartzman Join Wes Anderson's Next Film (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  51. ^ "National Geographic Channel Greenlights Second Season of Critically Acclaimed Series BREAKTHROUGH". Business Wire. July 25, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  52. ^ "Jason Bateman, Adrien Brody Narrate Nat Geo's 'Breakthrough' With Brett Ratner, Akiva Goldsman". TheWrap. September 23, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2017.


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