Dano was nominated in the category for his work in "Love & Mercy," a Beach Boys biopic movie.
Dano, 31, plays young Beach Boys songwriter and musician Brian Wilson. He is faces competition from Michael Shannon in "99 Homes", Idris Elba in "Beasts of No Nation", Mark Rylance in "Bridge of Spies" and Sylvester Stallone in "Creed."
The Golden Globes will be televised Sunday, Jan. 10, on NBC.
In a statement on Wikipedia, Dano explained how he was familiar with the Beach Boys' music but was not aware of the extent of Wilson's troubles. To prepare himself for the role he immersed himself in Wilson's life by reading, listening, and watching as much information pertinent to Wilson as he could.
"Love & Mercy" is an American biographical drama film directed by Bill Pohlad that focuses on musician-songwriter Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys. The film portrays Wilson's life in the 1960s and '80s.
Paul Dano and John Cusack depict the young and middle-aged Wilson, respectively, and Elizabeth Banks plays Wilson's second wife, Melinda Ledbetter. The film was released June 5.
Dano was born in New York City, before moving to New Canaan, and finally settling in Wilton. Dano graduated from Wilton High School in 2002. Dano then attended Eugene Lang College in New York City.
His career began on Broadway at age 12 and is now most well-known for his roles in "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006) as the mute brother, "Looper" (2012), and "Prisoners" (2013).
Dano has been dating actress and screenwriter Zoe Kazan for eight years and is the vocalist and lead guitar player in his band Mook.
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