Palatine native shuns corporate life, heads to Hollywood

As a senior in college, Jon Lee Brody had a plan - attend law school, marry his girlfriend and start a family.

Then life happened.

His girlfriend broke up with him, which spurred a phase of life re-evaluation, which spurred a decision that he didn't want to spend his career in an office paying off massive student loans.

So Brody ditched a promising future in corporate America and headed out to Hollywood. So far the gamble has paid off. A year and a half later, the Palatine native has established himself as an up-and-comer, known for his unique look, special skills and passion and dedication.

"In a short amount of time, I've been very lucky and blessed with the progress I've made," Brody said. "It's crazy. I'm just a simple kid from Palatine, but I'm slowly making waves in Hollywood."

If there's one thing Brody, now 25, is truly proud of, it's his hometown roots. At Fremd High School, he played three high school sports and dreamed of one day becoming a pro athlete.

Brody majored in business and sports management at the University of Illinois. Just before his senior year, he had passed his LSAT and gotten accepted into law school. It was during that time he realized the 9-to-5 job didn't appeal.

"I was really struggling with it," he says. "I realized it was more about a title than anything."

While in California for a job interview, Brody happened to be spotted by a talent scout.

"I looked around to make sure he was talking to me," he remembers with a laugh. "It just made me think - maybe I should give this thing a shot. Law school would always be there if I want to go back."

He spent the next six months commuting between home and L.A., making contacts and preparing himself for the move. In June 2008, he bought a one-way plane ticket to L.A.

Not everyone in his life was initially excited. "It took awhile to sell my parents on the idea," Brody says. "They said, 'You have a great opportunity to go to law school; why are you throwing it away?'"

But once in L.A., things fell into place. He found work doing photo shoots and a few commercials, and had small roles in movies such as "Eagle Eye" and "The Dark Knight," as well as appearances on TV shows like "CSI: New York."

His looks also didn't hurt. At 6 feet, 2 inches, he's Swedish, German, Korean, Hawaiian and Native American; people often say he looks like Brandon Lee or Keanu Reeves. He also is an accomplished violinist and has a second degree black belt in tae kwon do.

Now, Brody says he has several films in production, including "Reborn," which he cowrote and produced and will star in. The movie begins principle photography in Chicago later this year, and Dustin Nguyen, best known for his role as Harry Truman Ioki in "21 Jump Street," has shown interest in being involved, Brody said. The film recently was honored as a winning screenplay at the Illinois International Film Festival.

Just recently, Brody says he was offered a leading role in "The Science of Cool," a "geek-to-chic" story, as Brody describes it, which begins filming in a few months. As of now, he is scheduled to star with Mischa Barton from "The O.C." and Jason Mewes from "Clerks" and "Mallrats."

In a town where struggling actor stories are a dime a dozen, Brody says he knows he's lucky. "It's overwhelming when you think of it," he says.

Longtime Palatine friend Beth Richards says it's been interesting to watch her once-preppy high school friend who dreamed of a sports career now nurture his creative side. "It's a total transformation I wouldn't have been able to envision," she says of her reaction after seeing his Hollywood head shots.

Despite his success, Brody remains close to his Palatine roots. He visits often and says he'd love to help make Chicago a destination movie location. He plans to hire extras when "Reborn" finishes filming here. "I want to make my hometown proud," he says. "That's my main goal."

Brody's stumble into Hollywood may have been accidental, but he says has found his passion. "If I can do this the rest of my life, I'd be happy," he says. "I feel totally alive now. It's a great feeling."

At 25, Brody is realistic enough to know "there's always going to be someone better than me," but confident enough to believe his success will continue. "Everyone wants to be the next Pitt or Clooney or Spielberg," Brody says. "I definitely keep that in mind and never take my success for granted."