Chris Klein was born on March 14, 1979, in Hinsdale, Illinois, to Terese Bergen, a kindergarten teacher, and Fred Klein, an engineer, who are of German, Irish, and English descent. He spent his first thirteen years in Hinsdale before moving with his family to Nebraska.
It was during his high school years that Chris Klein was discovered by director Alexander Payne, who was casting his upcoming film, Election. Klein won the role of Paul Metzler, a dim but sweet football player, who is persuaded by Matthew Broderick's Jim McAllister to run against the unopposed Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) in the school's student council election.
The film Election was released in April 1999 to positive reviews. Soon after, Klein found a steady amount of work in the film industry, while briefly attending TCU, where he studied theater and was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Klein was next seen in American Pie, which opened on July 9, 1999, and was a box office success. He reprised his role in American Pie 2 and American Reunion. In 2002, Klein had a role in the Mel Gibson Vietnam War film, We Were Soldiers.
Klein has also appeared in several teen movies, including Just Friends (2005),American Dreamz (2006),and The Uberkanone (2014),where he played an American pilot. He co-starred in the 2014 comedy indie film Authors Anonymous with Kaley Cuoco.
Chris Klein's early life and career were marked by his discovery by director Alexander Payne, his roles in successful films such as Election and American Pie, and his appearances in various teen movies.
