Paul Giamatti is not currently married to Elizabeth Cohen. She is his ex-wife.
They married on 13 October 1997 and later divorced. They have one child together, their son Samuel.
That single correction changes much of the old article, which presented the couple as still married, with two children, living together in Los Angeles. None of that matches the verified record.
At a Glance
- Paul Giamatti: Born 6 June 1967, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Ex-wife: Elizabeth Cohen, now Elizabeth Giamatti in professional credits
- Married: 13 October 1997
- Divorced: At an unknown date; confirmed as divorced by February 2016
- Children together: One son, Samuel Paul Giamatti, born in 2001
- Paul Giamatti’s father: A. Bartlett Giamatti, Yale president and baseball commissioner
Who Is Elizabeth Cohen?
Elizabeth Cohen is an American film producer and director. She is not a television news journalist, and she should not be confused with other people of the same name in journalism.
Her best-known work is in independent film. She produced Cold Souls (2009), which starred Paul Giamatti, and she co-directed A Woman Like Me (2015) with Alex Sichel.
A Woman Like Me began as a collaboration between Cohen, then credited as Elizabeth Giamatti, and Sichel. After Sichel died in 2014, Cohen completed the film as co-director. It won a Special Jury Award for Directing at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival.
Her other producing credits include Three Girls and Their Brother and Pretty Bird. Her work is serious, small-scale, and separate from her ex-husband’s mainstream film career, even though their paths crossed professionally on Cold Souls.
Who Is Paul Giamatti?
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti was born on 6 June 1967 in New Haven, Connecticut. He is the youngest of three children.
His mother, Toni Marilyn Giamatti, was a former actor who taught English at the Hopkins School. His father, Angelo Bartlett Giamatti, known as A. Bartlett Giamatti, was a Yale University professor who became president of Yale and later commissioner of Major League Baseball. His brother Marcus Giamatti is also an actor.
That family history corrects a plain error in the old article. Paul Giamatti is the son of Bart Giamatti. The old claim that the two men are not related is false.
Education and Early Career
Giamatti attended the Foote School and Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut. He then studied English at Yale University, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1989.
He returned to Yale and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama in 1994. He worked in theatre, including on Broadway and with Seattle’s Annex Theater, before building a film and television career in the 1990s.
Career Highlights
Giamatti is known for character roles that mix comedy, frustration, and warmth. His major work includes:
- Private Parts (1997) and Saving Private Ryan (1998), which brought him wider attention
- American Splendor (2003), as cartoonist Harvey Pekar
- Sideways (2004), as Miles Raymond, the role that made him a leading film actor
- Cinderella Man (2005), as boxing manager Joe Gould
- John Adams (2008), the HBO miniseries in which he played John Adams and won an Emmy
- Billions (2016-2023), as U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades
- The Holdovers (2023), as boarding school teacher Paul Hunham
He has received two Academy Award nominations and has not won an Oscar. The first was for Best Supporting Actor for Cinderella Man. The second was for Best Actor for The Holdovers. The old article’s picture of his awards record was out of date and incomplete, and this update brings it up to date.
How Paul Giamatti and Elizabeth Cohen Met and Married
The old article claimed that Paul Giamatti met Elizabeth Cohen while they were both students at Yale University. No reliable source found for this update confirms that meeting story, so it is not repeated here.
What is confirmed is the wedding itself. Paul Giamatti and Elizabeth Ora Cohen married on 13 October 1997. Contemporary wedding reporting records the ceremony at her parents’ home, officiated by Judge John G. Koeltl of the Federal District Court.
At the time of the wedding, Giamatti was 30 and Cohen was 35. He was still building his acting career, several years before Sideways made him widely known.
Their Son Samuel
Paul Giamatti and Elizabeth Cohen have one child, Samuel Paul Giamatti, born in 2001.
The old article claimed two children, Samuel and Leonora. No reliable source confirms a second child named Leonora, and standard biographical records list one child. This update therefore lists Samuel only.
Giamatti has spoken rarely about his son in public. In a 2011 interview with The Guardian, he said his wife was Jewish and that he was happy for his son to be raised as a Jew, learning Hebrew. That interview dates from before the divorce became public knowledge through property records, and it is a reminder that the couple’s private life was kept private even while they were married.
Samuel Giamatti is now an adult. This article gives no further personal detail about him, because he is a private individual and no reliable public source supports more.
When Did Paul Giamatti and Elizabeth Cohen Divorce?
The exact date of the divorce is not confirmed in a reliable public source.
Secondary biography sites give different years, including 2000, 2006, and 2007. None of them cites a court record or a statement from either person that settles the date. This article therefore does not pick one of those years and present it as fact.
What is confirmed is that the marriage had ended well before February 2016. In that month, property records showed Giamatti selling his share of a Brooklyn Heights co-op at 35 Pierrepont Street to his ex-wife, Elizabeth Giamatti, for $1.1 million. His publicist said at the time that the couple had not been married for over five years.
Later reporting, including a 2024 profile, describes the divorce as having happened at an unknown date after several years of marriage. That wording is the honest one, and it is the wording used here.
Readers should also ignore the old article’s claim that Giamatti now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. He has long been associated with Brooklyn Heights, New York, where he bought a separate condo in 2010.
Is Paul Giamatti in a Relationship Now?
Yes, in recent public reporting. During the 2023-2024 awards season for The Holdovers, Giamatti publicly acknowledged actress Clara Wong as his girlfriend, including in his Golden Globe acceptance speech in January 2024.
Wong is an actress whose credits include Louie, Goliath, What We Do in the Shadows, and Billions. She and Giamatti first worked together on Billions, where she played Mistress Troy. They were first spotted together publicly in 2019 and made their red carpet debut as a couple in January 2024.
This article does not claim a marriage, an engagement, or children for Giamatti and Wong, because none of those has been confirmed in reliable reporting.
What the Old Article Got Wrong
The previous version contained a set of errors that changed the basic facts of the story. They are corrected here:
- Still married: False. Giamatti and Cohen are divorced. The marriage ended years ago and was confirmed as over by February 2016.
- Wedding date: The old article gave both 6 October 1997 and 13 October 1997. The confirmed date is 13 October 1997.
- Two children, Samuel and Leonora: Not confirmed. They have one confirmed child, Samuel, born in 2001. Leonora is removed.
- Met at Yale: Not confirmed. The meeting story is left out, and only the verified wedding details are given.
- Not related to Bart Giamatti: False. A. Bartlett Giamatti was Paul Giamatti’s father, as well as a Yale president and baseball commissioner.
- A 1995-1996 relationship with Amy Landecker: Not confirmed. No reliable source supports it, and it is removed.
- Living in Los Angeles with wife and children: False. That description does not match the divorce record or Giamatti’s long-standing Brooklyn Heights base.
- Off-topic sections: The old article’s separate, disconnected sections on Downton Abbey and on Bart Giamatti as if he were a stranger have been removed. Giamatti’s career is now covered in one short, relevant section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Paul Giamatti still married to Elizabeth Cohen?
No. They married in 1997 and later divorced. The exact divorce date is not publicly confirmed, but the divorce was confirmed by February 2016.
How many children do Paul Giamatti and Elizabeth Cohen have?
One son, Samuel Paul Giamatti, born in 2001.
Who is Paul Giamatti’s father?
A. Bartlett Giamatti, the Yale University president who later became commissioner of Major League Baseball. Paul Giamatti is his son.
Has Paul Giamatti won an Oscar?
No. He has been nominated twice: Best Supporting Actor for Cinderella Man (2005) and Best Actor for The Holdovers (2023). He has not won.
Who is Paul Giamatti’s girlfriend?
Actress Clara Wong, whom he publicly acknowledged as his girlfriend during the 2023-2024 awards season. They met while working on Billions.
