John Lurie (December 14, 1952) is an actor, musician, painter and producer born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. In 1978 he formed The Lounge Lizards, initially a new-york-car-crash jazz combo with his brother Evan Lurie. The Lounge Lizards exhibited the tremendous talent of artists such as Arto Lindsay and Marc Ribot, among others. The band continued to make music for 20 years. During the 1980s he starred in a number of films directed by Jim Jarmusch, namely Stranger Than Paradise, Down by Law, and Permanent Vacation. He also composed music for all three of these films as well as Mystery Train. His 1991 TV series Fishing with John was a cult success. Lurie professes no knowledge about fishing, but appears in exotic locations with various notable friends, including Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, Dennis Hopper, Jim Jarmusch, and Down by Law co-star Tom Waits. In 1994 Lurie contracted Lyme Disease and apparently has been in a recuperative state since, mentioning long periods of time spent in his apartment, "shut off" from the world. For the last four years, Lurie has been exhibiting his paintings. In an interview he credits painting with "saving his life", referring to his illnesses and seclusion. His work has been shown at Anton Kern Gallery, Roebling Hall in New York, Galerie Daniel Blau in Munich and Galerie Gabriel Rolt in Amsterdam. He is currently exhibiting at PS1 Contemporary Art Museum in Long Island City, New York. Lurie also starred, during 2001-2003, on the HBO prison series Oz as inmate Greg Penders.