John Krasinski's 2 Brothers: All About Paul and Kevin

Mar. 15, 2025

John Krasinski and Paul Krasinski attend Family Reach’s Cooking Live From New York: Emily Blunt & John Krasinski join celebrity chefs Ming Tsai and Morimoto, to help families fighting pediatric cancer on November 2, 2015 in New York City.Photo:Cindy Ord/Getty

Cindy Ord/Getty

However, much like the actor’s life with wifeEmily Bluntand theirtwo daughters, Hazel and Violet, John mostly keeps his family out of the public eye. Neither of his older brothers work in Hollywood (Paul’s career is in tech, while Kevin is a surgeon), they haven’t appeared on a red carpet with him and John rarely speaks about them in interviews.

Still, when theJack Ryanstar does talk about his siblings, he has nothing but love for them. When John was namedPEOPLE’s 2024 Sexiest Man Alive, the filmmaker shared how surreal it felt for him — and quipped about his accolade being a topic of conversation when he sees Paul and Kevin over the upcoming holidays.

“My brothers will probably wonder how this is possible for years to come,“John told PEOPLE. “Luckily we’ll go right into Thanksgiving, so we can jump right in, talk about it right away.”

From their basketball talents to how they influencedThe Office, here’s everything to know about John Krasinski’s brothers, Paul Krasinski and Kevin Krasinski.

John and his brothers were raised outside of Boston

John Krasinski.Robin Platzer/FilmMagic

Robin Platzer/FilmMagic

On Oct. 20, 1979, John became the third boy born to the Krasinski clan. Their parents worked in medicine: Ronald, their father, was a general practitioner and Mary, their mom, worked as a nurse at a nutritional research center at Tufts University,according toElle.

John, Paul and Kevin were raised in Newton, Mass. — a suburb about seven miles west of downtown Boston. The actor shared fond memories of visiting the New England city throughout his childhood and teenage years withBoston.com.

“We used to go to all sorts of different places,” he told the outlet in 2016. “I used to bike on the Charles River all the time. I took Duck Tours, which I’ve still done now with my nieces and nephews. Weirdly, going down to Faneuil Hall was always huge, because when you’re in high school that’s so busy and there are bars and restaurants and people.”

Growing up near Boston also contributed to John’s humble attitude, even as his career as an actor took off.

“There’s something about that with Boston,” he toldPlayboyin 2018 about his unassuming demeanor. “Everybody loves celebrating when you do well in Boston, but no one wants to hear you say you’re the best.”

John, Paul and Kevin all played basketball

The Krasinski brothers were known for shooting hoops in high school, according toElle— and John readily admits that both of his siblings were better than him at the sport.

“ ‘Did John Krasinski play basketball?’ Yes I did,” John revealed when answering the most Googled questions about him forWiredmagazinein 2018. “Not great — I’m actually the smallest of my family.”

He continued, “I’m 6’3”, and my brothers are 6’8” and 6’9”, so as you can sort of surmise, I was not the best basketball player in my family.”

In fact, John’s lack of basketball skill is what initially led him to pursue acting. He had followed his older brother Paul to Brown University, where heplayed center on the basketball teamfrom 1994 to 1998. Paul was captain of the team when John arrived at Brown, perElle, and John thought he would join as well.

“I remember the [gym] door opened and as it shut, I was like, ‘No,’ ” John recalled toMen’s Healthin 2018. “It wasn’t only how good and how big they were — you could see the commitment … I’m like, ‘This is not my college experience. I can’t do this.’ ”

He continued, “And I know this sounds convenient, but that same day, I’m walking back from the gym, now looking for a group to be part of, and there’s a leaflet on a tree.”

The leaflet was a recruitment flier for a sketch-comedy group, which he joined — and became the catalyst for convincing him to pursue comedy and acting.

Paul and Kevin’s height inspired an episode ofThe Office

John Krasinski as Jim Halpert in ‘The Office’.Justin Lubin/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Justin Lubin/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

In season 5 ofThe Office, the audience was introduced to Jim’s fictional brothers Pete and Tom. When casting for the episode, John’s real-life brothers — and their towering heights — inspired the actors selected to play the roles,Jenna Fischerlater revealed ontheOffice Ladiespodcast.

“There’s a reason for that,” Fischer explained. “John Krasinski has two very tall brothers in real life and they thought this would be a fun nod to his family.”

“They’re like the tallest family,”Angela Kinsey, who played Angela onThe Office, echoed.

John and his brothers have memorable childhood stories

John Krasinski attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on February 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.Amy Sussman/WireImage

Amy Sussman/WireImage

Growing up with two older brothers came with plenty of rough-housing, John recalled on an episode ofLate Night with Conan O’Brien.

“There’s one of those old stories that’s like, oh, you always get beat up when you have all brothers. That’s not a joke,” John said. “My brother one time was like, ‘I’m surprised we all survived.’ ”

“It was a giant lawn dart, which are called jarts,” John said about the object he threw, which struck his brother in the head. “It goes in the air and it just sticks in his head.”

He joked, “They’re now illegal in every state because of my case.”

The fighting amongst the brothers eventually dissipated as they grew older — but the incident with the lawn dart lived on in infamy, according to John.

“I was the best man at his wedding and at the rehearsal dinner, I gave him the lawn dart on a plaque,” John shared. “It had his wedding date and it said ‘Always remember.’ ”

Kevin is an orthopedic surgeon

Kevin is the only one of the Krasinski brothers to follow in their parents’ footsteps and pursue medicine. He currently works in North Carolina as an orthopedic surgeon, with specialties in sports medicine and shoulder and knee injuries,according to his bio.

Kevin attended Colgate University, where he majored in biology and medical school at Tufts. After completing his residency at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, he received specialized training in orthopedic sports medicine at Duke University.

His specialty in sports medicine led him to serve as a team physician for Boston College athletics, and an assistant team physician for Duke University and the University of North Carolina. Kevin currently serves as the orthopedic surgery consultant for the Burlington Royals, a minor league baseball team associated with the Kansas City Royals.

Paul is a tech CEO

After attending Brown University and Columbia Business School, Paul went on to become a tech mogul. He is currently the founder and CEO of Epicenter Experience, a Boston-based company that “enables consumers and brands to communicate directly via mobile, share their in-location experiences and exchange value to make everyday interactions more valuable,” according to hisLinkedIn profile.

Paul is alsothe founder of The Farmhouse, a 10-acre retreat in Massachusetts designed to help young people discover their passion in life and give them the tools to pursue their dreams.

“Until now, there really hasn’t been a place where people who are struggling to find their path could go and interact with others just like them,” he told PEOPLE about the project. “The Farmhouse is this place.”

One of John’s brothers inspired a storyline for Jim and Pam onThe Office

Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly Halpert, John Krasinski as Jim Halpert in ‘The Office’.Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Paul and Kevin’s height wasn’t the only time they had an influence onThe Office: John revealed that one of his brothers inspired a controversial storyline for Jim and Pam in the ninth and final season of the hit comedy show.

“The idea of him going to another city came from my brother actually,” John toldDailyActor.comabout Jim taking the job in Philadelphia. “In his work at the beginning of his job, he was traveling a lot all over the country for all his different clients and, you know it was definitely a strain on the family in a very new way.”

He continued, “Obviously, not a strain that was as dramatic as what we did on the show, but it was a thing where sort of seemingly simple things like basic spending time with your children and in the same city was becoming more and more difficult, and putting a strain on – you know just harder to do and – mentally.”

Though John didn’t specify which brother inspired the storyline, his brother Paul has spent his career working for various tech start-ups — similar to the role Jim accepted onThe Office.

source: people.com