Taking acting classes as a child, by age thirteen, he appeared in an Off-Broadway play and a PBS television film. After appearing in "Bullet" in 1996 with Tupac Shakur and Mickey Rourke, Brody hovered on the brink of stardom, receiving an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his role in the 1998 film "Restaurant", and later praise for his roles in Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam" and Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line". He received widespread recognition when he was cast as the lead in Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" (2002). To prepare for the role, Brody withdrew for months, gave up his apartment and his car, broke up with his then-girlfriend, learned how to play Chopin on the piano; at 6'1" (1.85m) tall, he lost thirty pounds (13.6 kg), dropping him to 130 lbs (59 kg). The role won him an Academy Award for Best Actor, making him, at age twenty nine, the youngest actor ever to win the award, and, to date, the only winner under the age of thirty. He also won a César Award for his performance.