Alex Greenwald

Alex Greenwald was a musician, actor and music producer best known for his work as the lead singer of the rock band Phantom Planet. Greenwald grew up in Los Angeles, California, and began experimenting with rock music as an adolescent. He formed the band Phantom Planet in 1994 when he was 15 years old. The band is best known for the song "California", which was used as the theme song for the CW televisions series "The O.C." (CW, 2003-07). Another member of Phantom Planet was actor and writer Jason Schwartzmann. In 2008 Phantom Planet went on hiatus. Greenwald has collaborated with a number of other musicians including producer Mark Ronson, Ryan Ross and The Like. During his tenure with Phantom Planet, Greenwald collaborated with four other musicians on the project JJAMZ. The project started as a way for the musicians involved to play music outside of their previously existing band commitments. They played live shows and released an album in 2012. When James Valentine of Maroon 5 opted to depart, the band changed its name to Phases, and later signed with Warner Brothers records. In 2014 Greenwald released a solo project entitled "Yo." In addition to his work as a musician, Greenwald has also worked as an actor. He has appeared in movies like "Donnie Darko" (2001), "The Bad News Bears" (2005), and the television series "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" (ABC, 1996-2000). Greenwald was engaged to actress Brie Larson, but in early 2019 it was announced that the couple had decided to end their engagement.