Schwartzman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Talia Shire (née Coppola) and the late producer Jack Schwartzman. Many of his family members are involved in film; he is the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola, cousin of actor Nicolas Cage, director Sofia Coppola, Roman Coppola and Christopher Coppola, and grandson of Italia Coppola (née Pennino) and Carmine Coppola. His brother is actor/musician Robert Schwartzman (vocalist for the band Rooney), and his paternal half-brother is cinematographer John Schwartzman. Schwartzman is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent on his father's side and Italian descent on his mother's side, and was raised without religion.
He is an American actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Rushmore, Spun, I ♥ Huckabees, Shopgirl, Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling Limited, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. He is currently in the band Coconut Records; formerly, he was the drummer of the rock band Phantom Planet. Schwartzman is also the star of the HBO series Bored to Death, where he plays a writer who moonlights as an unlicensed detective advertising himself on Craigslist.