Driver made his film debut in J. Edgar (2011) and played supporting roles in Lincoln (2012), Frances Ha (2012), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) and While We're Young (2014) before gaining wider recognition for his portrayal of Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019).

His breakout performance was as an emotionally unstable actor in the HBO television series Girls (2012–2017), for which he received three consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations.

On stage, Driver made his Broadway debut in Mrs. Warren's Profession (2010) and subsequently acted in Man and Boy (2011) and Burn This (2019), the later of which earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

[11][12] After his parents were divorced, Driver and his mother moved to Mishawaka, Indiana, where he was primarily raised by his stepfather, Rodney G. Wright, a Baptist minister.

[20] After high school, he worked as a door-to-door salesman selling Kirby vacuum cleaners and as a telemarketer for a basement waterproofing company and Ben Franklin Construction.

[21] When Driver was eighteen, he attempted to start his acting career in Los Angeles, leaving Indiana by car and breaking down in Amarillo, Texas.

He spent his money repairing his car only to make it to Santa Monica, where he lived in a hostel for two days and was scammed by a real estate agent he paid to find him an apartment.

[27] Driver played telegraph and cipher officer Samuel Beckwith in Steven Spielberg's historical drama Lincoln, and Lev Shapiro in Noah Baumbach's comedy-drama Frances Ha.

He played a musician in the Coen Brothers' black comedy Inside Llewyn Davis, and photographer Rick Smolan in the drama Tracks.

In 2014, he played a despairing father in the drama Hungry Hearts, an aspiring filmmaker in Noah Baumbach's comedy While We're Young, and the black sheep of a dysfunctional Jewish family in the comedy-drama This Is Where I Leave You.

[30] For Vogue's September 2013 issue, Driver appeared alongside Canadian model Daria Werbowy set in Ireland, photographed by Annie Leibovitz.

[36] His performance was positively received; David Edelstein of Vulture wrote, "the core of The Last Jedi — of this whole trilogy, it seems — is Driver's Kylo Ren, who ranks with cinema's most fascinating human monsters.

"[37] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian highlighted Driver's performance in his review of The Force Awakens, calling him "gorgeously cruel, spiteful and capricious... very suited to Kylo Ren's fastidious and amused contempt for his enemies' weakness and compassion.

Driver played Toby Grummett in Terry Gilliam's adventure-comedy film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), which also premiered at Cannes.

[54] In 2019, Driver played Daniel J. Jones in Scott Z. Burns' political drama The Report, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

That same year, Driver starred opposite Scarlett Johansson in Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story, which premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival.

[56][57] Reviewing the film in The Hollywood Reporter, critic Jon Frosch noted that Driver "delivers a brilliantly inhabited and shaded portrait" of a man undergoing a divorce.

[67] Equally praised by critics and directors,[68] Driver's acting has a unique signature style that displays skittish, unpredictable physicality with full-bodied enthusiasm like Denis Lavant and Buster Keaton.

[83] Driver is the founder of Arts in the Armed Forces (AITAF), a nonprofit that performs theater for all branches of the military in the United States and abroad.

[84][85] Driver has said on multiple occasions that he dislikes watching or listening to his own performances, and chose not to continue with a radio interview with NPR's Fresh Air after the host played a clip from Marriage Story.

He also received a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture as a part of the ensemble of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.