Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Gordon-Levitt at the London Film Festival screening of Don Jon, November 2013
Born Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt
(1981-02-17) February 17, 1981
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education Van Nuys High School
Columbia University
Occupation
  • Actor
  • filmmaker
  • production company owner
Years active 1988–present
Spouse(s) Tasha McCauley (m. 2014)
Children 1
Relatives Michael Gordon (grandfather)

Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt[1] (/ˈlɛvᵻt/; born February 17, 1981)[2][3][4] is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor, he appeared in the films A River Runs Through It, Angels in the Outfield and 10 Things I Hate About You, and as Tommy Solomon in the TV series 3rd Rock from the Sun. He took a break from acting to study at Columbia University, but dropped out in 2004 to pursue acting again. He has since starred in 500 Days of Summer, Inception, Hesher, 50/50, Premium Rush, The Dark Knight Rises, Brick, Looper, The Lookout, Manic, Lincoln, Mysterious Skin and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

He also founded the online production company hitRECord in 2004 and has hosted his own TV series, HitRecord on TV, since January 2014. In 2013, Gordon-Levitt made his feature film directing and screenwriting debut with Don Jon, a comedy film in which he also stars. He previously directed and edited two short films, both of which were released in 2010: Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny and Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo. He starred as Philippe Petit in the Robert Zemeckis-directed film The Walk[5] and will star as Edward Snowden in the Oliver Stone film Snowden, set for release in 2016.[6]

Early life

Gordon-Levitt was born in Los Angeles, California,[1] and was raised in its Sherman Oaks neighborhood.[7] He is Jewish, from a family that is "not strictly religious";[8][9] his parents were among the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance.[10][11][12] His father, Dennis Levitt, was once the news director for the Pacifica Radio station, KPFK-FM.[13][14] His mother, Jane Gordon, ran for the United States Congress in California during the 1970s for the Peace and Freedom Party; she met Dennis Levitt while she was working as the program guide editor for KPFK-FM.[13] Gordon-Levitt's maternal grandfather, Michael Gordon, was a Hollywood film director between the 1940s and 1970s, and directed the 1959 Doris Day/Rock Hudson film Pillow Talk.[13] Gordon-Levitt attended Van Nuys High School and graduated with honors in 1999.[15]

Career

Early acting work

Gordon-Levitt joined a musical theater group at the age of four and played the Scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz. Subsequently, he was approached by an agent and began appearing on television and in commercials for Sunny Jim peanut butter, Cocoa Puffs, Pop-Tarts, and Kinney Shoes.[13]

At age six, he starred in several made-for-television films. In 1991, he played both David Collins and Daniel Collins in the Dark Shadows television series, and appeared in the movie A River Runs Through It .[16] During 1992–93, he played in The Powers That Be, a sitcom starring John Forsythe, as a clever young boy named Pierce Van Horne. Also in 1992, he portrayed Gregory Kingsley in the made-for-TV film Switching Parents, based on Kingsley's real life case of "divorcing" his parents. In 1994, he starred in the Disney film Angels in the Outfield as an orphan who sees angels. In 1996, he began playing Tommy Solomon on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. The series ran for six seasons. The San Francisco Chronicle noted that Gordon-Levitt was a "Jewish kid playing an extraterrestrial pretending to be a Jewish kid".[17] During the 1990s, he was frequently featured in teenage magazines, something he resented. He has also said that during this time period, he did not enjoy being recognized in public, saying that he "hates being a celebrity".[17]

Gordon-Levitt at a promotional event for (500) Days of Summer in March 2009

Gordon-Levitt starred in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and voiced Jim Hawkins in Treasure Planet (2002), a Disney adaptation of the novel Treasure Island.[18] In 2000, he began attending Columbia University School of General Studies.[13][19] He studied history, literature, and French poetry.[13] He became an avid Francophile and a French speaker.[13] He said that moving to New York City from his hometown forced him to grow as a person.[17] He dropped out in 2004 to concentrate on acting again.[13]

Later acting work

Gordon-Levitt has said that he made a conscious decision to "be in good movies" after returning to acting.[19] His films include 2001's drama Manic, which was set in a mental institution, Mysterious Skin (2004), in which he played a gay prostitute and child sexual abuse victim, and Brick (2005), a modern-day film noir set at a high school, in which he had the lead role of Brendan Frye, a teen who becomes involved in an underground drug ring while investigating a murder. Brick received positive reviews, with The Minnesota Daily's critic commenting that Gordon-Levitt played the character "beautifully", "true to film's style", "unfeeling but not disenchanted", and "sexy in the most ambiguous way."[19][20] Another reviewer described the performance as "astounding".[21] He also starred opposite Steve Sandvoss as a young judgmental missionary in Latter Days (2003), a film that centers on a sexually repressed Mormon missionary (Sandvoss) who falls for his gay neighbor. He had roles in Havoc and Shadowboxer.[22]

Gordon-Levitt at WonderCon in March 2012

His next role was in 2007's The Lookout, in which he played Chris Pratt, a janitor involved in a bank heist. In reviewing the film, The Philadelphia Inquirer described Gordon-Levitt as a "surprisingly formidable, and formidably surprising, leading man",[23] while New York magazine stated that he is a "major tabula rasa actor ... a minimalist", and that his character worked because he "doesn't seize the space ... by what he takes away from the character."[24] The San Francisco Chronicle specified that he "embodies, more than performs, a character's inner life."[17] His 2008 and 2009 films include Stop-Loss, directed by Kimberly Peirce and revolving around American soldiers returning from the Iraq War, and Killshot, in which he played a hoodlum partnered with a hired killer played by Mickey Rourke.[19]

Gordon-Levitt played a lead role opposite to friend Zooey Deschanel in (500) Days of Summer, a well-received 2009 release about the deconstruction of a relationship.[22] His performance, described as "the real key" to what makes the film work, credits him with using "his usual spell in subtle gradations."[25] Variety's Todd McCarthy praised his performance, saying he "expressively alternates between enthusiasm and forlorn disappointment in the manner Jack Lemmon could".[26] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said the movie "hits you like a blast of pure romantic oxygen" and credited both lead actors for playing "it for real, with a grasp of subtlety and feeling that goes beyond the call of breezy duty."[27] He was subsequently nominated for a Golden Globe Award.[28]

He later played villain Cobra Commander in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.[29] On November 21, 2009, he hosted Saturday Night Live.[30] In 2010, he replaced James Franco[31] to star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Christopher Nolan's science fiction thriller Inception, which received favorable reviews.[22]

In 2011, Gordon-Levitt began filming Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, in which he played John Blake, a police officer who emerges as a key ally of Batman.[32] Also released in 2012, he played the starring role of a bicycle messenger in the action film Premium Rush; the younger version of the lead role, shared with Bruce Willis, in the time-travel thriller Looper;[33] and the supporting role of Robert Todd Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's biopic Lincoln.[34]

Gordon-Levitt played a new character, Johnny, in the sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), described by the filmmakers as "a cocky gambler who disguises a darker mission to destroy his most foul enemy at his best game".[35] In October 2013, it was reported that he was one of the frontrunners to play the lead character for Marvel Studios's superhero film Ant-Man, which eventually went to Paul Rudd.[36]

In November 2014, it was confirmed that Gordon-Levitt would play National Security Agency surveillance leaker Edward Snowden in Snowden directed by Oliver Stone.[37] The film is scheduled to be released in North America on September 16, 2016 and will co-star Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson and Nicolas Cage. In 2015, Gordon-Levitt also starred as Philippe Petit in the biographical drama The Walk, directed by Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis.

Directing and producing

Gordon-Levitt's first film as director, the 24 minute-long Sparks, an adaptation of a short story by Elmore Leonard starring Carla Gugino and Eric Stoltz, was selected for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival as part of a new program for short films.[38] In 2010, he directed another short film, Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo.[39] It premiered at two houses during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.[39]

He was one of the many producers of the Broadway show Slava's Snowshow.[40]

In 2013, Gordon-Levitt wrote, directed and starred in his screenwriting and directorial debut, Don Jon. The film also stars Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, and Tony Danza, and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013. Following the premiere, the film was acquired by Relativity Media and Gordon-Levitt stated: "I always intended this to be a movie for a mass popular audience. Everyone told me it was a long shot ... I couldn't possibly be more grateful."[41]

HitRecord

Main article: HitRecord

HitRecord (pronounced /ˈhɪt rᵻˈkɔːrd/; often stylized as hitREC●rd) is an online collaborative production company founded and owned by Gordon-Levitt. The company uses a variety of media to produce such projects as short films, books, and DVDs.[42] HitRecord has produced such short films as Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny and its sequel Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo.

Personal life

Gordon-Levitt's older brother, Dan,[43][44] who was a photographer and fire spinner, died in 2010 at age 36.[45]

In October 2013, Gordon-Levitt identified himself as a feminist, giving credit to his mother: "My mom brought me up to be a feminist. She was active in the movement in the '60s and '70s. The Hollywood movie industry has come a long way since its past. It certainly has a bad history of sexism, but it ain't all the way yet."[46]

In December 2014, Gordon-Levitt married Tasha McCauley.[47][48] They have a son born in August 2015.[49]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Beethoven Student No. 1
1992 River Runs Through It, AA River Runs Through It Young Norman
1994 Holy Matrimony Zeke
1994 Roadflower Rich Lerolland
1994 Angels in the Outfield Roger Bomman
1996 Juror, TheThe Juror Oliver Laird
1998 Sweet Jane Tony
1998 Halloween H20: 20 Years Later James Howell
1999 10 Things I Hate About You Cameron James
2000 Picking Up the Pieces Flaco
2000 Forever Lulu Martin Ellsworth
2001 Manic Lyle Jensen
2002 Treasure Planet Jim Hawkins Voice role
2003 Latter Days Elder Paul Ryder
2004 Mysterious Skin Neil McCormick
2005 Brick Brendan Frye
2005 Havoc Sam
2005 Shadowboxer Dr. Don
2007 Lookout Chris Pratt
2008 Stop-Loss Tommy Burgess
2008 Miracle at St. Anna Tim Boyle
2008 Brothers Bloom, TheThe Brothers Bloom Bar Patron Uncredited cameo[50]
2009 Killshot Richie Nix
2009 Big Breaks Todd Sterling Short film
2009 (500) Days of Summer Tom Hansen
2009 Uncertainty Bobby
2009 Women in Trouble Bert Rodriguez
2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra The Doctor/Rexford "Rex" Lewis
2010 Hesher Hesher
2010 Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny Morgan M. Morgansen / Narrator Short film; also director and editor
2010 Elektra Luxx Bert Rodriguez
2010 Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date Morgan M. Morgansen / Narrator Short film; also director and editor
2010 Inception Arthur
2011 50/50 Adam Lerner
2012 The Dark Knight Rises John Blake
2012 Premium Rush Wilee
2012 Looper Young Joe Also executive producer
2012 Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln
2013 Don Jon Jon "Don Jon" Martello Also director and writer
2014 The Wind Rises Jiro Horikoshi (voice) English dub[51]
2014 Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Johnny
2014 The Interview Himself Uncredited cameo[52]
2015 The Walk Philippe Petit
2015 The Night Before Ethan
2016 Snowden Edward Snowden In post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1988 Stranger on My Land Rounder TV movie
1988 Family Ties Dougie 2 episodes
1989 Settle the Score Justin Movie
1990 Murder, She Wrote Boy No. 1 Episode: "Shear Madness"
1991 Changes Matthew "Matt" Hallam Movie
1991 Hi Honey – I'm Dead Josh Stadler Movie
1991 Plymouth Simon Movie
1991 Dark Shadows Daniel Collins (and David Collins) 11 episodes
1991 China Beach Archie Winslow, age 9 Episode: "Quest"
1991 Quantum Leap Kyle Episode: "Permanent Wave"
1991 L.A. Law Rick Berg Episode: "Lose the Boss"
1992 Powers That Be, TheThe Powers That Be Pierce Van Horne 13 episodes
1993 Gregory K Gregory Kingsley Movie
1993 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Zack Lawson Episode: "The Secret"
1993 Roseanne George 4 episodes
1995 Great Elephant Escape, TheThe Great Elephant Escape Matthew Movie
1996–2001 3rd Rock from the Sun Tommy Solomon 131 episodes
1998 That '70s Show Buddy Morgan Episode: "Eric's Buddy"
2000 Outer Limits, TheThe Outer Limits Zach Episode: "Something About Harry"
2005 Numb3rs Scott Reynolds Episode: "Sacrifice"
2009
2012		 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) 2 episodes
2013 Lady Gaga and the Muppets' Holiday Spectacular Himself Special
2014–2015 HitRecord on TV Himself (host) Also executive producer
2015 Comedy Bang! Bang! Himself Episode: "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Wears a Heart T-Shirt and Blue Jeans"
2015 The Mindy Project Matt Sherman Episode: "While I Was Sleeping"
2015 The Muppets Himself Episode: "Going, Going, Gonzo"

Video games

Year Title Voice role
2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Cobra Commander[53]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt" is his full name and Los Angeles, California, is his birthplace. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California.
  2. ↑ "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Biography (1981-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Biography". Biography.com (A&E Networks). Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  4. ↑ Naoreen, Nuzhat (February 22, 2013). "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly.
  5. ↑ Fleming, Mike. "Robert Zemeckis To Direct Movie About Philippe Petit's World Trade Center Tightrope Walk". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  6. ↑ Pearson, Ryan. "Gordon-Levitt has high hopes for impact of 'Snowden'". AP (CBS5AZ). Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  7. ↑ Archived October 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ Ashley Baylen (April 20, 2012). "Top 50 Hottest Jewish Men (10–1)". Shalom Life. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  9. ↑ Dovey, Rachel. "Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Hollywood's Boy Wonder Grows Up", Paste, October 11, 2010.
  10. ↑ Roderick, Kevin. "Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives shout out to KPFK", LA Observed, September 29, 2011.
  11. ↑ McCafferty, Dennis; Alan Carter; Lydia Strohl (April 2, 1999). "Favorites of a Young Rock Star". USA Today, through Rome News-Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  12. ↑ Elkin, Michael (May 22, 2003). "He has a Mania for Good Works". The Jewish Exponent. Retrieved April 28, 2010.; transcribed text
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lidz, Frank (March 25, 2007). "From Alien Boy to Growing Star in the Indie Universe". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  14. ↑ Mueller, Matt (2008). "Hey Joe". Wonderland Magazine. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  15. ↑ Hirschberg, Lynn (September 16, 2007). "Kid Rock". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  16. ↑ Kirkland, Bruce (August 18, 2012). "Gordon-Levitt riding fast to fame". The Toronto Sun. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Chonin, Neva (March 25, 2007). "Look out: his star is rising". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  18. ↑ "Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Treasure Planet Interview". BBC News. BBC Online. February 4, 2003. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Roberts, Sheila (March 24, 2007). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Interview, The Lookout". MoviesOnline. Archived from the original on March 29, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  20. ↑ Fjerstad, Tatum (April 6, 2006). "This film's too cool for school — in a good way". The Minnesota Daily. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  21. ↑ Wright, Andrew (April 6, 2006). "On Screen". The Stranger: Seattle's Only Newspaper. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  22. 1 2 3 "Joseph Gordon-Levitt". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster Inc. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  23. ↑ Rea, Steven (March 25, 2007). "On Movies: 'Lookout' can't be called an overnight success". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  24. ↑ Edelstein, David (March 25, 2007). "A Terrible Thing to Waste". New York Magazine. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  25. ↑ Zacharek, Stephanie (July 19, 2009). "(500) Days of Summer". Salon. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
  26. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (January 18, 2009). "500 Days of Summer". Variety. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
  27. ↑ Travers, Peter (July 16, 2009). "(500) Days of Summer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
  28. ↑ "The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominations". Golden Globes.org. Archived from the original on December 15, 2009.
  29. ↑ Brian Jacks (September 4, 2008). "'G.I. Joe' Movie Will Reveal 'Twisted' Cobra Commander; Mask And Menacing Voice Included". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  30. ↑ Stanhope, Kate (October 31, 2009). "January Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Host SNL, along with Dave Matthews Band as the musical guest.". TV Guide. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
  31. ↑ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 24, 2009). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt replaces James Franco in 'Inception'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner Inc. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  32. ↑ "'The Dark Knight Rises': Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard's Parts Revealed". The Huffington Post. April 29, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  33. ↑ Flemming, Mike (May 14, 2010). "CANNES: Bruce Willis Plays Mature Joseph Gordon-Levitt In Time Travel Pic 'Looper'". Deadline Hollywood. Mail.com Media Corporation. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  34. ↑ Fischer, Russ (May 5, 2011). "Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ Casts Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Many More". slashfilm.com. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  35. ↑ Lincoln, Ross A. (January 7, 2013). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joins ‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’". Movieline. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Marvel Likes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Paul Rudd for ‘Ant-Man’ (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. October 14, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  37. ↑ Reuters (November 10, 2014). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt confirmed as Edward Snowden in Oliver Stone NSA film". theguardian.com. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  38. ↑ "2009 Sundance Film Festival Announces Short Film Program". Sundance Film Festival. December 8, 2008.
  39. 1 2 Bettinger, Brendan (August 9, 2010). "Watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum in the Short Film Morgan And Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo". Collider.com. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  40. ↑ Cox, Gordon (December 12, 2008). "Ticket brokers try to catch a break". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  41. ↑ Daniel Miller; Tatiana Siegel (January 21, 2013). "Sundance 2013: Relativity Acquiring 'Don Jon's Addiction' for $4 Million". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  42. ↑ "hitRECord – About Us". hitRECord.org. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  43. ↑ Warner, Kara (October 6, 2010). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Brother Dead At 36". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  44. ↑ Lang, Bret; Walker, Hunter (October 5, 2010). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Brother, 'Burning Dan,' Dies". The Wrap. The Wrap News Inc. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  45. ↑ Sundance 2014: Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives stirring tribute to late brother at HitRECord event - ew.com
  46. ↑ John Brougher (October 8, 2013). "I'm a male feminist. No, seriously (slide number 3)". CNN. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  47. ↑ Webber, Stephanie (December 31, 2014). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Marries Girlfriend Tasha McCauley in Secret Wedding". Us Weekly. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  48. ↑ "Report: Joseph Gordon-Levitt weds Tasha McCauley". Newsday. January 1, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2014. McCauley's Twitter and Facebook pages say she is co-founder of Fellow Robots, a robotics company in Mountain View, California, but the firm's Web page lists only James Fahn and CEO Marco Mascorro as founders.
  49. ↑ "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Welcomes Baby Boy With Wife Tasha McCauley". Us Weekly.
  50. ↑
  51. ↑ Cunningham, Todd (August 27, 2013). "Disney Will Release Hayao Mayazaki's 'The Wind Rises' in U.S.". TheWrap. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  52. ↑
  53. ↑ Behind the Voice Actors - G.I. Joe The Rise Of Cobra The Game

External links

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