Josh Lucas

Infobox actor

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caption = Lucas and Alexa Davalos at the Tribeca Film Festival, April 2007
birthdate = birth date and age|1971|6|20
birthplace = Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
birthname = Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer

Josh Lucas (born Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer; [Lucas disclosed his full name on "The Tonight Show", May 3–4, 2006] June 20, 1971) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in several Hollywood films, including "Glory Road" and "Poseidon".

Biography

Early life

Lucas was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, the son of Michelle (née LeFevre), a nurse, and Don Maurer, an ER-doctor. At the time of his birth, his parents were living on an Indian reservation. Lucas grew up traveling the South with his parents (who were anti-nuclear activists) and younger siblings, two sisters and a brother; by the age of 13, he had lived in 30 different locations, including the Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. The family eventually settled in the small town of Gig Harbor, Washington. He attended Kopachuck Middle School. He later graduated from Gig Harbor High School in 1989. Lucas started acting in high school plays. He did not attend college, in order to pursue his acting career.

Career

Lucas began the first phase of his acting career at 19, having moved to Hollywood following his high school graduation and having secured an agent. He appeared as a guest-star on several TV sitcoms in the early 90's including Fox's "True Colors" and "Parker Lewis Can't Lose," the family drama, "Life Goes On," and CBS's private-eye show "Jake and the Fatman." He made his TV-movie debut in the horror/thriller "Child of Darkness, Child of Light,"an adaptation of James Patterson's novel "Virgin," a tale of two Catholic schoolgirls who find themselves pregnant under mysterious and supernatural circumstances. Lucas played one of the girls' boyfriend, a cocky prep school athlete vehemently denying the paternity of the impending child. While not a big role by any means, Lucas displayed a raw talent and screen presence, holding his own against seasoned veterans like Sela Ward. Lucas would then follow up this appearance by working with executive producer Steven Spielberg and then-unknown actor Clive Owen in the TV-movie "Class of '61" which follows the stories of a group of Westpoint cadets in 1861 as the U.S. Civil War breaks out. Lucas's role: some cadet named George Armstrong Custer, who graduated last in his class and went on the infamy at Little Big Horn. Soon afterward, he made his feature film debut in Frank Marshall's "Alive" playing one of the Uruguayan soccer players whose plane crashed in the Andes and the survivors resorted to cannibalism. After a very brief appearance, essentially a cameo, in the Patrick Swayze comedy "Father Hood," Lucas relocated to Australia to play the hotheaded American cousin Luke McGregor opposite Andrew Clarke and another then-unknown Guy Pearce on the first season of the family western "Snowy River: The McGregor Saga," which was shown in the US on the Family Channel. Lucas appeared in all 13 episodes of the first season, but claimed in a later interview that despite the friendly environment, he was homesick for the States, and his character was killed off in the last episode of season one. Upon returning to the States, he found himself still being offered more parts as high school/college boyfriends and he felt he was not getting the age-appropriate roles that he should have been getting. While working with George C. Scott on a TV-movie from the "Heat of the Night" series, Scott told him he needed to take acting lessons and develop his raw talent for both stage and screen. Shortly thereafter, he pulled up stakes from Hollywood, and moved to New York City where he studied privately with various acting coaches and teachers to enter the second phase of his career: the indie-film character actor and occasional theatrical performer.

His career's second phase now included a lead role in the British rowing film, "True Blue" (released in the US as "Miracle at Oxford"), in which he played a hotshot Navy rower who was recruited along with 3 other Americans to help Oxford win its annual boat race with Cambridge. Following this, he appeared in relatively small roles in the dramas "Minotaur" (about a Mossad agent who falls for a beautiful grad student)and "Harvest" (DVD title: "Cash Crop" about farmers who turn to growing marijuana when their other crops don't pay out), and his first stab at comedy, "The Definite Maybe" in which he played a recent college graduate who gets fired from his job, and hooks up with an old friend in a scheme to purchase a house in the Hamptons, hence the DVD release's title change -- "No Money Down." He also appeared as an American businessman/Lothario in Beijing in Jule Gilfillan's romantic comedy/drama "Restless." About this time, he appeared in an Off-Broadway production of Terrence McNally's controversial "Corpus Christi," a re-telling of the Passion, with the Jesus character (named Joshua) and his disciples all being gay. Lucas played the role of Judas almost as a gay predator, a role he'd later recreate as doomed club owner Darby Reese in the suspense thriller "The Deep End." Right before the play was to open, Lucas was viciously mugged and beaten on his way to the theatre for dress rehearsal. He played the role of "Judas" with bloody bandages across his broken nose and black eyes. The audience thought the bandages were part of the play. [Interview in New York Times Magazine March 2005 "A Gentleman Comes To Call,"] Following a series of operations to re-set his nose, he began gathering larger but important roles in films like "Amercian Psycho," "The Weight of Water," "Session 9," "The Dancer," "When Strangers Appear," and "You Can Count on Me." This would lead to his breakthrough roles in "A Beautiful Mind," and of course, "Sweet Home Alabama." [all movie notes from IMDB]

One of Lucas' first, relatively unknown, feature roles was playing Jace "Flash" Dillon in the cinematic PC flight simulator . [citeweb | title=IMDB | url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0524197/ | accessdate=2007-10-15] In the game, Lucas is the cocky test pilot of an experimental new starfighter. If the player challenges him to a simulated duel and wins, he joins the player's flight squadron. [citeweb | title=Wing Commander III Game Guide: Tamayo | url=http://www.wcnews.com/guides/wc3tamayo.shtml | accessdate=2007-10-15]

Lucas gained mainstream exposure after his roles in "Sweet Home Alabama", "A Beautiful Mind", and as Glenn Talbot in "Hulk". After displaying range, diversity, and intensity in character work for more than a decade, Josh Lucas can next be seen in Boaz Yakin’s “Death in Love.” This marks Lucas’ first feature film project since concentrating on stage, production and documentary work.Lucas will next begin production on “Management,” a biting take on the romantic comedy genre about a socially awkward man who falls hopelessly in love with an attractive but friendless woman, to be played by Jennifer Aniston. In the film, Lucas plays a former porn star who must give love advice to a socially awkward man. Additionally, Lucas will begin production on “6 Bullets from Now,” opposite Tim Roth. This film is a true story of five gunmen who stole more than $1 million in cash and jewels from New York’s Pierre Hotel on New Year’s Day in 1972—the largest hotel heist in history.Lucas recently completed his second collaboration with documentary film legend Ken Burns, after being involved in Burns’ “The War.” “The War” had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Lucas’ other recent documentary work includes the multiple award-winning “Operational Homecoming,” the much anticipated “Trumbo,” and the Los Angeles Film Festival Audience Award-winning “Resolved.” Lucas has just completed his first venture into production with “The Boy in the Box,” in which he plays the single father of a mentally challenged boy. lucas has had stunning success in many many other leading and starring roles in movies known as and at this time already released, such as Glory Road, Poseidon, and Stealth.

Earlier this year, Lucas was seen on stage in the commercially and critically successful off-Broadway run of “Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell.” Over his career, Lucas has worked with many of the film community’s greatest talents. In the last number of years, he has starred alongside Jon Voight in Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Glory Road,” for which Lucas added 40 pounds to transform himself into legendary basketball coach, Don Haskins. This film opened in the number one spot at the box office. Lucas also starred with Kurt Russell and Richard Dreyfuss in Wolfang Petersen’s “Poseidon,” with Morgan Freeman and Robert Redford in Lasse Hallström’s “An Unfinished Life,” and opposite Jamie Bell in David Gordon Green’s “Undertow,” produced by Terrence Malick. Additionally, he starred alongside Christopher Walken in “Around the Bend,” with Jennifer Connelly and Eric Bana in Ang Lee’s “Hulk,” with Russell Crowe in Ron Howard’s Oscar-winning “A Beautiful Mind,” and opposite Reese Witherspoon in Disney’s smash hit “Sweet Home Alabama.”Other credits include “Wonderland,” “The Deep End,” “American Psycho,” “Session 9” and “You Can Count On Me.” And “Stealth” a movie where numerous co-stars mailed in their performances. Also in 2005, Lucas starred on Broadway opposite Jessica Lange in the revival of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.” Other theater credits include Lucas originating the role of Judas in Terrence McNally’s “Corpus Christi” at MTC, Christopher Shinn’s “What Didn’t Happen” at the Mark Taper Forum and “The Picture of Dorian Grey” at the Los Angeles Theater Center.

In the spring of 2008, Lucas will film "Peacock" opposite Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, Susan Sarandon and Bill Pullman. Filming will take place in Des Moines, Iowa. It was announced in July 2008 that Lucas will be starring in the new Showtime series “Possible Side Effects,” a drama about three brothers who run a family-owned pharmaceutical company. [cite news|url=http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Josh-Lucas-Showtime/800044203|title=Josh Lucas Signs on to New Showtime Series|publisher=TV Guide|date=2008-07-30 "TVGuide.com"]

Personal life

Lucas resides in New York City, New York [cite web|title=Josh Lucas Cast in POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS Pilot for Showtime|date=2008-07-30|url=http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/showtime/release?id=19225|accessdate=2008-08-19 "CBS Corporation.com"] .

A YouthAIDS Ambassador, Lucas "first joined the YouthAIDS team when he shot the ALDO HIV/AIDS awareness campaign in April, 2005. Soon after, he officially accepted his role as a YouthAIDS Ambassador at the YouthAIDS 2005 Gala, Faces of Africa. HIV/AIDS prevention is particularly important to him as his mother 'has made a career counseling young men and women with the hopes of educating them about the ravishing and often deadly effects of this too common and easily preventable disease.'" [cite news|url=http://projects.psi.org/site/PageServer?pagename=YouthAmbassadors_nr|title=POPULATION SERVICES INTERNATIONAL: YouthAIDS Ambassadors "YouthAIDS.org"]

Lucas has been mistaken for actor Matthew McConaughey in the past [cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/2002-10-01-lucas_x.htm|title='I'm not Matt': Lucas plays name game|publisher=USA Today|date=2002-10-01 "USAToday.com"] .

Lucas is also an avid supporter of Sen. Barack Obama, volunteering to help potential voters register at colleges, such as Drexel University and Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Filmography

References

External links

* [http://www.joshlucas.com Official website]
*imdb name|id=0524197|name=Josh Lucas
* [http://www.stumpedmagazine.com/interviews/josh-lucas-2006.html A candid interview with Josh Lucas]
* [http://www.aboutfilm.com/features/aroundthebend/lucas.htm Aboutfilm.com interview] (October, 2004)
* [http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/371/371834p1.html IGN films interview] (September 24, 2002)