- Joseph Gordon-Levitt
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Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt[1] (born February 17, 1981) is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films.
He is known for his roles in the 2009 indie (500) Days of Summer (for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination), a supporting role in the 2010 science fiction film Inception, and for starring in the 2011 drama 50/50. Beginning in commercials as a young child, he made his film debut in 1992's Beethoven. Gordon-Levitt subsequently co-starred in the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001) as the young Tommy Solomon. After a hiatus during which he attended Columbia University, Gordon-Levitt left television for film acting, appearing in various independent films, beginning with the 2001 film Manic, followed by critically acclaimed performances in 2004's Mysterious Skin, 2005's Brick, and 2007's The Lookout. He runs an online collaborative production company titled HitRECord.
Contents
Early life
Gordon-Levitt was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Sherman Oaks. His family is Jewish, though "not strictly religious",[2] and his parents were among the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance.[3][4][5] His father, Dennis Levitt, was once the news director for the Pacifica Radio station, KPFK-FM.[6][7] 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.[6] Gordon-Levitt's maternal grandfather, Michael Gordon, was a Hollywood film director between the 1940s and 1970s, known for helming the 1959 Doris Day/Rock Hudson film Pillow Talk.[6] Gordon-Levitt had an older brother, Dan, who was a photographer and fire spinner;[8] he was born in 1974 and died in October 2010.[9][10]
Gordon-Levitt joined a musical theater group at the age of four and played the Scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz.[6] 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.[6]
Career
Early acting work
Gordon-Levitt began his acting career at the age of six, appearing in several late 1980s made-for-television films. In 1996, Gordon-Levitt began playing Tommy Solomon on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, a role that made him a popular TV personality.[6] The San Francisco Chronicle noted the coincidence that Gordon-Levitt was a "Jewish kid playing an extraterrestrial pretending to be a Jewish kid".[11] Gordon-Levitt was attending Van Nuys High School while acting on the show.[12] During the 1990s, he was frequently featured in teenage magazines, something he resented.[6] He has also said that during this time period, he did not enjoy being recognized in public, saying that he "hates celebrity".[11]
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 adaption of the novel Treasure Island.[13]
In 2000, he began attending Columbia University.[6][14] He studied history, literature, and French poetry in General Studies.[6] He became an avid and self-confirmed Francophile and a French speaker.[6] He said that moving to New York City from his hometown "forced" him to grow as a person.[11] He dropped out in 2004 to concentrate on acting again.[6]
Later acting work
Gordon-Levitt has said that he made a conscious decision to "be in good movies" after returning to acting.[14] 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."[14][15] Another reviewer described the performance as "astounding".[16] He also starred opposite Steve Sandvoss as a young judgmental missionary in Latter Days (2003), a film that centers on a sexually confused Mormon missionary (Sandvoss) who falls for his gay neighbor. He had roles in Havoc and Shadowboxer.[17]
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",[18] 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."[19] The San Francisco Chronicle specified that he "embodies, more than performs, a character's inner life."[11] His 2008 films include Killshot, in which he played a hoodlum partnered with a hired killer played by Mickey Rourke, and Stop-Loss, directed by Kimberly Peirce and revolving around American soldiers returning from the Iraq War.[14]
Gordon-Levitt played a lead role opposite Zooey Deschanel in (500) Days of Summer, a well-received 2009 release about the deconstruction of a relationship.[17] His performance, described as "the real key" to what makes the film work, credits him with using "his usual spell in subtle gradations."[20] Variety's Todd McCarthy praised his performance, saying he "expressively alternates between enthusiasm and forlorn disappointment in the manner Jack Lemmon could".[21] 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."[22] He was subsequently nominated for a Golden Globe Award.[23]
He later played villain Cobra Commander in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.[24] On November 21, 2009, he hosted Saturday Night Live.[25] In 2010, replacing James Franco,[26] he starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Christopher Nolan's science fiction thriller Inception, which received favorable reviews.[17] He played the role of the "Point Man" Arthur, Dom Cobb's (DiCaprio) partner and the person responsible for researching the team's targets.
He will play the younger version of Bruce Willis's character in the time-traveling thriller Looper.[27] In 2011, he began filming Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, in which he plays John Blake, "a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon."[28] Steven Spielberg cast him to play Robert Todd Lincoln in the 2012 film Lincoln.[29]
Directing and producing
Gordon-Levitt's first film as director, the 24 minute-long Sparks, an adaptation of a short story by Elmore Leonard, was selected for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival as part of a new program for short films.[30] In 2010, he directed another short film, Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo.[31] It premiered at two houses during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.[31]
He was one of the many producers of the Broadway show Slava's Snowshow.[32]
hitRECord
Gordon-Levitt has owned hitRECord.org, an online collaborative production company that shares its profits with contributing artists, since 2004.[33][34] At its onset, it hosted six videos and short films.[35]
Beginning in 2009, he opened the website to host films by others. In a 2007 interview in Salon, he described the website as "[an] alternative outlet of where [he] get[s] to be a little less professional and just freak out a little bit."[36] The site has since expanded with more than 10,000 participants collaborating to make songs, images, stories, and short films. According to a 2010 article in Details magazine, Gordon-Levitt oversees the site from a bank of computers in his home studio.[8]
RECollection, the first anthology of work from hitRECord, was released in 2011 as a book/CD/DVD package.[37][38]
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1992 Beethoven Student #1 1992 A River Runs Through It Young Norman Young Artist Award for Best Actor Under Ten in a Motion Picture 1994 Holy Matrimony Zeke 1994 Roadflower Rich Lerolland 1994 Angels in the Outfield Roger Bomman Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor 1996 The Juror Oliver Laird 1998 Sweet Jane Tony 1998 Halloween H20: 20 Years Later Jimmy Howell 1999 10 Things I Hate About You Cameron James Nominated – YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy Film 2000 Picking Up the Pieces Flaco 2001 Manic Lyle Jensen Released in 2003 2002 Treasure Planet Jim Hawkins Animated film; voice role 2003 Latter Days Elder Paul Ryder 2004 Mysterious Skin Neil McCormick Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Gotham Breakthrough Award2005 Brick Brendan Frye 2005 Havoc Sam 2005 Shadowboxer Dr. Don 2007 The Lookout Chris Pratt 2008 Stop-Loss Tommy Burgess 2008 Miracle at St. Anna Tim Boyle 2008 The Brothers Bloom Bar Patron Uncredited Cameo 2008 Killshot Richie Nix 2009 Big Breaks Todd Sterling 2009 (500) Days of Summer Tom Hansen Nominated – Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor[39]
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy[40]
Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead[41]
Nominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite Breakout Movie Actor[42]
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy[43]2009 Uncertainty Bobby 2009 Women in Trouble Bert Rodriguez 2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Cobra Commander Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Villain[43] 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: The Zeppelin Zoo Morgan M. Morgansen/Narrator Short film, also director and editor. 2010 Inception Arthur Spike TV's Scream Award for Best Supporting Actor
Spike TV's Scream Award for Fight Scene of the Year[44]2011 50/50 Adam Hollywood Film Festival Award for Breakthrough Actor 2012 Premium Rush Wilee Post-production 2012 The Dark Knight Rises John Blake Filming 2012 Looper Joe Post-Production 2012 Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln Filming Television Year Title Role Notes 1988 Stranger on My Land Rounder 1988 Family Ties Dougie Episodes: "Sign of the Times"; "Father, Can You Spare a Dime?" 1989 Settle the Score Justin 1990 Murder, She Wrote Boy #1 Episode: "Shear Madness" 1991 Dark Shadows Daniel/David Collins Series regular 1991 Changes Matthew "Matt" Hallam 1991 Hi Honey - I'm Dead Josh Stadler 1991 Plymouth Simon 1991 China Beach Archie Winslow, Age 9 Episode: "Quest" 1991 Quantum Leap Kyle Episode: "Permanent Wave"
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series1991 L.A. Law Episode: "Lose the Law" 1992–1993 The Powers That Be Pierce Van Horne Series regular
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a New Television Series1993 Partners 1993 Gregory K a.k.a. Switching Parents Gregory Kingsley 1993 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Zack Lawson Episode: "The Secret" 1993–1995 Roseanne George Episodes: "Daughters and Other Strangers"; "I Pray the Lord My Stove to Keep"; "Follow the Son"; "Single Married Female 1995 The Great Elephant Escape Matthew 1996–2001 3rd Rock from the Sun Tommy Solomon Series regular
YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series (1997, 1998)
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1997, 1998, 1999)
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actor (1999)
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Comedy – Supporting Young Actor (1997)1998 That '70s Show Buddy Morgan Episode: "Eric's Buddy" 2000 The Outer Limits Zach Episode: "Something About Harry" 2000 Forever Lulu Martin Ellsworth 2005 Numb3rs Scott Reynolds Episode: "Sacrifice" References
- ^ "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.
- ^ http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/10/joseph-gordon-levitt-hollywoods-boy-wonder-grows-u.html?p=2
- ^ http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/09/joseph_gordon-levitt_give.php
- ^ McCafferty, Dennis; Alan Carter, Lydia Strohl (1999-04-02). "Favorites of a Young Rock Star". USA Today, through Rome News-Tribune. http://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=mmowAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LTUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2291,856956&dq=favorites-if-i-rock-star&hl=en. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
- ^ Elkin, Michael (2003-05-22). "He has a Mania for Good Works". The Jewish Exponent. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79380481.html. Retrieved 2010-04-28.; transcribed text
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lidz, Frank (2007-03-25). "From Alien Boy to Growing Star in the Indie Universe". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/movies/25lidz.html?_r=1&ref=movies&oref=slogin. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ Mueller, Matt (2008). "Hey Joe". Wonderland Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-05-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20080508021940/http://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/features/hey_joe/. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- ^ a b "Joseph Gordon-Levitt interview, Details Magazine". http://www.details.com/celebrities-entertainment/cover-stars/201008/inception-actor-joseph-gordon-levitt.
- ^ Warner, Kara (2010-10-06). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Brother Dead At 36". MTV. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1649451/20101006/story.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
- ^ Lang, Bret; Walker, Hunter (2010-10-05). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Brother, 'Burning Dan,' Dies". The Wrap. The Wrap News Inc. http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/joseph-gordon-levitts-brother-dead-21476. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
- ^ a b c d Chonin, Neva (2007-03-25). "Look out: his star is rising". San Francisco Chronicle. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/25/PKG0FOOFVI1.DTL&type=movies. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ Hirschberg, Lynn (2007-09-16). "Kid Rock". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/style/tmagazine/16levitt.html. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
- ^ "Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Treasure Planet Interview". BBC News. BBC Online. 2003-02-04. http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/02/04/joseph_gordon_levitt_treasure_planet_interview.shtml. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
- ^ a b c d Roberts, Sheila (2007-03-24). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Interview, The Lookout". MoviesOnline. Archived from the original on 2007-03-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20070329165509/http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_11554.html. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ Fjerstad, Tatum (2006-04-06). "This film's too cool for school — in a good way". The Minnesota Daily. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20070930181607/http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2006/04/05/67881. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ Wright, Andrew (2006-04-06). "On Screen". The Stranger: Seattle's Only Newspaper. http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=31581. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ a b c "Joseph Gordon-Levitt". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joseph_gordonlevitt/. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
- ^ Rea, Steven (2007-03-25). "On Movies: 'Lookout' can't be called an overnight success". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20071024203632/http://philly.com/inquirer/entertainment/20070325_On_Movies___Lookout_cant_be_called_an_overnight_success.html. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ Edelstein, David (2007-03-25). "A Terrible Thing to Waste". New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/movies/reviews/29711/. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (2009-07-19). "(500) Days of Summer". Salon. http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/review/2009/07/17/500_days_summer/index.html. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (2009-01-18). "500 Days of Summer". Variety.
- ^ Travers, Peter (2009-07-16). "(500) Days of Summer". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/25457855/review/29192072/500_days_of_summer. Retrieved 2009-07-20.[dead link]
- ^ "The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominations". Golden Globes.org. http://www.goldenglobes.org/news/id/159.
- ^ Brian Jacks (2008-09-04). "'G.I. Joe' Movie Will Reveal 'Twisted' Cobra Commander; Mask And Menacing Voice Included". MTV Movies Blog. http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/09/04/gi-joe-movie-will-reveal-twisted-cobra-commander-mask-and-menacing-voice-included/. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
- ^ Stanhope, Kate (2009-10-31). "January Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Host SNL, along with Dave Matthews Band as the musical guest.". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Jones-Levitt-SNL-1011442.aspx. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
- ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2009-04-24). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt replaces James Franco in 'Inception'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner Inc. http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/04/24/gordon-levitt-i/. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
- ^ Flemming, Mike (2010-05-14). "CANNES: Bruce Willis Plays Mature Joseph Gordon-Levitt In Time Travel Pic 'Looper'". Deadline Hollywood. Mail.com Media Corporation. http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/cannes-bruce-willis-plays-mature-joseph-gordon-levitt-in-time-travel-pic-looper/. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
- ^ "'The Dark Knight Rises': Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard's Parts Revealed". The Huffington Post. 2011-04-29. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/19/the-dark-knight-rises-joseph-gordon-levitt_n_851143.html. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ Fischer, Russ (May 5, 2011). "Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ Casts Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Many More". slashfilm.com. http://www.slashfilm.com/steven-spielbergs-lincoln-casts-tommy-lee-jones/. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ "2009 Sundance Film Festival Announces Short Film Program". Sundance Film Festival. 2008-12-08.
- ^ a b Bettinger, Brendan (2010-08-09). "Watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum in the Short Film Morgan And Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo". Collider.com. http://www.collider.com/2010/08/09/morgan-and-destinys-eleventeenth-date-the-zeppelin-zoo-joseph-gordon-levitt-channing-tatum/. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
- ^ Cox, Gordon (2008-12-12). "Ticket brokers try to catch a break". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997307.html?categoryid=2076&cs=1. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
- ^ "hitRECord in a nutshell". http://www.hitrecord.org/records/31376.
- ^ Stein, Joel (September 18, 2011). "Profiling Joseph Gordon-Levitt: The Crowd-Sourced Version". Time Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2093273,00.html. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- ^ "Table of Contents". HitRecord.org. Archived from the original on 2008-01-05. http://web.archive.org/web/20080105103434/www.hitrecord.org/TableOfContents.php.
- ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (2007-03-08). "Life's not simple". http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/feature/2007/03/28/gordon_levitt/index.html. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ Sperling, Nicole (September 29, 2011). "'50/50's' Joseph Gordon-Levitt is hip to the creative process". L.A. Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-joseph-gordon-levitt-20110929,0,3024014.story. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
- ^ "hitRECord RECollection: Volume 1". hitRECord. http://hitrecord.org/store/rec_collection.html. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
- ^ "Detroit Film Critics Society Announces the Best of 2009 Nominations and Winners" (Press release). Detroit Film Critics Society. December 18, 2009. http://detroitfilmcritics.com/Home_Page.html. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
- ^ "Nominations and Winners". Official Website of the Annual Golden Globe Awards. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/year/2009/. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
- ^ "25th Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced" (Press release). Film Independent. December 1, 2009. http://www.filmindependent.org/content/25th-film-independent-spirit-award-nominations-announced. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
- ^ "2010 Nominees and Winners". Official Website of People's Choice Awards. http://www.peopleschoice.com/pca/awards/nominees/index.jsp?year=2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
- ^ a b "First Wave of "Teen Choice 2010" Nominees Announced". The Futon Critic. June 14, 2010. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/06/14/first-wave-of-teen-choice-2010-nominees-announced/20100614fox01/. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
- ^ "Superstars, Sci-Fi and Superheroes Unite at Spike TV's 'SCREAM 2010'". PR Newswire. PR Newswire Association LLC.. 2010-10-18. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/superstars-sci-fi-and-superheroes-unite-at-spike-tvs-scream-2010-105197809.html. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
External links
Categories:- 1981 births
- Living people
- Actors from Los Angeles, California
- American child actors
- American film actors
- American musical theatre actors
- American people of Jewish descent
- American soap opera actors
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- American television actors
- Columbia University alumni
- People from the San Fernando Valley
- Van Nuys High School alumni
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