Hayden Christensen (born April 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House. He gained international fame playing the young adult Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) in the second and third Star Wars prequel trilogy films and David Rice in Jumper.
Biography
Early life
Christensen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the son of Alie, a speechwriter for the heads of large companies, and David Christensen, a software program writer and communications executive. His father is of Danish descent and his mother has Swedish and Italian ancestry.1 Christensen has an elder brother and sister, Tove and Hejsa, and a younger sister, Kaylen.234 Raised outside Toronto in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Christensen attended E.J. Sand Public School, Baythorn Public School and Unionville High School in Unionville, Ontario, Canada. He was an athlete in high school, playing hockey competitively and tennis on a provincial level.5 He spent summers in Long Island with his maternal grandmother, Rose Schwartz,5 and attended the Actors Studio in New York as well as the Arts York program for drama at his high school. He was "discovered" when his older sister Hejsa, a former trampoline champion, was shopping around for an agent after he landed a role in a Pringles potato chips commercial.35
1993–2000
Christensen's first acting role was on the television series Family Passions, which aired on Canadian television in September 1993, when he was 12.6 The following year he acquired a minor role in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness.6 From 1995 through 1999, he appeared in several movies and television shows, including Harrison Bergeron, Forever Knight, Goosebumps, The Virgin Suicides, and Are You Afraid of the Dark?.6
He acquired wider notice while starring in Fox's Family Network television series Higher Ground in 2000, portraying a teen who was sexually molested by his stepmother, and then turned to drugs in his despair.67
2001–2005
While Christensen's critically acclaimed portrayal of a misunderstood teenager in Life as a House (2001) earned him Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations as well as the National Board of Review's award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year,8910 the performance didn't receive widespread public notice.7 For his part in the movie, Christensen lost 25 pounds through a special diet.11 He eventually gained the weight back during the filming for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.1213
His role as Anakin Skywalker (who was previously played by David Prowse, James Earl Jones (voice), Sebastian Shaw and Jake Lloyd) in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) made him a star.14 Although his performance was met with mixed reviews by critics (even earning him the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor in both Episodes II and III) 1516 he became very popular among audiences, being named in both People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People and Teen People's 25 Hottest Stars under 25.2 He went on to receive good reviews for 2003's Shattered Glass, which tells the true story of journalist Stephen Glass, who was discovered fabricating stories as a writer for The New Republic.1718 Peter Travers of Rolling Stone writes "Hayden Christensen is sensational as Glass, finding the wonder boy and the weasel in a disturbed kid flying high on a fame he hasn't earned."19
Stock footage of Christensen was used in the controversial 2004 DVD release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, where he was inserted in place of the actor Sebastian Shaw.20 This version is now considered the canonical version in the Star Wars universe. Christensen insists this was done without his knowledge, an act that is confirmed by Lucasfilm itself in the featurette "Return of the Jedi: What has changed?" as seen on the official website to commemorate the 2006 DVDs.20
2006–present
Between 2006 and 2007, he starred in Awake, with Jessica Alba, which tells the story of a man who remains awake but paralyzed during heart surgery,621 and in Factory Girl, opposite Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce.622 Christensen next starred with Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell and Rachel Bilson in the film Jumper, the story of a young man who discovers he has the ability to teleport; the film was released on February 14, 2008.2324 Bilson and Christensen co-starred again in the same segment of the film New York, I Love You. Christensen also appeared opposite Mischa Barton in Virgin Territory, which was released directly-to-DVD in North America in August of 2008. The film, based on The Decameron, is about a group of people who escape the Black Plague epidemic by hiding out in a Tuscan Villa in Italy.25
Christensen was slated to appear in an adaptation of William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel, Neuromancer, set for a 2009 release, but has since been removed from the IMDB cast list.2627 In September of 2008 it was announced that Christensen and Paul Walker signed onto the crime drama Takers set for a 2010 release. He will play a young detective alongside Matt Dillon. Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey will be the fourth film in which Christensen will co-star again with Samuel L. Jackson.
Personal life
Christensen currently resides in Uxbridge, north of Toronto, Canada. When not working, Hayden enjoys spending quality time with his family, hanging out with his friends, and exploring other hobbies such as the blues, jazz and piano.
Christensen performed a public service announcement for Do Something's Teens for Jeans Campaign in 2008.28 In 2004, Christensen appeared as model in the Spring/ Summer 2005 Louis Vuitton. He was also recently named as the face of Lacoste's newest fragrence, Lacoste Challenge.29
Christensen started dating actress Rachel Bilson in march 2007, after meeting on the set of Jumper. The couple got engaged in December 2008, over the holidays.30
Filmography
Awards
References
- ^ "A force to be reckoned with". Telegraph. 2002-03-13. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/03/13/bfhayd.xml. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ a b "Hayden Christensen: Actor". People. 2002-05-13. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20136997,00.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ a b Hiscock, John (2005-05-13). "Skywalker comes down to earth". Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/05/13/,/bfhay13.xml. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ "Hayden Christensen Biography". Yahoo!. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800421140/bio. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ a b c Lee, Linda (2001-10-21). "Film: Up and Coming - Hayden Christensen; Life as the Latest Bearer of the Force". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D05E1DB163EF932A15753C1A9679C8B63. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ a b c d e f "Hello Magazine Filmography - Hayden Christensen". Hello Magazine. http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/haydenchristensen/?view=jobs. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ a b Welch, David (2002-05-20). "The cast and crew of the latest Star Wars flick aren't cloning around". Sci Fi. http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw8458.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ "HFPA - Awards Search". Golden Globes. http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/29029. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ "8th Annual SAG Awards Nominees". SAG Awards. http://www.sagawards.org/8_award_nom. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ "National Board of Review of Motion Pictures - Awards 2001". NBRMP. http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/past.cfm?year=2001. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ "'Star Wars' Star Ordered to Pile on the Pounds". Wenn.com. IMDB.com. 2002-12-05. http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0062876/. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ "Top five Star Wars characters". Telegraph. 2002-11-05. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/05/11/bffive11.xml. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. 2005.
- ^ "Hello Magazine Profile - Hayden Christensen". Hello Magazine. http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/haydenchristensen/?. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) Awards". IMDB.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121765/awards. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ "Razzie Awards: 2006". IMDB.com. http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Razzie_Awards/2006. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (2003-11-07). "Shattered Glass Review". Chicago Sun-Times. Roger Ebert.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031107/REVIEWS/311070305/1023. Retrieved on 2008-07-27.
- ^ Schembri, Jim (2005-05-20). "Darth wish". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/Film/Darth-wish/2005/05/19/1116361654630.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ Travers, Peter (2003-10-23). "Shattered Glass Review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5947837/review/5947838/shattered_glass. Retrieved on 2008-07-27.
- ^ a b Star Wars Trilogy: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. 2004.
- ^ Scheck, Frank (2007-12-03). "Awake: Bottom Line: Sleep won't be an option". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?JSESSIONID=KKTYHQvY8VpBVtqmN5lrkmvTPLVSF6MM6jQn1FJnxGhWHfS1z11Q!422802220&&rid=10263. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ Howell, Peter (2007-02-09). "'Factory Girl': Time's up". TheStar. http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/179873. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ Kiefer, Peter (2006-12-17). "'Oh My God, Can You Rent the Colosseum?'". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/movies/17kief.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ "Christensen Onboard Jumper?". Moviehole. 2006-07-22. http://www.moviehole.net/news/20060722_news_from_comic_con_christense.html. Retrieved on 2006-07-24.
- ^ Foster, Dave (2008-06-26). "Virgin Territory (R2) in August". DVD Times. http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=68131. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ Bartyzel, Monika (2008-01-09). "Hayden Christensen is William Gibson's Neuromancer?!". Cinematical. http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/09/hayden-christensen-is-william-gibsons-neuromancer/. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1037220/
- ^ "Hayden Christensen Promotes Teens for Jeans". Do Something. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvUVLGFMWzo&feature=channel_page.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ "Hayden Christensen Is New Face of Lacoste". Lacoste. http://www.lacoste-parfums.co.uk/mens-fragrances/lacoste-challenge. Retrieved on 2009-07-01.
- ^ "Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen are engaged". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20259778,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-20.
External links
![video](../viewVideo.html?title=HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN + JUMPERYouTube=YouTube&summary="His superpower is the ability to run away." Hayden Christensen on the superhero genre, teleporting, and Doug Limans Jumper, in theaters now ...&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/Zby1NkN9I9k&fs=1&hl=en&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://1.gvt0.com/vi/Zby1NkN9I9k/default.jpg&celebrity=Hayden Christensen&videoType=YouTube)
![Trapped in a Purple Haze [Region 2]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514SKJFWS4L._SL160_.jpg)
