| Paul Walker |
Walker at a premiere for Fast & Furious in March 2009 |
| Born |
Paul William Walker IV
September 12, 1973 (1973-09-12) (age 36)
Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Occupation |
Actor |
| Years active |
1985–present |
Paul William Walker IV (born September 12, 1973) is an American actor. He became well known in 2001 after starring in the surprise summer hit The Fast and the Furious and has since gone on to star in its sequels 2 Fast 2 Furious and Fast & Furious. His other successful movies include Joy Ride, Running Scared, and Eight Below.
Early life
Walker was born in Glendale, California and raised in the San Fernando Valley the area of Los Angeles County.1 The son of Paul Walker III (a sewer contractor)2 and Cheryl (née Crabtree; a former fashion model),3 he is the second oldest of his four siblings (two brothers and two sisters).4 Walker was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon, church. 2 Walker attended and graduated from Village Christian School.56 After high school, he attended several community colleges where he majored in marine biology.5
Career
Walker's small-screen career began as a toddler, when he starred in a television commercial for Pampers.7 He began modeling at the age of 28 and began working on television shows in 1985, with roles in shows such as Highway to Heaven, Who's the Boss?, The Young and the Restless and Touched By an Angel.
Walker's film career began in 1987, with the horror/comedy film Monster in the Closet. He has continued with roles in several other movies without much success. It wasn't until 1998 that Walker made his feature film debut in the comedy Meet the Deedles, which finally gained him fame. This subsequently led to supporting roles in the movies Pleasantville, Varsity Blues, She's All That, and The Skulls.
In 2001, Walker's breakthrough role arrived when he starred opposite actor Vin Diesel in the successful action film The Fast and the Furious. The film established Walker as a notable film star and leading man and led to his reprisal of the role in the 2003 sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious. He continued his career with leading roles in films such as Joy Ride, Into the Blue, and Timeline, and also had a supporting role in Clint Eastwood's 2006 adaptation of Flags of Our Fathers.
Walker's most recent feature films are crime thriller Running Scared and Walt Disney Pictures' Eight Below, both released in 2006. Eight Below garnered critical-acclaim and opened in first place at the box office, grossing over US$20 million during its first weekend.9 During the filming of Running Scared, director Wayne Kramer stated that, "[Walker] is that guy on some level "10 when comparing Walker with his character in the movie, Joey Gazelle. Kramer continued on to say that he "loved working with [Walker] because as a director he’s completely supportive of my vision of what the film is. And even better, he’s completely game for it."10
Walker starred in the independent film The Lazarus Project which was released on DVD on October 21, 2008. He subsequently returned to The Fast and the Furious franchise, reprising his role in Fast & Furious, which was released on April 3, 2009.11
Walker has been cast opposite Matt Dillon and Hayden Christensen in the crime drama Takers, which began filming in early September 2008.12
Personal life
Walker, who was named as one of People's Most Beautiful People in 2001,13 currently resides in Santa Barbara, California, with his dog, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever.214 His daughter, Meadow Rain3 (born in 1999), lives 15 with her mother, a former girlfriend of Walker's. He is an avid surfer and enjoys the beach. Walker is a purple belt in Brazilan Jiujitsu under Paragon Jiujitsu,16 and is also a big car enthusiast.
Walker's first love was marine biology, with his idol being Jacques Cousteau 17, and he joined the Board of Directors of The Billfish Foundation in 2006. 18 He recently fulfilled a lifelong dream by starring in a National Geographic documentary about great white sharks, which aired on November 16, 2009. 1920 He spent 11 days as part of the crew, catching and tagging 7 great whites off the coast of Mexico.17 The expedition, led by Chris Fischer, gathers measurements and DNA samples, and places satellite tags on the sharks to increase knowledge about shark movements in the oceans. 21
Filmography
Awards
References
- ^ "Paul Walker Biography". http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019262/bio. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Yahoo!
- ^ a b c Keck, William (2005-09-27). "Fame lets Paul Walker dive in". http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-09-27-paul-walker_x.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-28. USA Today
- ^ a b "Paul Walker". http://www.complex.com/CELEBRITIES/Cover-Story/Paul_Walker. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Complex Magazine
- ^ Aames, Ethan (2004-11-12). "Paul Walker on Noel". http://www.cinecon.com/news.php?id=0411121. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Cinema Confidential
- ^ a b "Paul Walker bio: Fast & Furious Actor". http://www.tribute.ca/people/Paul+Walker/1379/17622. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Tribute.ca
- ^ Kim, Beatrice (2003-11-21). "Pretty boy is pretty coy: Walker talks the talk". http://www.stanforddaily.com/cgi-bin/?p=1013576. Retrieved 2009-11-15. The Stanford Daily
- ^ "Netflix: Paul Walker". http://www.netflix.com/RoleDisplay?personid=11638956. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Netflix
- ^ Chean, Steven (2003-06-15). "Walker on the wild side". http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030615/030615paulwalker.html. Retrieved 2008-09-28. USA Weekend
- ^ "Eight Below (2006)". http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=antarctica.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Box Office Mojo
- ^ a b Murray, Rebecca. "Interview with "Running Scared" Writer/Director Wayne Kramer". http://movies.about.com/od/runningscared/a/runningwk021406.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-28. About.com
- ^ "Apple - Movie Trailers - Fast and Furious". http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/fastandfurious/. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Apple
- ^ Fleming, Michael (2008-09-09). "Screen Gems digs up 'Bone' cast". http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991957.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&query=bone+deep. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Variety
- ^ Perchuk, Kate. "Paul Walker on the Wild Side". http://entertainment.ivillage.com/features/0,,qgbd,00.html?arrivalSA=1&cobrandRef=0&arrival_freqCap=1&pba=adid=7428229. Retrieved 2008-12-07. iVillage
- ^ Koltnow, Barry (2006-02-18). "Just chillin'". http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/entertainment/homepage/article_1005204.php. Retrieved 2008-09-29. The Orange County Register
- ^ Longsdorf, Amy (2006-02-24). "Paul Walker: People.com". http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1166867,00.html. Retrieved 2008-09-29. People.com
- ^ Duane, Daniel. "Paul Walker's Adventure Sports Workout Routine". Men's Health. http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=fitness&category=motivation&conitem=e718d0a0d1c26010VgnVCM200000cee793cd____&page=1. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ a b Itier, Emmanuel. "Paul Walker Interview". http://www.buzzine.com/2009/08/paul-walker-interview/.
- ^ "Paul Walker Joins The Billfish Foundation to Kick-Off 20th Anniversary Celebration". marlinmag.com. 2006-09-25. http://www.marlinmag.com/news/news/paul-walker-joins-the-billfish-foundation-to-kick-off-20th-anniversary-celebration-44209.html. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- ^ "Paul Walker Leads Shark Expedition". http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2009/11/12/paul_walker_leads_shark_expedition_. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- ^ "Actor Paul Walker Joins National Geographic Shark Expedition". http://www.diverwire.com/scuba-environment-news/358-paul-walker-national-geographic-sharks.html. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- ^ "Expedition Great White". National Geographic. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/4906/Overview?sicontent=0&sicreative=4194840652&siclientid=804&sitrackingid=107542971&source=banner_semygwngc_113. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
External links
&link=http://www.contactmusic.com/pics/m/never_back_down_premier_050308/paul_walker_1780196.jpg&thumb=http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:5SXb8ieMui6idM:www.contactmusic.com/pics/m/never_back_down_premier_050308/paul_walker_1780196.jpg&celebrity=Paul Walker)
![video The video is dedicated to the main couple of "Into The Blue", Sam and Jared. Disclaimer: I do not own "Into The Blue" or any ... Picture](../viewVideo.html?title=Jessica Alba & Paul WalkerYouTube=YouTube&summary=The video is dedicated to the main couple of "Into The Blue", Sam and Jared. Disclaimer: I do not own "Into The Blue" or any ...&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/68Ua8aDMzp8&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://3.gvt0.com/vi/68Ua8aDMzp8/default.jpg&celebrity=Paul Walker&videoType=YouTube)
![video This is the original air from January 1988 of the best episode of "I'm Telling" ever, featuring Paul Walker. Jamie and David triumph ... Picture](../viewVideo.html?title="Im Telling" Kids Game Show w/ Paul Walker Pt 1YouTube=YouTube&summary=This is the original air from January 1988 of the best episode of "I'm Telling" ever, featuring Paul Walker. Jamie and David triumph ...&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/Cv5eOUGSnRw&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://0.gvt0.com/vi/Cv5eOUGSnRw/default.jpg&celebrity=Paul Walker&videoType=YouTube)
![video www.blacktree.tv BlackTree TV Producer Jamaal Finkley grabs a minute with Fast and Furious star Paul Walker to discuss the reunion of the original ... Picture](../viewVideo.html?title=Fast and Furious Paul Walker "Tyrese was supposed to be in this 1 ...YouTube=YouTube&summary=www.blacktree.tv BlackTree TV Producer Jamaal Finkley grabs a minute with Fast and Furious star Paul Walker to discuss the reunion of the original ...&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/jQ3WyKTKj_c&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://3.gvt0.com/vi/jQ3WyKTKj_c/default.jpg&celebrity=Paul Walker&videoType=YouTube)
![Into the Blue [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511Yg47QoDL._SL160_.jpg)
