Ethan Hawke is that rare star who has proven to be as talented behind the scenes as he is on camera. A multi-talented writer, director, and leading man, Hawke has amassed one of the most astounding lists of credits of any Hollywood star. Mixing big-budget star vehicles with terrific indie dramas and Oscar-nominated writing work, Hawke has emerged as one of film’s most valuable personalities.
Born in Austin, Texas on November 6, 1970, Hawke grew up in Princeton, New Jersey with his mother. It was there that he attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School and the Hun School of Princeton. Hawke began his acting career at an early age, appearing with River Phoenix in the film “Explorers” in 1985. He also studied at the British Theatre Association, the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and briefly attended college at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. Hawke’s stay at the prestigious liberal arts institution was cut short by his major role in Peter Weir’s classic teen drama “Dead Poets Society” in 1989, which jump-started his career and made him an overnight star.
Hawke was soon starring in two snowy adventures, 1991’s Disney inspirational “White Fang” and 1993’s true-life survival story “Alive”. Already a well-known star at the age of 23, Hawke’s hot streak continued with the breezy romantic drama “Reality Bites” in 1994. Directed by Ben Stiller and co-starring Winona Ryder, the film gave a pitch-perfect representation of a group of overeducated, angsty Gen X wanderers and is now considered a modern classic. Hawke’s first collaboration with writer-director Richard Linklater came the next year with “Before Sunrise”, a gorgeous Vienna-set drama that remains one of the great love stories of modern cinema. Hawke co-wrote the film’s terrific 2004 sequel “Before Sunrise”, which earned the writers an Oscar nomination.
The hunky actor continued to churn out terrific performances in the late 90s, particularly in Andrew Niccol’s quiet sci-fi epic “Gattaca” and in Alfonso Cuarón’s misguided but often beautiful modern-day version of “Great Expectations”. The latter film saw Hawke give one of his most earnest, wide-eyed performances. His portrayal of the legendary Dickens hero had a remarkable verve and sincerity, doing justice to the youthful passion and heartbreak that has made the novel one of the richest classics of all time.
Nearly all of Hawke’s films are notable, and some of his recent highlights include Michael Almereyda’s revisionist “Hamlet”, the Oscar-winning “Training Day”, the thriller “Taking Lives” with Angelina Jolie, and last year’s underappreciated gunrunner drama “Lord of War”. In 2001 Hawke made his directorial debut with an adaptation of Nicole Burdette’s play “Chelsea Walls”, in which Hawke’s then-wife Uma Thurman played a brief role. He has also written two well-received novels, “The Hottest State” and “Ash Wednesday”. Hawke is soon to appear in Linklater’s “Fast Food Nation” and the indie drama “Tonight at Noon”, and has just finished directing a film version of “The Hottest State”.