The actor Ethan Hawke celebrates 54 today
Hawke’s acting breakthrough came at just 18 years old, with his role in the 1989 classic Dead Poets Society, where he portrayed the shy student Todd Anderson and has since then received two Oscar nominations
The actor Ethan Hawke celebrates 54 today
Ethan Green Hawke was born on November 6, 1970, in Austin, Texas. Raised by his mother in various East Coast cities, Hawke discovered a passion for acting early on, attending drama classes and performing in local theater. His love for storytelling and the arts guided him through his youth, and he went on to study acting at Carnegie Mellon University before committing to his professional career.
Hawke’s acting breakthrough came at just 18 years old, with his role in the 1989 classic Dead Poets Society, where he portrayed the shy student, Todd Anderson. His performance alongside Robin Williams brought him recognition and made him one of Hollywood’s promising young actors. Over the next few years, he starred in films like White Fang (1991) and Reality Bites (1994), which established him as a key figure in 1990s independent cinema.
Hawke became well-known for his role in Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise (1995), where he played Jesse, an American who has a spontaneous romance with a French woman (played by Julie Delpy) while traveling in Europe. The film’s success led to two sequels, Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013), each following the same characters over time, marking one of cinema’s most beloved trilogies. These films not only highlighted Hawke’s range but showcased his dedication to character-driven storytelling.
Hawke received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Training Day (2001) alongside Denzel Washington, and continued to take on complex, challenging roles in films like Gattaca (1997), Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007), and Sinister (2012), blending genres from science fiction to horror and crime drama.
His collaboration with Linklater continued with Boyhood (2014), where he played the father in a film that was shot over 12 years. The unique project received widespread acclaim, earning Hawke another Oscar nomination.
Hawke married actress Uma Thurman in 1998, and they had two children, Maya and Levon, before divorcing in 2005. He later married Ryan Shawhughes in 2008, with whom he has two more daughters. An avid reader and writer, Hawke has also written several novels, including The Hottest State (1996) and Ash Wednesday (2002).
Hawke is also active in theater, both as an actor and director, and he remains involved with the New York theater scene and his direction of A Lie of the Mind and Things We Want has been praised by critics.
In 2020, he portrayed abolitionist John Brown in the critically acclaimed series The Good Lord Bird, which he also produced. His more recent projects, including roles in The Black Phone (2022) and Moon Knight (2022).
Watch Ethan Hawke breaking down his most iconic characters
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