Josh Hartnett Biography
Summary
"Joshua Daniel Hartnett" (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. He came to fame after his first film role, in 1998's "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later", and has since become a leading Hollywood actor, having starred in "Black Hawk Down", "Here on Earth", "Pearl Harbor", "Wicker Park", "Lucky Number Slevin", "The Black Dahlia", "Resurrecting the Champ", and most recently, "30 Days of Night".
Biography
Early life
Hartnett was born in Minnesota and raised mostly by his father, Daniel Hartnett (a building manager), and stepmother, Molly (an artist). Hartnett has three younger half-siblings, named Jessica, Jake and Joe. Hartnett has Irish ancestry. He grew up in Saint Paul and was raised Catholic, attending Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Grade School, where he played Adam Apple in an eighth grade production of 'Krazy Kamp'. He later attended Cretin-Derham Hall High School before switching to South High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from which he graduated in June 1996. Hartnett played football in high school, but stopped because of a broken left knee.
Hartnett attended SUNY in Purchase, New York. He got his first job at a local video store. He got his start acting at Youth Performance Company in Minneapolis.
Career
In April 1997, Hartnett made his screen debut playing the role of Michael Fitzgerald on the short-lived television series, "Cracker". He also performed in small plays and on national television commercials, before being cast in his first feature film, playing the son of Jamie Lee Curtis' character in "Halloween: H20", which was released on August 5, 1998 and performed well at the box office.
Hartnett has since developed a steady film career, having appeared in several Hollywood films, including "The Faculty", "Black Hawk Down", "Lucky Number Slevin" and "Pearl Harbor". He was originally set to play the role of Tino in "Deuces Wild", but dropped out to star in "Pearl Harbor". Hartnett was chosen as one of "Teen People" magazine's '21 Hottest Stars Under 21' in 1999, "Teen People's" '25 Hottest Stars under 25', and one of "People" magazine's '50 Most Beautiful People', both in 2002. He was also voted "Bliss" magazine's '3rd Sexiest Male'.
Hartnett's most recent film is the drama-mystery "The Black Dahlia", in which he plays a detective investigating the notorious real-life murder of actress Elizabeth Short. Hartnett was cast in the role five years before the film was produced, and remained committed to appearing in the film because he liked the subject matter. Among his 2007 roles are "Resurrecting the Champ", a drama also starring Samuel L. Jackson, and the graphic novel-based "30 Days of Night", in which he plays a small-town sheriff; Hartnett describes the film as 'supernatural, but kind of a western'. Another film, "The Prince of Cool", in which Hartnett may play trumpet player Chet Baker, is in the early stages of development and may begin filming in 2007.
Filmography
"Cracker" (14 episodes, 1997-1999)
"Halloween H20: 20 Years Later" (1998)
"Debutante" (1998)
"The Faculty" (1998)
"The Virgin Suicides" (1999)
"Here on Earth" (2000)
"Member" (2001)
"Blow Dry" (2001)
"Town & Country" (2001)
"Pearl Harbor" (2001)
"O" (2001)
"Black Hawk Down" (2001)
"The Same" (2001)
"40 Days and 40 Nights" (2002)
"Hollywood Homicide" (2003)
"Wicker Park" (2004)
"Mozart and the Whale" (2005)
"Sin City" (2005)
"The Black Dahlia" (2006)
"Lucky Number Slevin" (2006)
"30 Days of Night" (2007)
"Resurrecting the Champ" (2007)
"August" (2008)
"I Come with the Rain" (2008)
"The Rum Diary" (2008)
"The Prince of Cool" (2008)
Awards and Nominations
Teen Choice Awards
Nominated: Film - Choice Actor, Drama/Action Adventure, "Black Hawk Down" (2002)
Nominated: Film - Choice Chemistry, "40 Days and 40 Nights" (2002, Shared with Shannyn Sossamon)
Nominated: Film - Choice Actor, "Pearl Harbor" (2001)
Nominated: Film - Choice Breakout Performance, "Here on Earth" (2000)
MTV Movie Awards
Nominated: Best Male Performance, "Pearl Harbor" (2002)
Nominated: Best Breakthrough Male Performance, "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later" (1999)
Saturn Awards
Nominated: Best Performance by a Younger Actor/Actress, "The Faculty" (1999)
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
Nominated: Best Acting Ensemble, "Black Hawk Down" (2002, Shared with cast)
Razzie Awards
Nominated: Worst Screen Couple, "Pearl Harbor" (2002, Shared with Kate Beckinsale and Ben Affleck)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
Nominated: Favorite Male Newcomer, "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later" (1999)
Milan International Film Festival
Won: Best Actor, "Lucky Number Slevin" (2006, Tied with Peter Falk for "The Thing About My Folks")
ShoWest Awards
Won: Male Star of Tomorrow (2002)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Josh Hartnett.
