Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a multi-talented American actor, director, and filmmaker. He began his acting career as a child prodigy, starring in various commercials, television films, and series. His notable roles as a child actor include appearances in films such as ‘Beethoven’ and ‘Angels in the Outfield’. However, it was his portrayal of Tommy Solomon in the television series ‘3rd Rock from the Sun’ that brought him widespread recognition and earned him two ‘Hollywood Reporter Young Star Awards’. After taking a break to pursue his education, Joseph returned to acting and delivered outstanding performances in hit films like ‘(500) Days of Summer’ and ‘Inception’. He has also showcased his directing skills with projects like ‘Sparks’ and ‘Don Jon’. Additionally, Joseph is the founder of the online collaborative production company, ‘hitRECord’, which has produced the TV series ‘HitRecord on TV’. With his versatile acting range and impressive body of work, Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to captivate audiences in various genres.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt
- Age: 42 Years, 42 Year Old Males
- Family:
- Spouse/Ex-: Tasha McCauley (m. 2014)
- Father: Dennis Levitt
- Mother: Jane Gordon
- Siblings: Daniel Gordon-Levitt
- Born Country: United States
- Quotes By Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Jewish Actors
- Height: 5’9″ (175 cm), 5’9″ Males
- Ancestry: Russian American, Romanian American, Polish American
- U.S. State: California
- City: Los Angeles
- More Facts
- Education: Columbia University
Childhood & Early Life
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was born on February 17, 1981, in Los Angeles, California to Dennis Levitt and Jane Gordon. His father worked as news director of ‘KPFK ‘, the Pacifica radio station and his mother ran for ‘U.S. Congress’ on behalf of the ‘Peace and Freedom Party’. Former Hollywood film director Michael Gordon was his maternal grandfather. His parents were two of the founders of the ‘Progressive Jewish Alliance’. He and his brother Don were raised in the neighbourhood of Sherman Oaks in Los Angeles.
Acting Career
His journey in acting started at the age of four at a local children’s theatre. Soon, he moved on with television films and commercials at when he was 6. Some of his notable performances in television as child artist include films like ‘Stranger on My Land’ (1988), ‘Hi Honey – I’m Dead’ (1991) and ‘The Great Elephant Escape’ (1995). Television series of that period includes ‘Family Ties’ (1988), ‘Dark Shadows’ (1991) and ‘The Powers That Be’ (1992).
He made his big screen debut with the 1992 released ‘A River Runs Through It’. His other big screen flicks as child artist include ‘Holy Matrimony’ (1994), ‘Angels in the Outfield’ (1994), ‘Halloween H20: 20 Years Later’ (1998) and ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ (1999).
He continued studying in the ‘Van Nuys High School’ while performing for the television series ‘3rd Rock from the Sun’. He completed his honours graduation in 1999.
From 2000 to 2004, he attended the ‘Columbia University School of General Studies’ where he studied French literature, history and French poetry. Meanwhile, he continued his acting career exploring different roles in films like ‘Picking Up the Pieces’ (2000), ‘Forever Lulu’ (2000), “Maniac’ (2001) and Latter Days (2003). In 2004, he dropped out from the school to pursue full-time acting.
Collaborative Production Company
In 2004, he set up the online collaborative production company, ‘hitRECord’. The company collaborates with musicians, artists, filmmakers among others to develop and create art and media. The profit from such collaboration is shared by those involved in the final production.
Matured Acting Career
He made a successful transition from a child artist to a matured and well accepted full-time actor. His wide range of challenging roles includes Neil McCormick, a gay prostitute in ‘Mysterious Skin’ (2004), Brendan Frye, a teenage investigator in ‘Brick’ (2005) and Richie Nix, a hoodlum in ‘Killshot’ (2009) to name a few. In 2005, he received the ‘Golden Space Needle Award’ at the ‘Seattle International Film Festival’ for his performance in ‘Mysterious Skin’.
He proved his mettle as a lead in 2009 hit romantic comedy ‘(500) Days of Summer’. He portrayed the character of a villain, The Doctor/Rexford ‘Rex’ Lewis in the action thriller ‘G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra’. In the same year he made his directorial debut with ‘Sparks’, a twenty-four minute short film based on Elmore Leonard’s short story. The film was selected in the ‘Sundance Film Festival’.
In 2010, he starred in Christopher Nolan’s science fiction ‘Inception’. He directed two short films ‘Morgan M. Morgansen’s Date with Destiny’ and its sequel ‘Morgan and Destiny’s Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo’ under the production of ‘hitRECord’. The films were premiered at ‘Sundance Film Festival’ and at the ‘South by Southwest’ festival respectively.
He played a young man Adam Lerner in the 2011 film ‘50/50’ who faces unusual challenges after learning about his cancer. As a Batman fan from childhood his dream came true when he landed up playing John Blake in one of the Batman saga of Christopher Nolan, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, which released in 2012. Another notable film of the year was Steven Spielberg directed biopic ‘Abraham Lincoln’ where he played Robert, son of Lincoln. He played Wilee in ‘Premium Rush’ and Young Joe in ‘Looper’ and remained an executive producer of the latter.
He was the writer and director of the 2013 released comedy ‘Don Jon’ in which he appeared alongside Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore. The film was premiered at the ‘Sundance Film Festival’ and fetched him a nomination for ‘Best First Screenplay’ at the ‘Independent Spirit Award’. In 2014, he played Johnny, a character created by Frank Miller in Miller’s and Robert Rodriguez’s film ‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For’. In 2015, he starred as Philippe Petit in Robert Zemeckis directed biographical film ‘The Walk’. His forthcoming film ‘Snowden’ under the direction of Oliver Stone which is scheduled to be released in 2016 will see him as Edward Snowden, a NSA surveillance leaker. He made an announcement on co-producing a film that will be adapted from ‘The Sandman’, a graphic novel series for the ‘Warner Bros.’ Studio.
Personal Life & Legacy
He married Tasha McCauley on December 20, 2014, and in August, 2015 the couple welcomed their son.