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Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (born February 17, 1981) is an American actor.
He began as a child actor, and subsequently developed into adult roles, having
strongly concentrated on independent films (including Brick, The Lookout and
Mysterious Skin).
Biography
Early life and family
Gordon-Levitt, the youngest of two sons, was born in Los Angeles, California and
raised in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood. He is Jewish. His father, Dennis Levitt,
was once the news director for the Pacifica Radio station, KPFK-FM. His mother,
Jane Gordon (daughter of director Michael Gordon), studied French, ran for the
United States Congress in California during the 1970s for the Peace and Freedom
Party, and met Dennis Levitt while she was working as the program guide editor
for KPFK-FM. Gordon-Levitt has an older brother, Daniel (born 1974).
Gordon-Levitt joined a musical theater group at the age of four, and played the
scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz. He was subsequently approached by
an agent and began appearing on television and in commercials for Sunny Jim
peanut butter, Cocoa Puffs, Pop-Tarts, and Kinney Shoes.
Early career
Gordon-Levitt began his acting career at the age of six, appearing in several
late 1980s made-for-television films and two episodes of the series Family Ties.
After having a lead role on the short-lived 1991 revival of the television
series Dark Shadows as David Collins, he made his feature-film debut with a
background role in 1992's Beethoven. Later that same year, he played a young
version of Craig Sheffer's character in A River Runs Through It. At the age of
twelve, Gordon-Levitt took the lead role of Gregory in the film Switching
Parents, which was based on the true story of Gregory Kingsley, a boy who won
the right to legally divorce his parents. In 1994, he played a Hutterite boy in
the comedy, Holy Matrimony, and appeared in the lead role of the successful
Disney film, Angels in the Outfield. From 1993 to 1995 he had a recurring role
on the sitcom Roseanne.
In 1996, he began playing Tommy Solomon on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, a
role which made him well known . The San Francisco Chronicle noted the irony
that Gordon-Levitt was a "Jewish kid playing an extraterrestrial pretending to
be a Jewish kid". In 1998, he was a guest star in the first season of That '70s
Show, appearing in the episode "Eric's Buddy" as a gay schoolmate of Eric
Forman's. During the late 1990s, he also appeared in several films, including
The Juror (1996), as Demi Moore's character's son, the horror film Halloween
H20: 20 Years Later (1998), as a pre-credit victim, Sweet Jane (1998) opposite
Samantha Mathis, and the Shakespeare-based teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About
You (1999), in which he and Heath Ledger had the male leading roles. He
performed the voice of the main character Jim Hawkins in the Disney animated
feature, Treasure Planet (2002) which he recorded in four years, from age 17 to
21.
Gordon-Levitt attended Van Nuys High School while simultaneously acting as a
cast member of 3rd Rock from the Sun. During the 1990s, he was frequently
featured in teenage magazines, something he resented. He has also said that
during this time period, he did not enjoy being recognized in public, specifying
that he "hates celebrity". As part of starring in 3rd Rock, Levitt appeared in
five of NBC's public service announcements, The More You Know. His topics
covered drinking while driving, peer pressure, hate crimes, staying in school,
and violence prevention. He also appeared in the annual White House television
special, Christmas in Washington during the Bill Clinton administration in 1996,
the thirteenth season of Celebrity Jeopardy! in 1996, The Daily Show on March
18, 1999, and in the Fox Family television special Dear Santa in 2002.
Hiatus
Gordon-Levitt left 3rd Rock from the Sun during its final season, becoming a
recurring character and appearing in only half of the season's episodes. For the
two years following, he quit acting and attended Columbia University (the only
university he had applied to). He entered in 2000 and attended from 2001 to
2004, studying history, literature, and French poetry in GS. Since his study at
Columbia, he has become an avid and self-confirmed Francophile. He has said that
moving to New York City (he currently resides in Lower East Side, Manhattan)
from his hometown "forced" him to grow as a person. Gordon-Levitt dropped out of
the university in 2004 to concentrate on acting again.
In 2001 he made his stage acting debut in the critically lauded off-Broadway
premiere of Austin Pendleton's play, "Uncle Bob," opposite George Morfogen at
the SoHo Playhouse. The production was produced by Rebellion Productions, LLC.
Return to acting
Gordon-Levitt has said that he made a conscious decision to "be in good movies"
after returning to acting. Since the early 2000s, he has appeared in what has
been described by the Boston Herald as a series "of acclaimed and underseen
indies" that "pegged him as a rising star on the indie film circuit". These
include 2001's drama Manic, which was set in a mental institution, 2004's
Mysterious Skin, in which he played a gay prostitute and child sexual abuse
victim, and 2005's Brick, a modern-day film noir set at a high school (San
Clemente High School), in which he had the lead role of Brendan Frye, a teen who
becomes involved in an underground drug ring while investigating a murder. Brick
received positive reviews, with The Minnesota Daily's review commenting that
Gordon-Levitt played the character "beautifully", "true to films style",
"unfeeling but not disenchanted" and "sexy in the most ambiguous way", and
another review describing the performance as "astounding".
Gordon-Levitt's next role was in The Lookout, playing Chris Pratt, a janitor
involved in a bank heist. The film was released on March 30, 2007. In reviewing
the film, The Philadelphia Inquirer described Gordon-Levitt as a "surprisingly
formidable, and formidably surprising, leading man", while New York magazine
stated that he is a "major tabula rasa actor... a minimalist" and that his
character works because he "doesnt seize the space... by what he takes away
from the character"; the San Francisco Chronicle specified that he "embodies,
more than performs, a character's inner life". Several critics have suggested
that his role in The Lookout will turn Gordon-Levitt to a mainstream actor. His
2008 films include Killshot, playing an assassin opposite Diane Lane and Mickey
Rourke, and Stop-Loss, directed by Kimberly Peirce and revolving around American
soldiers returning from the Iraq War.
Gordon-Levitt has received several praises and positive reviews for his
performances. His acclaimed films include the 2001's drama Manic, 2004's
Mysterious Skin, 2005's Brick, and 2007's The Lookout. Observing Gordon-Levitt's
current acclaim from critics and audiences alike, Showbiz notes that
Gordon-Levitt has "defied the cliched fates that befall most underage actors
when they grow up", while The New York Times has described him as "one of the
hottest young stars in the indie firmament". Gordon-Levitt, who regularly
researches his roles by exposing himself to real-life versions of the character
before acting as them, does not label himself as a Method actor.
Gordon-Levitt has been cast in the G.I. Joe live-action film as Cobra Commander.
It has also been reported that Levitt is cast as Tetsuo Shima in the live-action
production of the science fiction cyberpunk manga and anime Akira produced by
Leonardo DiCaprio.
Filmography
Film
Year Film Role Other notes
1992 Beethoven Student #1
A River Runs Through It Young Norman
1994 Holy Matrimony Ezekiel
Angels in the Outfield Roger Bomman
1996 The Juror Oliver Laird
1998 Halloween H20: 20 Years Later Jimmy Howell
Sweet Jane Tony
1999 10 Things I Hate About You Cameron James
2000 Forever Lulu Martin Ellsworth straight-to-television
Picking up the pieces Flaco
2001 Manic Lyle Jensen released in 2003
2002 Treasure Planet Jim Hawkins Voice only
2003 Havoc Sam straight-to-video release in 2005
Latter Days Elder Paul Ryder
2004 Mysterious Skin Neil McCormick
2006 Brick Brendan Frye
Shadowboxer Dr. Don
2007 The Lookout Chris Pratt
2008 Killshot Richie Nix direct-to-video
Stop-Loss Tommy Burgess
Miracle at St. Anna Tim Boyle
Uncertainty TBA
500 Days of Summer Tom
2009 G.I. Joe Cobra Commander
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Stranger on My Land Rounder television movie (ABC)
Family Ties Dougie "Sign of the Times" (Season 6, Episode 26, 1988-03-13)
"Father, Can You Spare a Dime?" (Season 6, Episode 28, 1988-05-01)
1989 Settle the Score Justin television movie (NBC)
1990 Dark Shadows David Collins television movie (ABC)
Murder, She Wrote Boy #1 "Shear Madness" (Season 6, Episode 20, 1990-04-29)
1991 Changes Matt Hallam television movie (NBC)
Hi Honey - I'm Dead Josh Stadler television movie (FOX)
Plymouth Simon television movie (ABC)
Dark Shadows David/Daniel Collins Series regular
Quantum Leap Kyle "Permanent Wave - June 2, 1983" (Season 4, Episode 5,
1991-10-16)
L.A. Law "Lose the Law" (Season 6, Episode 7, 1991-12-12)
1992-1993 The Powers That Be Pierce Van Horne Series regular
1993 Partners television movie
Switching Parents Gregory Kingsley television movie (ABC)
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Zack Lawson "The Secret" 15 May (Season 1, Episode 15,
1993-05-15)
1993-1995 Roseanne George "Daughters and Other Strangers" (Season 5, Episode 25,
1993-05-18)
"I Pray The Lord My Stove To Keep" (Season 6, Episode 22, 1994-05-03)
"Follow the Son" (Season 7, Episode 7, 1994-11-02)
"Single Married Female" (Season 7, Episode 18, 1995-02-22)
1995 The Great Elephant Escape Matthew television movie (ABC)
1996-2001 3rd Rock from the Sun Tommy Solomon Series regular
1998 That 70s Show Buddy Morgan "Eric's Buddy" (Season 1, Episode 11,
1998-12-06)
2000 The Outer Limits Zach "Something About Harry" (Season 6, Episode 18,
2000-08-04)
2005 Numb3rs Scott Reynolds "Sacrifice" (Season 1, Episode 11, 2005-04-29)
Awards and nominations
Won
* 1993 Young Artist Award Best Actor Under Ten in a Motion Picture for A
River Runs Through It
* 1997 YoungStar Award Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV
Series for 3rd Rock from the Sun
* 1998 YoungStar Award Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV
Series for 3rd Rock from the Sun
* 2005 Golden Space Needle Award Best Actor for Mysterious Skin
Nominated
* 1993 Young Artist Award Best Young Actor in a New Television Series for
The Powers That Be
* 1993 Young Artist Award Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television
Series for Quantum Leap
* 1995 Saturn Award Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Angels in the
Outfield
* 1997 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Comedy Supporting Young
Actor for 3rd Rock from the Sun
* 1997 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in
a Comedy Series for 3rd Rock from the Sun (Shared with cast)
* 1998 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in
a Comedy Series for 3rd Rock from the Sun (Shared with cast)
* 1999 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in
a Comedy Series for 3rd Rock from the Sun (Shared with cast)
* 1999 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor for 3rd Rock from the Sun
* 1999 YoungStar Award Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy Film
for 10 Things I Hate About You
* 2005 Gotham Breakthrough Award for Mysterious Skin
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