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Joseph Gordon-Levitt

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Gordon-Levitt in March 2012.
Born
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt

(1981-02-17) February 17, 1981 (age 43)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1988–present

Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt[1] (born February 17, 1981) is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films.

He is known for his roles in the 2009 indie film (500) Days of Summer (for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination), a supporting role in the 2010 science fiction film Inception, and for starring in the 2011 drama 50/50 (for which he earned his second Golden Globe nomination). Beginning in commercials as a young child, he made his film debut in 1992's Beethoven. Gordon-Levitt subsequently co-starred in the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001) as the young Tommy Solomon. After a hiatus during which he attended Columbia University, Gordon-Levitt left television for film acting, appearing in films like 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) and Manic (2001), followed by critically acclaimed performances in 2004's Mysterious Skin, 2005's Brick, and 2007's The Lookout. He runs an online collaborative production company titled HitRECord.

Early life

Gordon-Levitt was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Sherman Oaks. His family is Jewish, though "not strictly religious",[2] and his parents were among the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance.[3][4][5] His father, Dennis Levitt, was once the news director for the Pacifica Radio station, KPFK-FM.[6][7] His mother, Jane Gordon, ran for the United States Congress in California during the 1970s for the Peace and Freedom Party; she met Dennis Levitt while she was working as the program guide editor for KPFK-FM.[6] Gordon-Levitt's maternal grandfather, Michael Gordon, was a Hollywood film director between the 1940s and 1970s, known for helming the 1959 Doris Day/Rock Hudson film Pillow Talk.[6] Gordon-Levitt had an older brother, Dan, who was a photographer and fire spinner;[8] he was born in 1974 and died in October 2010.[9][10]

Gordon-Levitt joined a musical theater group at the age of four and played the Scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz.[6] Subsequently, he was approached by an agent and began appearing on television and in commercials for Sunny Jim peanut butter, Cocoa Puffs, Pop-Tarts, and Kinney Shoes.[6]

Career

Early acting work

Gordon-Levitt began his acting career at the age of six, appearing in several late 1980s made-for-television films. In 1991, he played David in the Dark Shadows television series. In 1994 he appeared in the Disney film Angels in the Outfield as an orphan who sees angels. In 1996 he began playing Tommy Solomon on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, a role that made him a popular TV personality.[6] The San Francisco Chronicle noted the coincidence that Gordon-Levitt was a "Jewish kid playing an extraterrestrial pretending to be a Jewish kid".[11] Gordon-Levitt was attending Van Nuys High School while acting on the show.[12] During the 1990s, he was frequently featured in teenage magazines, something he resented.[6] He has also said that during this time period, he did not enjoy being recognized in public, saying that he "hates celebrity".[11]

Gordon-Levitt starred in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and voiced Jim Hawkins in Treasure Planet (2002), a Disney adaption of the novel Treasure Island.[13]

In 2000, he began attending Columbia University.[6][14] He studied history, literature, and French poetry in General Studies.[6] He became an avid and self-confirmed Francophile and a French speaker.[6] He said that moving to New York City from his hometown "forced" him to grow as a person.[11] He dropped out in 2004 to concentrate on acting again.[6]

Later acting work

Gordon-Levitt has said that he made a conscious decision to "be in good movies" after returning to acting.[14] His films include 2001's drama Manic, which was set in a mental institution, Mysterious Skin (2004), in which he played a gay prostitute and child sexual abuse victim, and Brick (2005), a modern-day film noir set at a 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 critic commenting that Gordon-Levitt played the character "beautifully", "true to film's style", "unfeeling but not disenchanted", and "sexy in the most ambiguous way."[14][15] Another reviewer described the performance as "astounding".[16] He also starred opposite Steve Sandvoss as a young judgmental missionary in Latter Days (2003), a film that centers on a sexually confused Mormon missionary (Sandvoss) who falls for his gay neighbor. He had roles in Havoc and Shadowboxer.[17]

His next role was in 2007's The Lookout, in which he played Chris Pratt, a janitor involved in a bank heist. In reviewing the film, The Philadelphia Inquirer described Gordon-Levitt as a "surprisingly formidable, and formidably surprising, leading man",[18] while New York magazine stated that he is a "major tabula rasa actor ... a minimalist", and that his character worked because he "doesn't seize the space ... by what he takes away from the character."[19] The San Francisco Chronicle specified that he "embodies, more than performs, a character's inner life."[11] His 2008 films include Killshot, in which he played a hoodlum partnered with a hired killer played by Mickey Rourke, and Stop-Loss, directed by Kimberly Peirce and revolving around American soldiers returning from the Iraq War.[14]

Gordon-Levitt played a lead role opposite Zooey Deschanel in (500) Days of Summer, a well-received 2009 release about the deconstruction of a relationship.[17] His performance, described as "the real key" to what makes the film work, credits him with using "his usual spell in subtle gradations."[20] Variety's Todd McCarthy praised his performance, saying he "expressively alternates between enthusiasm and forlorn disappointment in the manner Jack Lemmon could".[21] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said the movie "hits you like a blast of pure romantic oxygen" and credited both lead actors for playing "it for real, with a grasp of subtlety and feeling that goes beyond the call of breezy duty."[22] He was subsequently nominated for a Golden Globe Award.[23]

He later played villain Cobra Commander in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.[24] On November 21, 2009, he hosted Saturday Night Live.[25] In 2010, replacing James Franco,[26] he starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Christopher Nolan's science fiction thriller Inception, which received favorable reviews.[17] He played the role of the "Point Man" Arthur, Dom Cobb's (DiCaprio) partner and the person responsible for researching the team's targets.

He will play the younger version of Bruce Willis's character in the time-traveling thriller Looper.[27] In 2011, he began filming Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, in which he plays John Blake, "a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon."[28] Steven Spielberg cast him to play Robert Todd Lincoln in the 2012 film Lincoln.[29]

Directing and producing

Gordon-Levitt's first film as director, the 24 minute-long Sparks, an adaptation of a short story by Elmore Leonard starring Carla Gugino and Eric Stoltz, was selected for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival as part of a new program for short films.[30] In 2010, he directed another short film, Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo.[31] It premiered at two houses during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.[31]

He was one of the many producers of the Broadway show Slava's Snowshow.[32]

hitRECord

Gordon-Levitt has owned hitRECord.org, an online collaborative production company that shares its profits with contributing artists, since 2004.[33][34] At its onset, it hosted six videos and short films.[35]

Beginning in 2009, he opened the website to host films by others. In a 2007 interview in Salon, he described the website as "[an] alternative outlet of where [he] get[s] to be a little less professional and just freak out a little bit."[36] The site has since expanded with more than 10,000 participants collaborating to make songs, images, stories, and short films. According to a 2010 article in Details magazine, Gordon-Levitt oversees the site from a bank of computers in his home studio.[8]

RECollection, the first anthology of work from hitRECord, was released in 2011 as a book/CD/DVD package.[37][38]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1992 Beethoven Student No. 1
1992 A River Runs Through It Young Norman Young Artist Award for Best Actor Under Ten in a Motion Picture
1994 Holy Matrimony Zeke
1994 Roadflower Rich Lerolland
1994 Angels in the Outfield Roger Bomman Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor
1996 The Juror Oliver Laird
1998 Sweet Jane Tony
1998 Halloween H20: 20 Years Later Jimmy Howell
1999 10 Things I Hate About You Cameron James Nominated – YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy Film
2000 Picking Up the Pieces Flaco
2001 Manic Lyle Jensen Released in 2003
2002 Treasure Planet Jim Hawkins Animated film; voice role
2003 Latter Days Elder Paul Ryder
2004 Mysterious Skin Neil McCormick Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Gotham Breakthrough Award
2005 Brick Brendan Frye
2005 Havoc Sam
2005 Shadowboxer Dr. Don
2007 The Lookout Chris Pratt
2008 Stop-Loss Tommy Burgess
2008 Miracle at St. Anna Tim Boyle
2008 The Brothers Bloom Bar Patron Uncredited Cameo
2008 Killshot Richie Nix
2009 Big Breaks Todd Sterling
2009 (500) Days of Summer Tom Hansen Nominated – Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor[39]
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy[40]
Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead[41]
Nominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite Breakout Movie Actor[42]
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy[43]
2009 Uncertainty Bobby
2009 Women in Trouble Bert Rodriguez
2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Cobra Commander Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Villain[43]
2010 Hesher Hesher
2010 Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny Morgan M. Morgansen/Narrator Short film, also director and editor
2010 Elektra Luxx Bert Rodriguez
2010 Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo Morgan M. Morgansen/Narrator Short film, also director and editor.
2010 Inception Arthur Spike TV's Scream Award for Best Supporting Actor
Spike TV's Scream Award for Fight Scene of the Year[44]
2011 50/50 Adam Lerner Hollywood Film Festival Award for Breakthrough Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy[40]
2012 Premium Rush Wilee post-production
2012 The Dark Knight Rises John Blake post-production
2012 Looper Joe post-production
2012 Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln post-production[45]
2012 Django Unchained Roy filming
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Stranger on My Land Rounder
1988 Family Ties Dougie Episodes:
"Sign of the Times"
"Father, Can You Spare a Dime?"
1989 Settle the Score Justin
1990 Murder, She Wrote Boy No. 1 Episode: "Shear Madness"
1991 Dark Shadows Daniel/David Collins Series regular
1991 Changes Matthew "Matt" Hallam
1991 Hi Honey - I'm Dead Josh Stadler
1991 Plymouth Simon
1991 China Beach Archie Winslow, Age 9 Episode: "Quest"
1991 Quantum Leap Kyle Episode: "Permanent Wave"
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series
1991 L.A. Law Episode: "Lose the Law"
1992–1993 The Powers That Be Pierce Van Horne Series regular
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a New Television Series
1993 Partners
1993 Gregory K a.k.a. Switching Parents Gregory Kingsley
1993 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Zack Lawson Episode: "The Secret"
1993–1995 Roseanne George Episodes:
"Daughters and Other Strangers"
"I Pray the Lord My Stove to Keep"
"Follow the Son"
"Single Married Female
1995 The Great Elephant Escape Matthew
1996–2001 3rd Rock from the Sun Tommy Solomon Series regular
YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series (1997, 1998)
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1997, 1998, 1999)
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actor (1999)
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Comedy – Supporting Young Actor (1997)
1998 That '70s Show Buddy Morgan Episode: "Eric's Buddy"
2000 The Outer Limits Zach Episode: "Something About Harry"
2000 Forever Lulu Martin Ellsworth
2005 Numb3rs Scott Reynolds Episode: "Sacrifice"

References

  1. ^ "Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt" is his full name and Los Angeles, California, is his birthplace. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California.
  2. ^ http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/10/joseph-gordon-levitt-hollywoods-boy-wonder-grows-u.html?p=2
  3. ^ http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/09/joseph_gordon-levitt_give.php
  4. ^ McCafferty, Dennis (April 2, 1999). "Favorites of a Young Rock Star". USA Today, through Rome News-Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Elkin, Michael (May 22, 2003). "He has a Mania for Good Works". The Jewish Exponent. Retrieved April 28, 2010.; transcribed text
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lidz, Frank (March 25, 2007). "From Alien Boy to Growing Star in the Indie Universe". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  7. ^ Mueller, Matt (2008). "Hey Joe". Wonderland Magazine. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Joseph Gordon-Levitt interview, Details Magazine".
  9. ^ Warner, Kara (October 6, 2010). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Brother Dead At 36". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  10. ^ Lang, Bret; Walker, Hunter (October 5, 2010). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Brother, 'Burning Dan,' Dies". The Wrap. The Wrap News Inc. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  11. ^ a b c d Chonin, Neva (March 25, 2007). "Look out: his star is rising". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  12. ^ Hirschberg, Lynn (September 16, 2007). "Kid Rock". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  13. ^ "Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Treasure Planet Interview". BBC News. BBC Online. February 4, 2003. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  14. ^ a b c d Roberts, Sheila (March 24, 2007). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Interview, The Lookout". MoviesOnline. Archived from the original on March 29, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  15. ^ Fjerstad, Tatum (April 6, 2006). "This film's too cool for school — in a good way". The Minnesota Daily. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  16. ^ Wright, Andrew (April 6, 2006). "On Screen". The Stranger: Seattle's Only Newspaper. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  17. ^ a b c "Joseph Gordon-Levitt". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster Inc. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  18. ^ Rea, Steven (March 25, 2007). "On Movies: 'Lookout' can't be called an overnight success". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  19. ^ Edelstein, David (March 25, 2007). "A Terrible Thing to Waste". New York Magazine. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  20. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (July 19, 2009). "(500) Days of Summer". Salon. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
  21. ^ McCarthy, Todd (January 18, 2009). "500 Days of Summer". Variety. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  22. ^ Travers, Peter (July 16, 2009). "(500) Days of Summer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 20, 2009.[dead link]
  23. ^ "The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominations". Golden Globes.org.
  24. ^ Brian Jacks (September 4, 2008). "'G.I. Joe' Movie Will Reveal 'Twisted' Cobra Commander; Mask And Menacing Voice Included". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  25. ^ Stanhope, Kate (October 31, 2009). "January Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Host SNL, along with Dave Matthews Band as the musical guest". TV Guide. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
  26. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 24, 2009). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt replaces James Franco in 'Inception'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner Inc. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  27. ^ Flemming, Mike (May 14, 2010). "CANNES: Bruce Willis Plays Mature Joseph Gordon-Levitt In Time Travel Pic 'Looper'". Deadline Hollywood. Mail.com Media Corporation. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  28. ^ "'The Dark Knight Rises': Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard's Parts Revealed". The Huffington Post. April 29, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  29. ^ Fischer, Russ (May 5, 2011). "Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' Casts Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Many More". slashfilm.com. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  30. ^ "2009 Sundance Film Festival Announces Short Film Program". Sundance Film Festival. December 8, 2008.
  31. ^ a b Bettinger, Brendan (August 9, 2010). "Watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum in the Short Film Morgan And Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo". Collider.com. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  32. ^ Cox, Gordon (December 12, 2008). "Ticket brokers try to catch a break". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  33. ^ "hitRECord in a nutshell".
  34. ^ Stein, Joel (September 18, 2011). "Profiling Joseph Gordon-Levitt: The Crowd-Sourced Version". Time Magazine. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  35. ^ "Table of Contents". HitRecord.org. Archived from the original on January 5, 2008.
  36. ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (March 8, 2007). "Life's not simple". Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  37. ^ Sperling, Nicole (September 29, 2011). "'50/50's' Joseph Gordon-Levitt is hip to the creative process". L.A. Times. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  38. ^ "hitRECord RECollection: Volume 1". hitRECord. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  39. ^ "Detroit Film Critics Society Announces the Best of 2009 Nominations and Winners" (Press release). Detroit Film Critics Society. December 18, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  40. ^ a b "Nominations and Winners". Official Website of the Annual Golden Globe Awards. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved April 7, 2010. Cite error: The named reference "gg" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  41. ^ "25th Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced" (Press release). Film Independent. December 1, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  42. ^ "2010 Nominees and Winners". Official Website of People's Choice Awards. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  43. ^ a b "First Wave of "Teen Choice 2010" Nominees Announced". The Futon Critic. June 14, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  44. ^ "Superstars, Sci-Fi and Superheroes Unite at Spike TV's 'SCREAM 2010'". PR Newswire. PR Newswire Association LLC. October 18, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  45. ^ "Day-Lewis 'sublime' as Lincoln". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. January 18, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2012. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

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