Ethan Hawke was born in Austin, Texas in 1970, later settling in
Princeton Junction, New Jersey. He made his feature film debut in 1985
at the age of 14 in the science-fiction film Explorers. Since then,
Ethan has established a career not only in film, but also in theater, as
a writer and a film director.
Hawke began to study acting, through Princeton's prestigious McCarter
Theater, eventually landing his first professional job in the theater's
performance of St. Joan. In high school Hawke performed in a number of
stage productions including the role of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and
as Tom in The Glass Menagerie. He studied theater in England with the
British Theater Association, and at the Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh. He performed in the play The Seagull at the National Actors
Theater and Jonathan Marc Sherman's Sophistry. In Chicago, Hawke
starred in the Steppenwolf production of Sam Shephard's, Buried Child
directed by Gary Sinise.
Shortly after Hawke's performance in Explorers, he landed his first big
movie role as Todd Anderson in Dead Poets Society. He then went on to
star opposite Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson in Dad, and in the screen
adaptation of Jack London's classic Alaskan adventure, White Fang
directed by Randal Kleiser. Other films that followed include Rich in Love with Albert Finney, Waterland with Jeremy Irons, A Midnight Clear,
and Alive. Hawke has played the leading man to Winona Ryder in Reality Bites and to Julie Delphy in the critically acclaimed Before Sunrise.
Hawke's first novel, The Hottest State, was published in 1996.
The New York Times Book Review described it as "A sweet love
story...[in which]... Mr. Hawke does a fine job ...[and]...easily evokes
the restlessness of being 21 in the mid-1990's south of 14th Street."
In 1997, Hawke starred opposite Uma Thurman and Jude Law in the sci-fi
futuristic thriller Gattaca which was written and directed by
Andrew Niccol. Shortly following that, Ethan worked once again with
Richard Linklater on The Newton Boys also starring Matthew
McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich, Vincent D'Onofrio and Dwight Yoakam. Also in
1998, he appeared in the updated version of the Charles Dickens' classic
Great Expectations co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert De
Niro.
In 1999 Hawke starred in Scott Hicks' adaptation of David Guterson's
best selling novel Snow Falling on Cedars and also appeared in Frank
Whaley's Joe the King.
Hawke has also spent time behind the camera. He directed Josh Hamilton
in the short film Straight to One, a story of a couple, young and in
love, living in the Chelsea Hotel. The short has been on the festival
circuit. Also, Hawke directed the music video "Stay" for long time
friend and former neighbor Lisa Loeb.
Hawke played Hamlet in Michael Almereyda's wildly New York film
depiction of William Shakespeare's Hamlet also staring Kyle MacLachlan,
Sam Shepard, Bill Murray and Diane Venora. He can also be seen in Tape
and Waking Life.
Ethan Hawke recently directed the feature film Chelsea Walls (released
in April 2002) and co-starred with Denzel Washington in Training Day. He
was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actor" for this
performance.
