Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Every disney Hero has a Voice, Treasure Planet ~ Jim Hawkins


Every Disney Hero Has a Voice
Treasure Planet ~ Jim Hawkins
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt
February 17th, 1981


Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (born February 17, 1981) is an American actor whose career as both a child and an adult has included television and feature films. He is best known for his roles in the films (500) Days of Summer, Inception, 50/50, The Dark Knight Rises, and Looper, and for his role as Tommy Solomon in the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. Gordon-Levitt began his career in commercials as a child before making his film debut in Beethoven. He has also starred in 10 Things I Hate About You, Manic, Mysterious Skin, Brick, The Lookout, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Inception, Premium Rush, and Looper (film). Later in 2012, he is set to appear in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.

Early life

Gordon-Levitt was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in its Sherman Oaks neighborhood. His family is Jewish, though "not strictly religious", and his parents were among the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance. His father, Dennis Levitt, was once the news director for the Pacifica Radio station, KPFK-FM. 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. 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. Gordon-Levitt had an older brother, Dan, a photographer and fire spinner, who was born in 1974 and died in October 2010.

Career

Early acting work

Gordon-Levitt joined a musical theater group at the age of four and played the Scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz. 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.
By age six, he was appearing in several made-for-television films. In 1991, he played both David Collins and Daniel Collins in the Dark Shadows television series. During 1992–93, he played in The Powers That Be, a sitcom starring John Forsythe, as a clever young boy named Pierce Van Horne. 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. The San Francisco Chronicle noted the coincidence that Gordon-Levitt was a "Jewish kid playing an extraterrestrial pretending to be a Jewish kid". Gordon-Levitt was attending Van Nuys High School while acting on the show. 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, saying that he "hates celebrity".
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.
In 2000, he began attending Columbia University School of General Studies. He studied history, literature, and French poetry. He became an avid and self-confirmed Francophile and a French speaker. He said that moving to New York City from his hometown "forced" him to grow as a person. He dropped out in 2004 to concentrate on acting again.

Later acting work

Gordon-Levitt has said that he made a conscious decision to "be in good movies" after returning to acting. 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." Another reviewer described the performance as "astounding". 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.
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", 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." The San Francisco Chronicle specified that he "embodies, more than performs, a character's inner life." 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.
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. His performance, described as "the real key" to what makes the film work, credits him with using "his usual spell in subtle gradations." Variety's Todd McCarthy praised his performance, saying he "expressively alternates between enthusiasm and forlorn disappointment in the manner Jack Lemmon could". 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." He was subsequently nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
He later played villain Cobra Commander in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. On November 21, 2009, he hosted Saturday Night Live. In 2010, he replaced James Franco to star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Christopher Nolan's science fiction thriller Inception, which received favorable reviews.
In 2011, Gordon-Levitt began filming Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, in which he played John Blake, a beat police officer who emerges as a key ally of Batman. Also released in 2012, he played the starring role of a bicycle messenger in the action film Premium Rush, the younger version of the lead role shared with Bruce Willis in the time-traveling thriller Looper, and the supporting role of Robert Todd Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's biopic Lincoln.

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. In 2010, he directed another short film, Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo. It premiered at two houses during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
He was one of the many producers of the Broadway show Slava's Snowshow.

hitRECord

Gordon-Levitt has owned hitRECord, an online collaborative production company that shares its profits with contributing artists, since 2004. At its onset, it hosted six videos and short films.
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." 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.
RECollection, the first anthology of work from hitRECord, was released in 2011 as a book/CD/DVD package. The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories was published and released December 6, 2011 by it books following its independent release in 2010.

Filmography

Film

Year
Title
Role
Notes
1992
Beethoven
Student No. 1
1992
River Runs Through It, AA River Runs Through It
Young Norman
1994
Holy Matrimony
Zeke
1994
Roadflower
Rich Lerolland
1994
Angels in the Outfield
Roger Bomman
1996
Juror, TheThe Juror
Oliver Laird
1998
Sweet Jane
Tony
1998
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Jimmy Howell
1999
10 Things I Hate About You
Cameron James
2000
Picking Up the Pieces
Flaco
2001
Manic
Lyle Jensen
2002
Treasure Planet
Jim Hawkins (voice)
2003
Latter Days
Elder Paul Ryder
2004
Mysterious Skin
Neil McCormick
2005
Brick
Brendan Frye
2005
Havoc
Sam
2005
Shadowboxer
Dr. Don
2007
Lookout, TheThe Lookout
Chris Pratt
2008
Stop-Loss
Tommy Burgess
2008
Miracle at St. Anna
Tim Boyle
2008
Brothers Bloom, TheThe Brothers Bloom
Bar Patron
Cameo; uncredited
2008
Killshot
Richie Nix
2009
Big Breaks
Todd Sterling
2009
(500) Days of Summer
Tom Hansen
2009
Uncertainty
Bobby
2009
Women in Trouble
Bert Rodriguez
2009
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
The Doctor/Rex
2010
Hesher
Hesher
2010
Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny
Morgan M. Morgansen / Narrator
Short; also director & editor
2010
Elektra Luxx
Bert Rodriguez
2010
Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo
Morgan M. Morgansen / Narrator
Short; also director & editor
2010
Inception
Arthur
2011
50/50
Adam Lerner
2012
The Dark Knight Rises
John Blake
2012
Premium Rush
Wilee
2012
Looper
Joe
Executive Producer
2012
Lincoln
Robert Todd Lincoln
Completed
2013
Don Jon's Addiction
Don Jon
Post-Production; also director & writer

Television

Year
Title
Role
Notes
1988
Stranger on My Land
Rounder
1988
Family Ties
Dougie
2 episodes
1989
Settle the Score
Justin
1990
Murder, She Wrote
Boy No. 1
1 episode: "Shear Madness"
1991
Dark Shadows
Daniel/David Collins
11 episodes
1991
Changes
Matthew "Matt" Hallam
1991
Hi Honey – I'm Dead
Josh Stadler
1991
Plymouth
Simon
1991
China Beach
Archie Winslow, Age 9
1 episode: "Quest"
1991
Quantum Leap
Kyle
1 episode: "Permanent Wave"
1991
L.A. Law
1 episode: "Lose the Law"
1992
Powers That Be, TheThe Powers That Be
Pierce Van Horne
13 episodes
1993
Partners
1993
Gregory K
Gregory Kingsley
a.k.a. Switching Parents
1993
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Zack Lawson
1 episode: "The Secret"
1993
Roseanne
George
4 episodes
1995
Great Elephant Escape, TheThe Great Elephant Escape
Matthew
1996
3rd Rock from the Sun
Tommy Solomon
131 episodes
1998
That '70s Show
Buddy Morgan
1 episode: "Eric's Buddy"
2000
Outer Limits, TheThe Outer Limits
Zach
1 episode: "Something About Harry"
2000
Forever Lulu
Martin Ellsworth
2005
Numb3rs
Scott Reynolds
1 episode: "Sacrifice"
2009
2012
Saturday Night Live
Host
2 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year
Title
Award
Result
1991
Quantum Leap
Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series
Nominated
1992
Powers That Be, TheThe Powers That Be
Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a New Television Series
Nominated
River Runs Through It, AA River Runs Through It
Young Artist Award for Best Actor Under Ten in a Motion Picture
Won
1994
Angels in the Outfield
Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor
Nominated
1997
3rd Rock from the Sun
Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Comedy – Supporting Young Actor
Won
YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series
Won
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Nominated
1998
YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series
Won
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Nominated
1999
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Nominated
Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actor
Won
10 Things I Hate About You
YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy Film
Nominated
2004
Mysterious Skin
Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actor
Won
Gotham Breakthrough Award
Nominated
2009
(500) Days of Summer
Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor,
Nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy,
Nominated
Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead,
Nominated
People's Choice Award for Favorite Breakout Movie Actor,
Won
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy
Won
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Villain
Nominated
2010
Inception
Spike TV's Scream Award for Best Supporting Actor
Won
Spike TV's Scream Award for Fight Scene of the Year
Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated
MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
Nominated
MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (Shared with Ellen Page)
Nominated
MTV Movie Award for Biggest Badass Star,
Nominated
People's Choice Award for Best On-Screen Team
Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Acting
Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated
2011
50/50
Hollywood Film Festival Award for Breakthrough Actor
Won
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy,
Nominated
MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance
Nominated
Utah Film Critics Association Awards for Best Actor
Won

http://en.wikipedia.org

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