Ethan Hawke (born 06.11.1970) Ethan Hawke is an American actor. Ethan Hawke: Childhood Ethan Hawke was born in Austin, Texas. His parents are charity worker Leslie and insurance worker James Hawke and they separated when he was 4. He moved to New York and attended Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights before moving again to New Jersey and attending West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South. His final transfer was to the boarding school Hun School of Princeton. At school, he appeared in several stage productions and attended acting classes. Following his graduation he enrolled at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh but dropped out for 'Dead Poet's Society' in 1989. He also dropped out of New York University twice for roles.
Acting career: Ethan Hawke made his film debut with 1985 sci-fi 'Explorers', though he was disappointed with the poor sales. In 1989 he appeared in the comedy 'Dad' with Ted Danson and Jack Lemmon. This was also the year he was cast alongside Robin Williams in the well-received'Dead Poets Society'. In 1991, he landed his first leading role in 'White Fang' and appeared in Keith Gordon war film 'A Midnight Clear' the following year. 1993, saw him in the book-to-film adaptation 'Alive' alongside Vincent Spano and Josh Hamilton.
He became a success yet again in Ben Stiller's directorial debut 'Reality Bites' opposite Winona Ryder in 1994. In 1995, he starred opposite Julie Delpy in the romance drama 'Before Sunrise'. 1997 saw him in Andrew Niccol's sci-fi flick 'Gattaca' with Uma Thurman and Jude Law. In 1998, he appeared in Dickens' 'Great Expectations' directed by Alfonso Cuarón and which also starred Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert De Niro. The following year he played a reporter in 'Snow Falling on Cedars'. He landed the eponymous role in 2000's contemporary version of 'Hamlet' opposite Julia Stiles and later teamed with his 'Gattaca' co-star Uma Therman for the single set film 'Tape'.
He received his first Academy Award nomination for cop film 'Training Day' in 2001 with Denzel Washington who won the award for Best Actor. 2004 saw him in 'Taking Lives' opposite Angelina Jolie and 'Before Sunrise' sequel 'Before Sunset' which he co-wrote and received an Oscar nomination for. He appeared in the 2005 remake of 1976 thriller 'Assault on Precinct 13'. In the same year, he was in 'Lord Of War. The following year, he had a supporting role in 2006's 'Fast Food Nation'. In 2007, he was in 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney. He later starred with Mark Ruffalo in the crime drama 'What Doesn't Kill You' which was a straight to DVD release. In 2009 he was in the romance 'New York, I Love You' and 'Staten Island' and in 2010 he was in the more successful vampire flick 'Daybreakers'.
He made a television appearance in the screen adaptation of Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick' in 2011, playing the role of Starbuck. In 2012, the horror movie 'Sinister' was released in which he played a crime writer. In addition to movies, he has also appeared in several Broadway shows including 'Henry IV', 'The Cherry Orchard', 'The Winter's Tale' and 'The Coast of Utopia' and even earned a Tony nomination. Ethan Hawke: Other career ventures Ethan Hawke has published two novels, 1996 romance 'The Hottest State' which he later adapted to film, and 2002's 'Ash Wednesday' which was much more successful. He made his directorial debut in 2002 with the unsuccessful movie 'Chelsea Walls'.
Personal life: Ethan Hawke married Uma Thurman in 1998 and two children; Maya and Levon. They were divorced in 2004 after Hawke's fidelity was thrown into question. He then married his children's former nanny Ryan Shawhughes in 2008 and had two daughters, Clementine Jane and Indiana. His humanitarian work includes supporting homeless charity the Doe Fund, being heavily involved with the New York Public Library's Young Lions Committee and supporting gay rights and same-sex marriage. He supports the Democratic Party and lives in Chelsea, New York City.
Biography by Contactmusic.com