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Paul Walker Biography
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Paul Walker
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This article's factual accuracy may be compromised because of out-of-date information. Please help improve the article by updating it. There may be additional information on the talk page. (April 2009) |
| Paul Walker | |
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 Walker at a premiere for Fast & Furious in March 2009 |
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| Born | Paul William Walker IV September 12, 1973 Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–present |
Paul William Walker IV (born September 12, 1973) is an American actor. He became well known in 2001 after starring in the surprise summer hit The Fast and the Furious and has since gone on to star in its sequels 2 Fast 2 Furious and Fast & Furious. His other successful movies include Joy Ride, Running Scared, and Eight Below.
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Early life
Walker was born in Irvine, California and raised in the San Fernando Valley the area of Los Angeles County.1 The son of Paul Walker III (a sewer contractor)2 and Cheryl (née Crabtree; a former fashion model),3 he is the second oldest of his four siblings (two brothers and two sisters).4 Walker was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon, church. 2 Walker attended and graduated from Village Christian School.56 After high school, he attended several community colleges, seeking a degree, and a career, in marine biology.5
Career
Walker's small-screen career began as a toddler, when he starred in a television commercial for Pampers.7 He began modeling at the age of 28 and began working on television shows in 1985, with roles in shows such as Highway to Heaven, Who's the Boss?, The Young and the Restless and Touched By an Angel.
Walker's film career began in 1987, with the horror/comedy film Monster in the Closet. He has continued with roles in several other movies without much success. It wasn't until 1998 that Walker made his feature film debut in the comedy Meet the Deedles, which finally gained him fame. This subsequently led to supporting roles in the movies Pleasantville, Varsity Blues, She's All That, and The Skulls.
In 2001, Walker's breakthrough role arrived when he starred opposite actor Vin Diesel in the successful action film The Fast and the Furious. The film established Walker as a notable film star and leading man and led to his reprisal of the role in the 2003 sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious. He continued his career with leading roles in films such as Joy Ride, Into the Blue, and Timeline, and also had a supporting role in Clint Eastwood's 2006 adaptation of Flags of Our Fathers.
Walker's most recent feature films are crime thriller Running Scared and Walt Disney Pictures' Eight Below, both released in 2006. Eight Below garnered critical-acclaim and opened in first place at the box office, grossing over US$20 million during its first weekend.9 During the filming of Running Scared, director Wayne Kramer stated that, "[Walker] is that guy on some level "10 when comparing Walker with his character in the movie, Joey Gazelle. Kramer continued on to say that he "loved working with [Walker] because as a director he’s completely supportive of my vision of what the film is. And even better, he’s completely game for it."10
Walker starred in the independent film The Lazarus Project which was released on DVD on October 21, 2008. He subsequently returned to The Fast and the Furious franchise, reprising his role in Fast & Furious, which was released on April 3, 2009.11
Walker has been cast opposite Matt Dillon and Hayden Christensen in the crime drama Takers, which began filming in early September 2008.12
Personal life
Walker, who was named as one of People's Most Beautiful People in 2001,13 currently resides in Santa Barbara, California, with his 'wife', a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Boone.214 His daughter, Meadow Rain3 (born in 1999), lives in Hawaii15 with her mother Rebecca, a former girlfriend of Walker's. He is an avid surfer and enjoys the Queensland beaches. Paul is a purple belt in Brazilan Jiujitsu under Paragon Jiujitsu.16 Walker was a big car enthusiast prior to the filming of The Fast and The Furious, after which he became a small car enthusiast.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Monster in the Closet | "Professor" Bennett |
| Programmed to Kill | Jason | |
| 1994 | Tammy and the T-Rex | Michael |
| 1998 | Meet the Deedles | Phil Deedle |
| Pleasantville | Skip Martin | |
| 1999 | Varsity Blues | Lance Harbor |
| She's All That | Dean Sampson | |
| 2000 | The Skulls | Caleb Mandrake |
| 2001 | The Fast and the Furious | Brian O'Connor |
| Joy Ride | Lewis Thomas | |
| 2003 | 2 Fast 2 Furious | Brian O'Connor |
| Timeline | Chris Johnston | |
| 2004 | Noel | Mike Riley |
| 2005 | Into the Blue | Jared |
| 2006 | Running Scared | Joey Gazelle |
| Eight Below | Jerry Shepard | |
| Flags of Our Fathers | Hank Hansen | |
| 2007 | The Death and Life of Bobby Z | Tim Kearney |
| 2008 | The Lazarus Project | Ben Garvey |
| 2009 | Fast & Furious | Brian O'Connor |
| 2010 | Takers | John |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Film/TV Show | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor – Guest Starring in a Television Drama For episode "A Special Love" |
Highway to Heaven | Nominated |
| 1993 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor in a Daytime Series | The Young and the Restless | Nominated |
| 1994 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Male Newcomer | Nominated | |
| Young Artist Award | Best Youth Actor in a Soap Opera | Nominated | ||
| 2000 | Young Hollywood Award | Exciting New Face – Male | Won | |
| 2001 | Hollywood Breakthrough Award | Breakthrough Male Performance Received at the Hollywood Film Festival |
Won | |
| Young Hollywood Award | New Stylemaker – Male | Won | ||
| 2002 | MTV Movie Award | Best On-Screen Team Shared with Vin Diesel |
The Fast and the Furious | Won |
| Breakthrough Male Performance | Nominated | |||
| 2003 | Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie Chemistry For Paul Walker and his car |
2 Fast 2 Furious | Won |
| (Source: IMDb.com) | ||||
References
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Paul Walker |
- ^ "Paul Walker Biography". http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019262/bio. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Yahoo!
- ^ a b c Keck, William (2005-09-27). "Fame lets Paul Walker dive in". http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-09-27-paul-walker_x.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-28. USA Today
- ^ a b "Paul Walker". http://www.complex.com/CELEBRITIES/Cover-Story/Paul_Walker. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Complex Magazine
- ^ Aames, Ethan (2004-11-12). "Paul Walker on Noel". http://www.cinecon.com/news.php?id=0411121. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Cinema Confidential
- ^ a b "Paul Walker bio: Fast & Furious Actor". http://www.tribute.ca/people/Paul+Walker/1379/17622. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Tribute.ca
- ^ Kim, Beatrice (2003-11-21). "Pretty boy is pretty coy: Walker talks the talk". http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2003/11/21/prettyBoyIsPrettyCoyWalkerTalksTheTalk. Retrieved 2008-09-28. The Stanford Daily
- ^ "Netflix: Paul Walker". http://www.netflix.com/RoleDisplay?personid=11638956. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Netflix
- ^ Chean, Steven (2003-06-15). "Walker on the wild side". http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030615/030615paulwalker.html. Retrieved 2008-09-28. USA Weekend
- ^ "Eight Below (2006)". http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=antarctica.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Box Office Mojo
- ^ a b Murray, Rebecca. "Interview with "Running Scared" Writer/Director Wayne Kramer". http://movies.about.com/od/runningscared/a/runningwk021406.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-28. About.com
- ^ "Apple - Movie Trailers - Fast and Furious". http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/fastandfurious/. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Apple
- ^ Fleming, Michael (2008-09-09). "Screen Gems digs up 'Bone' cast". http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991957.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&query=bone+deep. Retrieved 2008-09-28. Variety
- ^ Perchuk, Kate. "Paul Walker on the Wild Side". http://entertainment.ivillage.com/features/0,,qgbd,00.html?arrivalSA=1&cobrandRef=0&arrival_freqCap=1&pba=adid=7428229. Retrieved 2008-12-07. iVillage
- ^ Koltnow, Barry (2006-02-18). "Just chillin'". http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/entertainment/homepage/article_1005204.php. Retrieved 2008-09-29. The Orange County Register
- ^ Longsdorf, Amy (2006-02-24). "Paul Walker: People.com". http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1166867,00.html. Retrieved 2008-09-29. People.com
- ^ Duane, Daniel. "Paul Walker's Adventure Sports Workout Routine". Men's Health. http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=fitness&category=motivation&conitem=e718d0a0d1c26010VgnVCM200000cee793cd____&page=1. Retrieved 2008-09-28.