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Aaron Eckhart extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Eckhart, March 2008
Born	Aaron Edward Eckhart March 12, 1968 (1968-03-12) (age 41) Cupertino, California, United States
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1992–present

Aaron Edward Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at 13 when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career performing in school plays. Eckhart then moved to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year; he left without graduating but earned a diploma through an adult education course. In 1994, he graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film. For much of the mid-1990s, he lived in New York City as a struggling, unemployed actor.

As an undergraduate at Brigham Young, Eckhart met director and writer Neil LaBute who cast him in several of LaBute's original plays. Five years later, Eckhart made a debut as an unctuous sociopathic ladies' man in LaBute’s black comedy film In the Company of Men (1997). Under LaBute's guidance, he worked in the director's films Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), Nurse Betty (2000), and Possession (2002). Eckhart has chosen roles in an eclectic range of movies, from science fiction films such as The Core (2003) and Paycheck (2003) to romantic dramas like Conversations with Other Women (2006) and No Reservations (2007).

In 2000, Eckhart gained wide recognition as George in Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed film Erin Brockovich. In 2006, he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking. In 2008, he starred in the big-budget studio film The Dark Knight as District Attorney Harvey Dent and the villain he becomes, Two-Face.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Early work 2.2 Critical success 2.3 Worldwide recognition 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 5 References 6 Additional sources 7 External links

Early life

Eckhart was born in Cupertino, California, and is the youngest of three sons born to Mary Eckhart (née Lawrence), a poet and children's author, and James C. Eckhart "Jim Senior", a computer executive.¹ His brothers are James Lawrence Eckhart (born 1963) and Adam Eckhart (born 1966).² Eckhart was raised as a Mormon in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served a two year mission in both France and Switzerland.³⁴

In 1981, the Eckhart family moved to England¹⁵ where they resided in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey,² and where Eckhart attended American Community School, now known as ACS International Schools,⁶ where he was first introduced to acting, starting in a school production as Charlie Brown.⁷⁸ In 1985, he moved to Sydney, Australia, where he attended American International School of Sydney for his high school senior year; he further developed his acting skills in productions like Waiting for Godot, where he admits that he did a "terrible" production.⁹ In the fall of his senior year,² Eckhart left the school in order to take a job working at a mall movie theater.¹⁰¹¹ He eventually earned his diploma through an adult education course when he returned to the United States.¹ This also allowed Eckhart time to enjoy a year surfing in Hawaii and the coastal waters of France.¹¹² In 1988, Eckhart returned to the United States and enrolled as a film major at Brigham Young University (BYU).¹ He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.¹⁰¹²

Career

Early work

While at Brigham Young,¹³ Eckhart appeared in the Mormon-themed film Godly Sorrow. At this time he met director/writer Neil LaBute,¹³ who cast him in several of LaBute's original plays, the role marked Eckhart's professional theatrical debut.¹⁴ After graduating from BYU, Eckhart moved to New York City and worked odd jobs, including bartending, bus driving, and construction work.⁸¹⁵ Eckhart's first television roles were in commercials; in 1994, he appeared as an extra on Beverly Hills, 90210.⁸¹⁶ He followed this small part with roles in documentary re-enactments, made-for-television movies, and short-lived programs like Aliens in the Family.

In 1997, Eckhart was approached by Neil LaBute to star in a film adaptation of LaBute's stage play In the Company of Men.¹⁷ Eckhart played a frustrated white-collar worker who planned to woo a deaf office worker, gain her affections, then suddenly dump her.¹⁸ Eckhart's performance was well-received by critics. Paul Tatara of CNN.com wrote, "Eckhart's Chad even has a couple of sarcastic diatribes that mock Cristine's halting, hollow-voiced way of speaking."¹⁹ In the Company of Men was a critical success, winning Best First Film at the 63rd annual New York Film Critics Circle Award.²⁰²¹ Eckhart's performance won him the Independent Spirit Award in the category of Best Debut Performance.²²²³ The film was ranked as one of "The 25 Most Dangerous Movies" by Premiere magazine.²⁴

The following year, Eckhart starred in another LaBute film, Your Friends & Neighbors (1998),¹²¹³ as Barry, a sexually frustrated husband in a dysfunctional marriage. For the role, Eckhart was required to gain weight.²⁵ In 1999, he played a football coach, an offensive coordinator in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday.²⁶ That same year, he starred in the lead role of Molly, in which he played the brother of an autistic woman who was cured by surgery.²⁷

Critical success

Eckhart first gained wide exposure in 2000 as George, a pony-tailed biker, in Erin Brockovich, directed by Steven Soderbergh.²⁸ The film was met with reasonable reviews,²⁹ and was a box office success, earning $256 million worldwide.³⁰ His performance was well received; Film critic Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly, wrote: "Swathed in tattoos and an overgrown foliage of goatee and sideburns, may be playing a bit of an ideal [...] but he makes goodness as palpable as he did yuppie evil in 'In the Company of Men'."³¹ Eckhart claimed that he had not worked for nearly a year before he was cast in the film. "I felt like I sort of was getting away from what I wanted to do as an actor. A lot of things fell through. I had nine months off, but it wasn't a vacation. Sure, I didn't earn any money for nine months, but every day I was reading scripts, I was producing my own material, I was taking meetings, I was working on my craft."³² Following the release of Erin Brockovich, he co-starred with Renée Zellweger in LaBute's Nurse Betty (2000).¹² Eckhart next appeared in Sean Penn's The Pledge (2001), he played a young detective partnered with a veteran detective, played by Jack Nicholson.³³ In 2002, Eckhart worked with LaBute in a film adaptation of the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Possession.³⁴

In 2003, Eckhart co-starred with Hilary Swank in The Core, a film about a geophysicist who tries to detonate a nuclear device in order to save the world from destruction.³⁵ The film was critically and financially unsuccessful.³⁶³⁷ Also in 2003, Eckhart appeared in The Missing, in which he played Cate Blanchett's lover,³⁸ and in the action-thriller Paycheck opposite Ben Affleck.³⁹ Paycheck, based on a short story by science fiction writer Phillip K. Dick, garnered generally negative reviews.⁴⁰ Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film two stars (out of four), saying that he "enjoyed the movie" but felt that it "exploits [Dick's story] for its action and plot potential, but never really develops it."⁴¹

The following year on NBC's hit television series Frasier, Eckhart played a boyfriend of Charlotte, Dr. Frasier Crane's love interest.⁴²⁴³ He then starred in E. Elias Merhige's Suspect Zero, a thriller about an FBI agent who tracks down a killer who murders serial killers.⁴⁴⁴⁵ The movie generally earned negative reviews,⁴⁶ but Eckhart's performance was well received. Newsday film critic Kevin Thomas wrote: "Eckhart is a classically handsome leading man ... but Merhige demands of him complexity and anguish."⁴⁷ Suspect Zero was a box office disappointment.⁴⁸ Also in 2004, Eckhart starred on the London stage, opposite Julia Stiles, in David Mamet's Oleanna at the Garrick Theatre. The drama ran until mid-2004.⁴⁹ For his performance, Eckhart received favorable critical reviews.³²⁵⁰

In 2006, he appeared in the film noir The Black Dahlia, (based on a real 1947 crime), as Sergeant Leland "Lee" Blanchard, a detective investigating the murder of Elizabeth Short, later dubbed the "Black Dahlia".⁵¹⁵² The film premiered at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival.⁵³⁵⁴ Reception for the movie was mixed,⁵⁵ but many critics enjoyed Eckhart's performance; David Jenkins of Time Out praised Eckhart and co-star Hillary Swank for their performances, writing: "...both [are] great in their secondary roles."⁵⁶ At the end of 2006, Eckhart starred with Helena Bonham Carter in Conversations with Other Women.⁵⁷ While promoting this film, Eckhart revealed that he wishes not to be typecast or repeat himself, saying he does not want to play any more villains.²

Worldwide recognition

Eckhart's next project was Thank You for Smoking, in which he played Nick Naylor, a tobacco lobbyist who researched the link between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer. Eckhart said that he felt challenged playing the role: "You have to say these words that are crazy, and yet do it with a smile on your face and have the audience like you. At one point, I'm doing a talk show with a kid who's dying of cancer, and he's going through chemotherapy and the whole thing, and I spin it so the anti-smoking people are the bad guys and I'm the good guy, and I'm this guy's best friend. I mean, it's whacked out."⁵⁸ The film was screened at a special presentation at the 30th annual Toronto International Film Festival in 2005.⁵⁹⁶⁰ It had a limited release in March 2006 and was released worldwide the following month.⁶¹⁶² For his performance, Eckhart received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.⁶³ Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote, "Eckhart gives a standout, whip-smart performance, keeping his character likable even in his cynicism."⁶⁴ In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer review of the film, critic Sean Axmaker, noted, "Under his chummy but compassionless smile, Eckhart radiates charm and Naylor's true joys: manipulating arguments, steering debate, cooking words."⁶⁵

Internationally viewed as a sex symbol, he was named one of People magazines 100 Most Beautiful People in 2006.⁶⁶⁶⁷ The next year, Eckhart was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.⁶⁸ He starred in No Reservations (2007), a remake of the 2001 German romantic comedy Mostly Martha. He starred opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones as an up-and-coming hotshot chef.⁶⁹ The film met with mixed reviews and was unfavorably compared to the original film.⁷⁰ Eckhart starred in the 2008 comedy Meet Bill, in which he played the eponymous character, a sad executive working at his father-in-law's bank.⁷¹⁷² He gained 30 pounds and donned a fat suit for the role.¹⁷⁷³

Also in 2008, Eckhart portrayed the comic book character Harvey Dent/Two-Face in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, the sequel to the 2005 film Batman Begins.⁷⁴⁷⁵ Nolan's decision to cast Eckhart was based on his portrayal of corrupt characters in the films In the Company of Men, The Black Dahlia, and Thank You For Smoking.⁷⁶⁷⁷ He noted in his depiction of the character that "[he] is still true to himself. He's a crime fighter, he's not killing good people. He's not a bad guy, not purely", while admitting "I'm interested in good guys gone wrong."⁷⁶⁷⁷ The Dark Knight was a big financial success, setting a new opening weekend record at the North America box office. With revenue of $996 million worldwide, it became the fourth highest grossing film of all time.⁷⁸⁷⁹ In the Rolling Stone review of the film, critic Peter Travers wrote: "Eckhart earns major props for scarily and movingly portraying the DA's transformation into the dreaded Harvey Two-Face."⁸⁰ Critic Eric Kohn of Premiere magazine also praised his performance, noting that "Eckhart's ... performance makes you believe in his ill-fated ambition ... of morphing into the conniving Two-Face."⁸¹

Eckhart next appeared in Alan Ball's Towelhead (2008), an adaption of the Alicia Erian novel of the same name, in which he played a Gulf War Army reservist who sexually abuses his 13-year-old Arab-American neighbor.⁸²⁸³⁸⁴ The film was screened under the name Nothing is Private at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.⁸⁵ When asked about the sex scenes, Eckhart said: "Those were difficult times .... The way I did it was to really trust Alan. It was in the words. I really trusted Summer [Bishil, who plays Jasira], and I tried to get her to trust me, to build a relationship when we were doing physical scenes. We'd really rehearse them mechanically, and I'd say, 'OK, I'm going to put my hand here, I'm going to do this.' ...I think I found it more difficult."⁸⁶ When he was first approached for the role, Eckhart noted that he did not want to play a "pedophile".⁸³

Eckhart's projects after 2008 include appearing alongside Jennifer Aniston in the romantic drama, Love Happens, as a motivational speaker coming to terms with his own grief.⁸⁷⁸⁸ He has signed on to star in Jonathan Liebesman's science fiction film, Battle: Los Angeles, where he will play the lead role.⁸⁹⁹⁰ The story centers around a Marine platoon, who battle alien invaders right in the middle of Los Angeles. Eckhart will play the platoon commander.⁸⁹⁹⁰ He is also set to appear alongside Johnny Depp, Richard Jenkins, and Amber Heard in Hunter S. Thompson's novel adaptation The Rum Diary, directed by Bruce Robinson.⁹¹⁹² In the film, Eckhart will play Sanderson, a wealthy landowner, who believes everything has a price and introduces Paul Kemp (Depp) to a different standard of living.⁹¹⁹² He has also agreed to star alongside Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole an adaption of David Lindsay-Abaire's 2005 drama of the same name.⁹³⁹⁴ For the future, among the actors Eckhart hopes to work with are Jeff Bridges and Angelina Jolie.⁹⁵

Personal life

Eckhart was engaged to actress Emily Cline, whom he met during filming of In the Company of Men, but separated from her in 1998.¹²⁴⁹ From 2006 to 2007, he was in a relationship with SheDaisy's Kristyn Osborn.⁴⁹ In 2007, he dated Ashley Wicks,⁸⁷ though the two have ended their relationship.² He has been reluctant in speaking about his relationships in interviews.²

In various interviews Eckhart has talked about his beliefs, his way of life, and his future career ambitions. Talking to Entertainment Weekly regarding his Mormon faith, he revealed: "I'm sure people think I'm a Mormon, but I don't know that I'm a Mormon anymore, you know? To be honest, to be perfectly clear, I'd be a hypocrite if I did say that I was, just because I haven't lived that lifestyle for so many years."⁹⁶ In other interviews he has divulged that, through hypnosis, he quit drinking, smoking, and partying,²⁹⁷ that in his spare time he enjoys photography,⁹⁸ and that he is a fan of the National Football League (NFL) team, the Oakland Raiders.³² In an interview with Parade magazine, Eckhart revealed that before he discovered acting he wanted to become a songwriter.⁷

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes and awards
1997	In the Company of Men	Chad	Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance Satellite Award for Outstanding New Talent
	Slaughter of the Innocents	Ken Reynolds
1998	Your Friends & Neighbors	Barry
	Thursday	Nick
1999	Molly	Buck McKay
	Any Given Sunday	Nick Crozier
2000	Erin Brockovich	George
	Nurse Betty	Del Sizemore
	Tumble	"Man"
2001	The Pledge	Stan Krolak
2002	Possession	Roland Michell
2003	The Core	Dr. Josh Keyes
	The Missing	Brake Baldwin
	Paycheck	James Rethrick
2004	Suspect Zero	Thomas Mackelway
	Vapor	Nathaniel Powers
2005	Neverwas	Zach Riley
2006	Conversations With Other Women	Man
	Thank You for Smoking	Nick Naylor	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male
	The Wicker Man	Truck Stop Patron
	The Black Dahlia	Sgt. Lee Blanchard
2007	No Reservations	Nick Palmer
	Towelhead	Mr. Vuoso
	Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience	(voice)
2008	Meet Bill	Bill
	The Dark Knight	Harvey Dent/Two-Face	Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble People's Choice Award for Favorite Cast Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Scream Award for Best Villain
2009	Love Happens	Burke Ryan	awaiting release
2010	The Rum Diary	Sanderson	filming
	Rabbit Hole	Howie Corbett	pre-production

References

Additional sources

• Mitchell, Peter. Dundee a talisman for Eckhart. The Age. May 1, 2003. Accessed December 15, 2008.
• Head, Steve. IGN interviews Aaron Eckhart. IGN. August 24, 2004. Accessed December 30, 2008.
• Roberts, Farin. BBC Movies - Aaron Eckhart interview. BBC Films. June 16, 2006. Accessed December 30, 2008. (Farin Roberts interviews Aaron Eckhart in discussion of Thank You for Smoking.) [Includes video clip.
• Fischer, Paul. Aaron Eckhart No Reservations Interview. Femail. Accessed December 30, 2008.
• Williams, Joe. Aaron Eckhart not your typical movie star. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 2, 2008. Accessed December 15, 2008.
• Berkshire, Geoff. 'Dark Knight' Q&A: Aaron Eckhart. Chicago Metromix. July 14, 2008. Accessed December 15, 2008.
• Blades, Nicole. Aaron Eckhart Interview. Women's Health. July 16, 2008. Accessed October 24, 2008.
• Mottram, James. Aaron Eckhart interview. Marie Claire. July 28, 2008. Accessed December 30, 2008.
• Fischer, Paul. Aaron Eckhart The Dark Knight Interview. Femail. Accessed December 30, 2008.
• Berk, Phillip. Man of the Hour. Filmink. September 16, 2008. Accessed October 3, 2008.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aaron Eckhart

• Aaron Eckhart at the Internet Movie Database
• Aaron Eckhart at Yahoo! Movies
• Brief Bio at via LDS Utah Film personalities
• 2006 Terri Gross radio interview

Preceded by Tommy Lee Jones

Actors to portray Harvey Dent/Two-Face 2008-Present

Succeeded by Current

Persondata
NAME	Eckhart, Aaron Edward
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Actor
DATE OF BIRTH	March 12, 1968
PLACE OF BIRTH	Cupertino, California
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH