Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Gordon-Levitt in March 2012
Born | Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (1981-02-17) February 17, 1981 (age 32) Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1]
Education | Van Nuys High School Columbia University
Occupation | Actor, director Owner founder of hitRECord
Years active | 1988?present

Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt[1] (born February 17, 1981)[1] is an American actor and director 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 playing 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, and Premium Rush, and played a supporting role in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. He founded the online production company hitRECord, in 2004.

## Early life[edit]

Gordon-Levitt was born in Los Angeles, California,[1] and was raised in its Sherman Oaks neighborhood.[2] His family is Jewish, though "not strictly religious",[3] and his parents were among the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance.[4][5][6] His father, Dennis Levitt, was once the news director for the Pacifica Radio station, KPFK-FM.[7][8] 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.[7] 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.[7] Gordon-Levitt had an older brother, Dan, a photographer and fire spinner,[9] who was born in 1974 and died in October 2010.[10][11]

## Career[edit]

### Early acting work[edit]

Gordon-Levitt joined a musical theater group at the age of four and played the Scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz.[7] 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.[7]

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.[12] 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".[13] Gordon-Levitt was attending Van Nuys High School while acting on the show.[14] During the 1990s, he was frequently featured in teenage magazines, something he resented.[7] He has also said that during this time period, he did not enjoy being recognized in public, saying that he "hates celebrity".[13]

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.[15]

In 2000, he began attending Columbia University School of General Studies.[7][16] He studied history, literature, and French poetry.[7] He became an avid and self-confirmed Francophile and a French speaker.[7] He said that moving to New York City from his hometown "forced" him to grow as a person.[13] He dropped out in 2004 to concentrate on acting again.[7]

### Later acting work[edit]

Gordon-Levitt has said that he made a conscious decision to "be in good movies" after returning to acting.[16] 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."[16][17] Another reviewer described the performance as "astounding".[18] 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.[19]

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",[20] 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."[21] The San Francisco Chronicle specified that he "embodies, more than performs, a character's inner life."[13] 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.[16]

Gordon-Levitt at a promotional event for (500) Days of Summer in March 2009.

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.[19] His performance, described as "the real key" to what makes the film work, credits him with using "his usual spell in subtle gradations."[22] Variety's Todd McCarthy praised his performance, saying he "expressively alternates between enthusiasm and forlorn disappointment in the manner Jack Lemmon could".[23] 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."[24] He was subsequently nominated for a Golden Globe Award.[25]

He later played villain Cobra Commander in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.[26] On November 21, 2009, he hosted Saturday Night Live.[27] In 2010, he replaced James Franco[28] to star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Christopher Nolan's science fiction thriller Inception, which received favorable reviews.[19]

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.[29] 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-travel thriller Looper,[30] and the supporting role of Robert Todd Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's biopic Lincoln.[31]

### Directing and producing[edit]

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.[32] In 2010, he directed another short film, Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo.[33] It premiered at two houses during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.[33]

He was one of the many producers of the Broadway show Slava's Snowshow.[34]

## hitRECord[edit]

Gordon-Levitt has owned hitRECord, an online collaborative production company that shares its profits with contributing artists, since 2004.[35][36] At its onset, it hosted six videos and short films.[37]

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."[38] 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.[9]

RECollection, the first anthology of work from hitRECord, was released in 2011 as a book/CD/DVD package.[39][40] The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories Volume 1 was published and released December 6, 2011 by IT books and Volume 2 was released November 13, 2012.[39]

## Filmography[edit]

### Film[edit]

Year | Title | Role | Notes
--- | --- | --- | ---
1992 | Beethoven | Student No. 1 |
1992 | River Runs Through It, A A River Runs Through It | Young Norman |
1994 | Holy Matrimony | Zeke |
1994 | Roadflower | Rich Lerolland |
1994 | Angels in the Outfield | Roger Bomman |
1996 | Juror, The The 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, The The Lookout | Chris Pratt |
2008 | Stop-Loss | Tommy Burgess |
2008 | Miracle at St. Anna | Tim Boyle |
2008 | Brothers Bloom, The The 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 | Also executive producer
2012 | Lincoln | Robert Todd Lincoln |
2013 | Don Jon's Addiction | Don Jon | In post-production; also director writer

### Television[edit]

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, The The 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, The The 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, The The 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[edit]

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, The The Powers That Be | Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a New Television Series | Nominated
River Runs Through It, A A 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 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | 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 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated
Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actor | Won
1999 | 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,[41] | Nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor ? Motion Picture Musical or Comedy,[42] | Nominated
Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead,[43] | Nominated
People's Choice Award for Favorite Breakout Movie Actor,[44] | Won
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy[45] | Won
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Villain[45] | Nominated
2010 | Inception | Spike TV's Scream Award for Best Supporting Actor | Won
Spike TV's Scream Award for Fight Scene of the Year[46] | 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,[47] | 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,[42] | Nominated
MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance[48] | Nominated
Utah Film Critics Association Awards for Best Actor[49] | Won

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt" is his full name and Los Angeles, California, is his birthplace. California Birth Index, 1905?1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California.
2. ^ http://www.lamag.com/culture/lastory/story.aspx?ID=1771942
3. ^ Dovey, Rachel. "Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Hollywood's Boy Wonder Grows Up", Paste, 11 October 2010.
4. ^ Roderick, Kevin. "Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives shout out to KPFK", LA Observed, 29 September 2011.
5. ^ McCafferty, Dennis; Alan Carter, Lydia Strohl (2 April 1999). "Favorites of a Young Rock Star". USA Today, through Rome News-Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
6. ^ Elkin, Michael (May 22, 2003). "He has a Mania for Good Works". The Jewish Exponent. Retrieved April 28, 2010. ; got an artical also i will be majorly updating my website transcribed text
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lidz, Frank (March 25, 2007). "From Alien Boy to Growing Star in the Indie Universe". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
8. ^ Mueller, Matt (2008). "Hey Joe". Wonderland Magazine. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
9. ^ a b Gordinier, Jeff (August 2010). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Comes of Age". Details.
10. ^ Warner, Kara (October 6, 2010). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Brother Dead At 36". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
11. ^ Lang, Bret; Walker, Hunter (5 October 2010). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Brother, 'Burning Dan,' Dies". The Wrap. The Wrap News Inc. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
12. ^ Kirkland, Bruce (August 18, 2012). "Gordon-Levitt riding fast to fame". The Toronto Sun. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
13. ^ a b c d Chonin, Neva (March 25, 2007). "Look out: his star is rising". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
14. ^ Hirschberg, Lynn (September 16, 2007). "Kid Rock". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
15. ^ "Joseph Gordon-Levitt ? Treasure Planet Interview". BBC News. BBC Online. February 4, 2003. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
16. ^ a b c d Roberts, Sheila (March 24, 2007). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Interview, The Lookout". MoviesOnline. Archived from the original on March 29, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
17. ^ Fjerstad, Tatum (April 6, 2006). "This film's too cool for school?? in a good way". The Minnesota Daily. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
18. ^ Wright, Andrew (April 6, 2006). "On Screen". The Stranger: Seattle's Only Newspaper. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
19. ^ a b c "Joseph Gordon-Levitt". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster Inc. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
20. ^ Rea, Steven (March 25, 2007). "On Movies: 'Lookout' can't be called an overnight success". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
21. ^ Edelstein, David (March 25, 2007). "A Terrible Thing to Waste". New York Magazine. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
22. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (July 19, 2009). "(500) Days of Summer". Salon. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
23. ^ McCarthy, Todd (January 18, 2009). "500 Days of Summer". Variety. Missing or empty `|url=` (help); `|accessdate=` requires `|url=` (help)
24. ^ Travers, Peter (July 16, 2009). "(500) Days of Summer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 20, 2009. [dead link]
25. ^ "The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominations". Golden Globes.org.
26. ^ Brian Jacks (September 4, 2008). "'G.I. Joe' Movie Will Reveal 'Twisted' Cobra Commander; Mask And Menacing Voice Included". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
27. ^ Stanhope, Kate (October 31, 2009). "January Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Host SNL, along with Dave Matthews Band as the musical guest.". TV Guide. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
28. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 24, 2009). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt replaces James Franco in 'Inception'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner Inc. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
29. ^ "'The Dark Knight Rises': Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard's Parts Revealed". The Huffington Post. April 29, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
30. ^ Flemming, Mike (May 14, 2010). "CANNES: Bruce Willis Plays Mature Joseph Gordon-Levitt In Time Travel Pic 'Looper'". Deadline Hollywood. Mail.com Media Corporation. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
31. ^ Fischer, Russ (May 5, 2011). "Steven Spielberg?s ?Lincoln? Casts Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Many More". slashfilm.com. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
32. ^ "2009 Sundance Film Festival Announces Short Film Program". Sundance Film Festival. December 8, 2008.
33. ^ a b Bettinger, Brendan (August 9, 2010). "Watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum in the Short Film Morgan And Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo". Collider.com. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
34. ^ Cox, Gordon (December 12, 2008). "Ticket brokers try to catch a break". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
35. ^ "hitRECord in a nutshell".
36. ^ Stein, Joel (September 18, 2011). "Profiling Joseph Gordon-Levitt: The Crowd-Sourced Version". Time Magazine. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
37. ^ "Table of Contents". HitRecord.org. Archived from the original on January 5, 2008.
38. ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (March 8, 2007). "Life's not simple". Retrieved July 21, 2009.
39. ^ a b Sperling, Nicole (September 29, 2011). "'50/50's' Joseph Gordon-Levitt is hip to the creative process". L.A. Times. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
40. ^ "hitRECord RECollection: Volume 1". hitRECord. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
41. ^ "Detroit Film Critics Society Announces the Best of 2009 Nominations and Winners" (Press release). Detroit Film Critics Society. December 18, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
42. ^ a b "Nominations and Winners". Official Website of the Annual Golden Globe Awards. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
43. ^ "25th Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced" (Press release). Film Independent. December 1, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
44. ^ "2010 Nominees and Winners". Official Website of People's Choice Awards. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
45. ^ a b "First Wave of "Teen Choice 2010" Nominees Announced". The Futon Critic. June 14, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
46. ^ "Superstars, Sci-Fi and Superheroes Unite at Spike TV's 'SCREAM 2010'". PR Newswire. PR Newswire Association LLC. October 18, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
47. ^ MTV Movie Award Staff (2011-05-03). "'Eclipse,' 'Inception' Lead 2011 MTV Movie Awards Nominations". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
48. ^ MTV Movie Award Staff (2012-05-01). "2012 MTV Movie Awards Nominees: The Full List". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
49. ^ moviecitynews staff. "Utah Film Critics Association: 2011 Awards". Retrieved 2012-10-01.

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Persondata
Name | Gordon-Levitt, Joseph
Alternative names | Gordon-Levitt, Joseph Leonard
Short description | Actor
Date of birth | 1981-02-17
Place of birth | Los Angeles, U.S.
Date of death |
Place of death |