Aaron Eckhart Bio

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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.

Aaron Eckhart: 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. His brothers are James Lawrence Eckhart (born 1963) and Adam Eckhart (born 1966). 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.

In 1981, the Eckhart family moved to England where they resided in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, and where Eckhart attended American Community School, now known as ACS International Schools, where he was first introduced to acting, starting in a school production as Charlie Brown. 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. In the fall of his senior year, Eckhart left the school in order to take a job working at a mall movie theater. He eventually earned his diploma through an adult education course when he returned to the United States. This also allowed Eckhart time to enjoy a year surfing in Hawaii and the coastal waters of France. In 1988, Eckhart returned to the United States and enrolled as a film major at Brigham Young University (BYU). He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Aaron Eckhart: Career

Aaron Eckhart - Early work

Eckhart at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival

While at Brigham Young, Eckhart appeared in the Mormon-themed film Godly Sorrow. At this time he met director/writer Neil LaBute, who cast him in several of LaBute's original plays, the role marked Eckhart's professional theatrical debut. After graduating from BYU, Eckhart moved to New York City and took various occasional jobs, including bartending, bus driving, and construction work. His first television roles were in commercials; in 1994, he appeared as an extra on Beverly Hills, 90210. Eckhart 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. He played a frustrated white-collar worker who planned to woo a deaf office worker, gain her affections, then suddenly dump her. Eckhart's performance was well received by critics. Desson Howe of The Washington Post commented that Eckhart is the "movie's most malignant presence" and that he "is in chilling command as a sort of satanic prince in shirtsleeves". In the Company of Men was a critical success, winning Best First Film at the 63rd annual New York Film Critics Circle Award. Eckhart's performance won him the Independent Spirit Award in the category of Best Debut Performance. The film was ranked as one of "The 25 Most Dangerous Movies" by Premiere magazine.

The following year, Eckhart starred in another LaBute film, Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), as Barry, a sexually frustrated husband in a dysfunctional marriage. For the role, Eckhart was required to gain weight. In 1999, he played a football coach, an offensive coordinator in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday. 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.

Aaron Eckhart - Critical success

Eckhart first gained wide exposure in 2000 as George, a pony-tailed biker, in Steven Soderbergh's drama Erin Brockovich. The film was met with reasonable reviews, and was a box office success, earning $256 million worldwide. His performance was well received; Entertainment Weekly's film critic Owen Gleiberman, wrote: "Eckhart ... 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'." 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."

Eckhart filming Love Happens in 2008

Following the release of Erin Brockovich, he co-starred with Renée Zellweger in LaBute's Nurse Betty (2000). Eckhart next appeared in Sean Penn's The Pledge (2001), he played a young detective partnered with a veteran detective, played by Jack Nicholson. In 2002, he worked with LaBute in a film adaptation of the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Possession. 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. The film was critically and financially unsuccessful. Also in 2003, he appeared in The Missing, in which he played Cate Blanchett's lover, and in the action-thriller Paycheck opposite Ben Affleck. Paycheck, based on a short story by science fiction writer Phillip K. Dick, garnered generally negative reception. 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."

The following year, Eckhart guest starred in two episodes of NBC's comedy sitcom Frasier, where he played a boyfriend of Charlotte, Dr. Frasier Crane's love interest. He then starred in E. Elias Merhige's thriller Suspect Zero, a movie about an FBI agent who tracks down a killer who murders serial killers. The movie generated mostly negative reviews, 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." Suspect Zero was a box office disappointment. 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. For this performance, Eckhart received favorable critical reviews.

Aaron Eckhart - Worldwide recognition

Eckhart, attending an event in Barcelona, Spain in 2008

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." The film was screened at a special presentation at the 30th annual Toronto International Film Festival in 2005. It had a limited release in March 2006 and was released worldwide the following month. For his performance, Eckhart received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote, "Eckhart gives a standout, whip-smart performance, keeping his character likable even in his cynicism." 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."

In this same year, he starred with Helena Bonham Carter in Conversations with Other Women (2006). 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. He appeared in the 2006 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". The film premiered at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival. Reception for the movie was mixed, 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."

Internationally viewed as a sex symbol, he was named one of People magazines 100 Most Beautiful People in 2006. The following year, Eckhart was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 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. The film was met with mixed reviews and was unfavorably compared to the original film. 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. He gained 30 pounds and donned a fat suit for the role.

Eckhart signing autographs during promotion of The Dark Knight in 2008

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. 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. 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." The Dark Knight was a big financial and critical success, setting a new opening weekend box office record for North America. With revenue of $1 billion worldwide, it became the fourth highest grossing film of all time, and Eckhart's highest grossing film to the end of 2008. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, in review of the film, wrote: "Eckhart earns major props for scarily and movingly portraying the DA's transformation into the dreaded Harvey Two-Face." 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."

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. The film was screened under the name Nothing is Private at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. When he was first approached for the role, Eckhart noted that he did not want to play a "pedophile". 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], 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." The film was critically and financially unsuccessful.

Eckhart's projects after 2008 include appearing alongside Jennifer Aniston in the romantic drama, Love Happens, scheduled for release in September 2009, as a motivational speaker coming to terms with his own grief. He has signed on to star in Jonathan Liebesman's science fiction film, Battle: Los Angeles, where he will play the lead role. The story centers around a Marine platoon, who battle alien invaders right in the middle of Los Angeles. Eckhart will play the platoon commander. 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. 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. 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. For the future, among the actors Eckhart hopes to work with are Jeff Bridges and Angelina Jolie.

Aaron Eckhart: 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. From 2006 to 2007, he was in a relationship with SheDaisy's Kristyn Osborn. In 2007, he dated Ashley Wicks, though the two have ended their relationship. He has been reluctant in speaking about his relationships in interviews.

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." In other interviews he has divulged that, through hypnosis, he quit drinking, smoking, and partying, that in his spare time he enjoys photography, and that he is a fan of the National Football League (NFL) team, the Oakland Raiders. In an interview with Parade magazine, Eckhart revealed that before he discovered acting he wanted to become a songwriter.