Emile Hirsch


Emile Davenport Hirsch is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Chris McCandless in Into the Wild. Other roles of his are in films such as The Girl Next Door, Lords of Dogtown, Speed Racer, Milk, Lone Survivor, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Early life

Hirsch is of German Jewish, English, and Scots-Irish ancestry; he was born in the Palms section of Los Angeles. His mother, Margaret Esther, is a visual artist, teacher, and pop-up books designer, and his father, David Milton Hirsch, is an entrepreneur, manager, and producer. He has an older sister, Jennifer, and was raised in Los Angeles and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lived with his mother for several years.

Career

Hirsch began acting on television roles in the late 1990s. He starred in the Showtime original film Wild Iris, with Laura Linney and Gena Rowlands. He made his film debut in Peter Care's The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and next acted with Kevin Kline in The Emperor's Club.
In 2004, Hirsch starred in The Girl Next Door. He starred with Jeff Daniels and Sigourney Weaver in the limited release Imaginary Heroes.
In 2005, Hirsch starred in Catherine Hardwicke's film Lords of Dogtown about a group of skaters in the 1970s and their role in the birth of skateboard culture. Hirsch played Jay Adams. He played a character based on a real-life drug dealer, Jesse James Hollywood, in Alpha Dog.
Hirsch played Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild. He lost 40 pounds for the role, which earned him a Screen Actors Guild nomination for best actor. Esquire said, " creates a vivid, unforgettable character you at once admire and pity."
Hirsch had the title role in Lilly and Lana Wachowski's Speed Racer, which was released on May 9, 2008 and was a box office bomb. Hirsch played gay-rights activist Cleve Jones in Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk. He also appeared in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock, based on a screenplay of the Elliot Tiber memoir Taking Woodstock. He then starred in the box-office disappointment Killer Joe.
In April 2011, he was cast in Oliver Stone's Savages, which was released in July 2012.
In 2012, Hirsch starred with Penélope Cruz in Venuto al Mondo, a film by Italian director Sergio Castellitto. In 2013, he was in Prince Avalanche, co-starring Paul Rudd.
Hirsch also starred in The Motel Life, co-starring Dakota Fanning and Stephen Dorff, directed by the Polsky brothers. In fall 2013, he starred with Holliday Grainger, Holly Hunter, and William Hurt in the miniseries Bonnie & Clyde.
Also in 2013, Hirsch co-starred in the film Lone Survivor, based on the memoir of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell.
On February 8, 2017, it was announced that Hirsch would star with Aubrey Plaza in the comedy An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn.
On May 25, 2018, Hirsch becomes the new voice for character James Lake Jr. in the Netflix original DreamWorks show Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia from Guillermo del Toro, replacing Anton Yelchin in its third season following his death in 2016. Hirsch is set to reprise his role in 3 Below and Wizards.

Music

On October 25th, 2019, Hirsch released his first album under Hirsch called Mnemonic. Two of its songs, Tooth Fairy and Angels Will, were selected to be on the New Alt playlist on Spotify. Kroq DJ Megan Holiday also picked Mnemonic as one of her favorite albums of the year. After Mnemonics release, Hirsch released singles "American Dreamin",' and on 2/14 will release new single "Casual Animal."
Hirsch has recently released five singles, "Remember Days When," and "Hard Hearts". He released Prisoners on 03/27/20 & "The Same Different" on 04/03/20, and then "Favors" on 05/08/20. Both "Prisoners" and "Favors" were both put on Spotify's New Noise Playlist. "Favors" was also put on multiple playlists on Deezer, including #3 placement on "Seleccíon Editorial Mexico y Central America," one of Deezer's biggest playlists worldwide, with 6.7 million followers.

Personal life

Emile Hirsch resides in Los Angeles.
In 2008, he travelled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo along with four young activists and kept a journal of his five-day trip. Reflecting on his trip, Hirsch said, "Now I look back at some of the earlier parts of this travelogue and almost chuckle at my naïveté. Maybe we can all come together to change the world."
On October 27, 2013, Hirsch's first child was born, a boy named Valor. The child's mother is a woman Hirsch dated; however, they are no longer in a relationship.

Assault conviction

On February 12, 2015, Hirsch was charged with aggravated assault after attacking and choking Paramount Pictures executive Daniele Bernfeld on January 25, 2015, at Tao Nightclub in Park City, Utah. On August 17, 2015, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to 15 days in jail. He was also fined $4,750, received 90 days of probation, and ordered to undergo 50 hours of community service. Hirsch entered a rehab facility following the assault.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2001Wild IrisLonnie Brevard
2002'Francis Doyle
2002'Sedgewick BellNominated – Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor
2003'Duncan Mudge
2004'Matthew KidmanNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss
2004Imaginary HeroesTim Travis
2005Lords of DogtownJay AdamsNominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout Movie Actor
2006Alpha DogJohnny Truelove
2007'Tony
2007Into the WildChris McCandlessNational Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Male Performance
Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor
Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Drama Movie Actor
2008Speed RacerSpeed RacerNominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Action Movie Actor
2008MilkCleve JonesBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2009Taking WoodstockBilly
2009'NarratorDocumentary
2011Killer JoeChris Smith
2011The Darkest HourSean
2012SavagesSpin
2012Venuto al mondo - Twice BornDiego
2012The Motel LifeFrank Flannigan
2013Prince AvalancheLance
2013Lone SurvivorDanny Dietz
2015Ten Thousand SaintsJohnny
2015Just JimDean
2016Vincent N RoxxyVincent
2016The Autopsy of Jane DoeAustin Tilden
2017All NighterMartin
2017I Am Heath LedgerHimselfDocumentary
2017The Chinese WidowJack
2018An Evening with Beverly Luff LinnShane Danger
2018The OutsiderPaulie Bowers
2018FreaksHenry Lewis
2019Never Grow OldPatrick Tate
2019Once Upon a Time in HollywoodJay Sebring
2019PeelPeel Munter
2020Force of NatureCardillo
2020The Comeback TrailJames MoorePost-production
2021LucaLucaVoice
in development
TBAMidnight in the SwitchgrassByron CrawfordFilming

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996'AbelEpisode: "Romeo and Juliet"
19973rd Rock from the SunPunkEpisode: "Scaredy Dick"
1997Early EditionLance FosterEpisode: "March in Time"
1998PlayersAdam PaprelliEpisode: "Con-Vivants"
1998GargantuaBrandon ElwayTelevision film
1998HoudiniYoung Harry HoudiniTelevision film
1999Two of a KindJeremyEpisode: "Let's Dance"
1999Sabrina, the Teenage WitchDarrylEpisode: "Sabrina, the Matchmaker"
1999Promised LandWalter ElliottEpisode: "A Day in the Life"
1999The PretenderBryce BanksEpisode: "End Game"
1999ProfilerBryce BanksEpisode: "Grand Master"
1999NYPD BlueMarcello ParisiEpisode: "Voir Dire This"
1999ERChad Kottmeier2 episodes
2001Wild IrisLonnie BravardTelevision film
2013Bonnie & ClydeClyde Barrow2 episodes
2018TrollhuntersJim Lake Jr. 11 episodes
2018–2019'Jim Lake Jr. 4 episodes
2020Robot ChickenNick Jonas, Ron Weasley Episode: "Petless M in: Cars Are Couches On The Road"

Video games