birth name	Jared Joseph Leto
birth date	December 26, 1971
birth place	Bossier City, Louisiana, U.S.
other names	Bartholomew Cubbins, Angakok Panipaq
occupation	Musician, composer, singer, songwriter, producer, actor, director, photographer
years active	1992–present
relatives	Shannon Leto (brother) }}

Jared Joseph Leto (born December 26, 1971) is an American actor, director, producer and musician. Leto has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing brooding heartthrob Jordan Catalano in the cult hit teenage drama ''My So-Called Life'' (1994), becoming a teen idol. He later made his film debut in the drama ''How to Make an American Quilt'' (1995) and received first notable critical praise for his performance in ''Prefontaine'' (1997). Leto obtained recognition for his subsequent work in supporting roles in ''The Thin Red Line'' (1998) and ''Girl, Interrupted'' (1999), as well as the leading role in the successful horror film ''Urban Legend'' (1998), and earned critical acclaim after portraying heroin addict Harry Goldfarb in Darren Aronofsky's ''Requiem for a Dream'' (2000). He has collaborated with director David Fincher in ''Fight Club'' (1999) and ''Panic Room'' (2002). Since the 2000s, Leto has been nominated for awards for his work in such films as ''American Psycho'' (2000), ''Highway'' (2002), ''Lord of War'' (2005), ''Lonely Hearts'' (2006), ''Chapter 27'' (2007), and ''Mr. Nobody'' (2009).

Aside from his film career, Leto is the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and main songwriter for the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. He formed the band in 1998 in Los Angeles, California, along with his older brother Shannon Leto. Signed with Immortal and Virgin, 30 Seconds to Mars released their self-titled debut album in 2002 to positive reviews. The band's follow-up album, ''A Beautiful Lie'' (2005), was a breakthrough success, going platinum in several countries. However their record label Virgin, filed a $30 million lawsuit against the Leto brothers accusing them as breaching their contract. The lawsuit was later annulled as the band decided to resign to Virgin, and ''This Is War'', the band's third album, arrived in December 2009 to critical praise. Leto has also directed several critically acclaimed band's music videos, including the MTV Video Music Award nominated "The Kill" (2006), "Kings and Queens" (2009), and "Hurricane" (2010).

Early life and education

Jared Joseph Leto was born December 26, 1971, in Bossier City, Louisiana. His parents divorced when he was a child, leaving him in the care of his mother, Constance. This separation led to a traveling life with young Jared moving with his family – mother Constance Leto, older brother Shannon Leto and grandfather – from his native Louisiana to different cities in Colorado, Virginia, Wyoming, and Haiti. "My mom's father was in the Air Force," Leto explained, "so moving around a lot was a normal way of life." His father remarried and died soon after. Leto has two younger half-brothers from his father's second marriage. Leto wanted to help his family and became a dishwasher at small snack-bar at 12, and he was a doorman at 16. Constance Leto always encouraged children’s craving for art. "I grew up in environment of actors, musicians, photographers, artists and different theatrical persons," he stated in an interview with ''Kerrang!''; "Through this atmosphere there were no any clear boundaries and straight lines. We were proclaiming a freedom of creation and self-expression." His first musical instrument was a broken-down piano and he grew up singing classic rock, from Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin.

After dropping out briefly in the 10th grade, Leto decided to return and focus on his education at the private Flint Hill School in Oakton, Virginia, but graduated from Emerson Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., in 1989. When he finished school, Leto enrolled at Philadelphia's University of the Arts and majored in painting. However, after developing an interest in acting, he transferred to New York City's School of Visual Arts, where he majored in filmmaking. While he was a student there, he wrote and starred in his own short film, ''Crying Joy''.

Acting career

1992–97: Early work

In 1992, Leto moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. Starring and writing his own film while in school, Leto got his first roles in such shows as ''Camp Wilder'' (1992) and ''Almost Home'' (1993) before he becoming a regular in the 1994 series ''My So-Called Life'' as the object of Claire Danes' affection, Jordan Catalano. In 1994, Leto also made his television film debut in ''Cool and the Crazy''. Gaining a reputation as a teen idol, Leto landed his first film role in the 1995 drama ''How to Make an American Quilt''. Leto later co-starred with Christina Ricci in ''The Last of the High Kings'' and appeared in ''Switchback''.

1997–99: Early critical success

Leto took his first leading role in 1997's ''Prefontaine'', a docudrama that chronicles the tragic life of Steve Prefontaine, an Olympic hopeful in long-distance running; he starred opposite Ed O'Neill in this acclaimed film. For this challenging role, the actor immersed himself in the athlete's life, meeting with members of the family and Prefontaine's friends. He bore a striking resemblance to the real Prefontaine, also adopting athlete's voice and upright running style. The transformation was so complete, that when the runner's sister, Linda, first saw him in character, she broke down and cried. Critical response praised Leto's acting; Peter Stack of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' wrote, "With hypnotic blue eyes and dirty blond hair, Leto captures the rock-star style Prefontaine affected, and he looks natural in fiery performances on the track, as well as off, where Pre affected a brash, confrontational style," while Lisa Alspector of the ''Chicago Reader'' felt that "As the driven competitor who learns to make hubris work for him, Jared Leto gives a complex performance that suggests a deep, intriguing interior to the character even as he maintains a convincing one-dimensional facade."

After landing the lead role of a British aristocratic in the 1998 drama ''Basil'', Leto starred in the teen horror hit ''Urband Legend'', one of the more successful exploitations of the teen horror genre. He plays a school journalist and love interest of Alicia Witt’s character. Together, they go up against a crazed killer that is recreating urban legend massacres. The film was a massive success commercially, though critics mostly disliked the film. Leto was then pleased to get a role in the World War II film ''The Thin Red Line'', as part of a cast including Sean Penn, Nick Nolte and Adrien Brody. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and was a moderate success at the box office. In 1999, he appeared as a gay high school teacher who attracts the attentions of Robert Downey, Jr. in James Toback's ''Black and White''. The same year, he co-starred with Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie in James Mangold's ''Girl, Interrupted'', a film that tells the story of mental patient Susanna Kaysen, and which was adapted from Kaysen's memoir of the same name. Leto was nominated for a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his performance, but lost to Michael Clarke Duncan for ''The Green Mile''. He was also seen in David Fincher's cult classic ''Fight Club'', a film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name. While Edward Norton and Brad Pitt were the lead roles, Leto took the supporting role of a bleached blond Angel Face that was beaten almost beyond recognition.

2000–06: Worldwide recognition

Leto played the supporting role of Paul Allen in Mary Harron's ''American Psycho'', a film based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel of the same name. He then starred as heroin addict Harry Goldfarb in Darren Aronofsky's ''Requiem for a Dream''. To prepare for his role in the film, Leto decided to live on the streets of New York City and refrain from having sex with his then fiancé, Cameron Diaz, for two months prior to shooting. He also starved himself for months, losing 28 pounds to realistically play his heroin addict character. After the shooting of the film, Leto moved to Portugal, shaved his head and lived in a monastery for several months to gain weight. He admits that playing the part of Harry Goldfarb was "sadomasochistic... the hardest thing I've done". The same year, Leto played Glen Walker, an up-and-coming country rocker, in Adam Collis' directorial debut ''Sunset Strip''. In 2001, he co-produced and had uncredited parts in ''Sol Goode''.

After the critical success of ''Requiem for a Dream'', Leto's next role was as the lead character in 2002's ''Highway''. Set in 1994, Leto is caught with a gangster's wife and flee to Seattle with his best friend Jake Gyllenhaal in the week preceding Kurt Cobain's suicide. He was nominated for a Video Premiere Award for his performance. In 2002, Leto worked again with director David Fincher in ''Panic Room'', playing a villain who terrorizes Jodie Foster. The film grossed over $30 million in its opening weekend in the United States, the best performance of a film Leto has appeared in to date. He was also in ''Phone Booth'', playing an actor in a theater production of ''Drockula''. He and Colin Farrell's character have a quick scene in an alley. The scene was deleted from the film, but restored when the film was aired on television.

After spending two years pursuing a career in music, Leto returned to film work in 2004 in the supporting role of Hephaestion in Oliver Stone's ''Alexander''. The film failed domestically, with Stone attributing its poor reception to disapproval of the depiction of Alexander's bisexuality, but it succeeded internationally, with revenue of $139 million outside the United States. The following year Leto portrayed Nicolas Cage’s younger brother Vitaly Orlov in the action-drama ''Lord of War''. The film was well-received by most critics and received a special mention for excellence in film making from the National Board of Review. In 2005, he was also in ''Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow'', a documentary on the life and work of writer Hubert Selby, Jr. Leto later starred in 2006's ''Lonely Hearts''. Playing Fernandez, he co-starred with Salma Hayek who played the role Martha. The film received mixed responses but Leto's performance was praised by many critics who wrote "it's worth seeing for Leto's performance alone."

2007–present: Recent roles and the future

Following ''Lonely Hearts'', Leto starred in Jarrett Schaefer's directorial debut ''Chapter 27'', which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. In the film, he plays Mark David Chapman, the murderer of John Lennon. Leto gained 67 pounds for the role. Gaining the weight, he said, was tougher than dieting himself into skeletal shape for his role as drug addict Harry Goldfarb in ''Requiem for a Dream''. The abruptness of Leto's weight gain gave him gout. He had to use a wheelchair due to the stress of the sudden increase in weight put on his body. After the shooting of the film, Leto quickly went on an liquid diet. He explained, "I've been fasting ever since. I've been doing this very strange, like, lemon and cayenne pepper and water fast. I didn't eat any food for 10 days straight; I think I lost 20 pounds that first 10 days." Losing the excess weight after ''Chapter 27'' proved a challenge. "It took about a year to get back to a place that felt semi-normal," he said; "I don't know if I'll ever be back to the place I was physically. I'd never do it again; it definitely gave me some problems." The film received mixed to negative reviews, and was generally considered a disappointment. Leto's performance, however, was well-received by critics; Joe Neumaier of the ''New York Daily News'' wrote "Jared Leto gives such a gripping portrayal it's equally hard to look away" and continued "Leto's drawling, blotchy, creepy performance sets it apart," while Rex Reed praised Leto saying "a galvanizing performance by an unrecognizable Jared Leto that can truly be called unforgettable."

During this period Leto focused increasingly on his band, turning down such films as Clint Eastwood's World War II film ''Flags of Our Fathers''. On having to say no to Eastwood, Leto explained: "That's a dream come true when Clint Eastwood asks you to be in his film. I was devastated that I couldn't be a part of the film. But I had commitments, a record I had worked on for a couple of years was coming out. It was a very, very important time. It was a make or break time. It was one of those decisions that you make where you can see two paths and I think I made the right decision for myself. I'd love to work with Clint Eastwood in the future, he's one of my heroes." He was also chosen by Joby Harold to play Clayton Beresford in 2007's ''Awake''. He later turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts with his band and was replaced by Hayden Christensen.

In 2009, Leto returned to acting with ''Mr. Nobody''. Leto's role as Nemo Nobody required him to play the character as far aged as 118. The film was mostly funded through European financiers, and was given limited release. ''Variety'''s Boyd Van Hoeij praised Leto, saying "The closest the film comes to having a gravitational center are in the scenes set in 2092. What makes them soar is not the imaginative staging of the future, but Leto's performance." Bruce Kirkland of Jam! described Leto's acting as "marvelously full-blooded, brain-spinning, tour-de-force performance." Leto was nominated for the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 66th Venice International Film Festival for his performance.

In 2011, Leto narrated ''TT3D: Closer to the Edge'', a documentary film about the TT, the world-famous annual motorcycle race that takes place on the Isle of Man. The film was well-received both critically and commercially. Grossing £1.14 million, it is the seventh biggest documentary hit of all time in the United Kingdom.

Music career

1998–2002: Early years

Leto told ''Lime'' magazine, "I’ve been creating music since when I was a child. It's an inseparable part of my life. There have always been lots of people around me who love music, even in my childhood. My brother began to play drums when he was only 5 years old." In 1998, Leto founded 30 Seconds to Mars along with his older brother Shannon Leto. The band's name, said Leto, "has little to do with space, the universe or anything like that. It is a name that works on several different levels. Most importantly, it is a good representation of our sound. It's a phrase that is lyrical, suggestive, cinematic, and filled with immediacy. It has some sense of otherness to it." In 1998, 30 Seconds to Mars signed a contract with Immortal and Virgin. In 2001, guitarists Kevin Drake and Solon Bixler and bassist Matt Wachter joined the band. When 30 Seconds to Mars first started, Jared refused to let his name be used to promote the band. He wrote the majority of their songs. Even before the album was released, Puddle of Mudd invited 30 Seconds to Mars to open a six-week tour for them in the spring of 2002. The band later embarked on a North American tour to support Incubus.

2002–04: Debut album and early success

30 Seconds to Mars released the self-titled debut album in 2002, produced by Bob Ezrin, Brian Virtue and the band itself. It received generally positive reviews, and was compared to Pink Floyd, Tool, and Brian Eno. The album debuted and peaked at number 107 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the Top Heatseekers. It produced two singles, "Capricorn (A Brand New Name)" and "Edge of the Earth", which reached the top ten on the UK Rock Chart. The former also became a Mainstream Rock top 40 hit and reached number one on the Heatseekers Songs. Over the years, the album has sold more than two million copies worldwide. In 2003, Solon Bixler left the band due to issues primarily related to touring and was replaced by Tomo Miličević. 30 Seconds to Mars toured extensively opening concerts for bands such as Our Lady Peace, Sevendust, and Chevelle, and took a slot on the 2003 Lollapalooza tour.

2005–08: ''A Beautiful Lie'' and mainstream success

It took three years to record ''A Beautiful Lie'', with the bandmates traveling to four different continents to work with Leto on his film sets. ''A Beautiful Lie'' differs notably from the band's self-titled debut album, both musically and lyrically. Whereas the eponymous concept album's lyrics focus on human struggle and astronomical themes, ''A Beautiful Lie'''s lyrics are more personal and the music introduces intense screaming vocals and synth effects. "On the first record I created a world, then hid behind it," Leto said. "With ''A Beautiful Lie'', it was time to take a more personal and less cerebral approach. Although this record is still full of conceptual elements and thematic ideas it is ultimately much more wrapped around the heart than the head. It's about brutal honesty, growth, change. It's an incredibly intimate look into a life that is in the crossroads. A raw emotional journey. A story of life, love, death, pain, joy, and passion. Of what it is to be human."

Released in 2005, ''A Beautiful Lie'' was the band's mainstream breakthrough. It has since been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has reached platinum and gold status in several countries, with a sales total of over 3.5 million. It was led by "Attack" which was the most added track on alternative radio in its first week, becoming a Modern Rock top 30 hit. 30 Seconds to Mars began their first headlining tour, ''Forever Night Never Day'', in March 2006. At the same time, the band released the album's second single, "The Kill", which enjoyed mainstream success; it set a record for the longest-running hit in the history of the Hot Modern Rock Tracks when it remained on the national airplay chart for more than 50 weeks, following its number three peak in 2006. Leto directed the music video for the single under the pseudonym of Bartholomew Cubbins, a recurring character in the Dr. Seuss universe. Inspired by themes of isolation and insanity present in the Stanley Kubrick's ''The Shining'', Leto said, "The idea of isolation, identity, and self discovery were all elements present in the song. I thought this light homage was a good starting point and it soon grew to include many more elements outside of Kubrick's original piece." Nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards, the band won the MTV2 Award. The music video garnered a lot of recognition, including two MTV Australia Awards and a Chainsaw Award. In October 2006, the band began their ''Welcome to the Universe Tour'', sponsored by MTV2 and were supported by Head Automatica, The Receiving End of Sirens, Cobra Starship, Rock Kills Kid, and several other bands including Street Drum Corps.

In 2006, Leto created the cover art for ''The 97X Green Room: Volume 2'', a compilation of live music in which appears 30 Seconds to Mars song "Was It a Dream?". Proceeds from the album's sales benefited The Nature Conservancy. "From Yesterday", the third single from ''A Beautiful Lie'', had major success, reaching number one on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks and becoming 30 Seconds to Mars second top 10 hit. The short film for the single, directed by Leto, is the first ever American music video shot in the People's Republic of China in its entirety. Leto said that the video was inspired by Bernardo Bertolucci's ''The Last Emperor'' as well as the work of the Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. He explained, "That and the passion and the history of the Chinese culture. I thought it would be the perfect setting to tell the story of 'From Yesterday,' and it ended up one of those really unique things that the song and the visual images kind of collided and made something completely new." The video was voted the greatest epic video of all time on Yahoo! Music Australia, and received awards and nominations from ''Kerrang!'', ''Rock Sound'', and ''Rock on Request''. In March 2007, Matt Wachter left the group to spend more time with his family and was replaced by Tim Kelleher, performing live only.

"A Beautiful Lie" was released as the album's fourth single in some territories, including Portugal, where it reached number eight on the chart. The music video for the song, directed by Leto under the pseudonym of Angakok Panipaq, was the first one ever to be shot 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Greenland. The video was filmed in an entirely environmentally friendly character. Proceeds from the video's sales benefited the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Shooting in Greenland was a dream come true and one of the most exciting adventures we've ever had as a band," Leto said. "Although incredibly challenging and at times it seemed just out of our reach, once we finally arrived the beauty and magnificence of the terrain, the wonderful culture of the people, and the amazing journey itself were all inspiring beyond belief. Almost everyone has heard of global warming by now but for the people of Greenland it is a real and tangible problem of today, not an issue of tomorrow. This journey changed our lives." The music video received a largely positive response, winning the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video and the MTV Asia Award for Favorite Video. In 2008, Leto also remixed "The Only One" for The Cure's extended play ''Hypnagogic States''.

2008–09: Virgin Records lawsuit

Despite their growing momentum, 30 Seconds to Mars soon found themselves at war with their label, Virgin Records. The band had attempted to sign with a new label after the ''A Beautiful Lie Tour'', prompting Virgin to file a lawsuit for $30 million, claiming that the band had failed to produce three of the five records they were obligated to deliver under their 1999 contract with the now-defunct Immortal Records. Leto responded to some of the claims in the suit stating, "under California law, where we live and signed our deal, one cannot be bound to a contract for more than seven years." 30 Seconds to Mars had been contracted for nine years, so the band decided to exercise their "legal right to terminate our old, out-of-date contract, which, according to the law is null and void."

After nearly a year of the lawsuit battle, the band announced on April 28, 2009, that the case had been settled. The suit was resolved following a defence based on a contract case involving actress Olivia de Havilland decades before. Leto explained, "The California Appeals Court ruled that no service contract in California is valid after seven years, and it became known as the De Havilland Law after she used it to get out of her contract with Warner Bros." 30 Seconds to Mars then decided to re-sign with EMI (the parent label of Virgin). Leto said the band had "resolved our differences with EMI" and the decision had been made because of "the willingness and enthusiasm by EMI to address our major concerns and issues, (and) the opportunity to return to work with a team so committed and passionate about 30 Seconds to Mars".

2009–present: ''This Is War'' and critical acclaim

Leto described the band's third album, ''This Is War'', as a concept album, saying it was created in an "intense two-year period, where it felt like the whole world was falling apart and massive changes were going on." In a bid to involve their fans for ''This Is War'', 30 Seconds to Mars held The Summit where they invited fans to provide backing vocals and percussion. At the first, in Los Angeles, people showed up from all over the world, so they repeated The Summit in eight countries and extended the event digitally. The band also invited fans to submit close-up shots of their faces in order to make 2,000 different individual covers for the album.

''This Is War'' was released in December 2009, produced by Flood, Steve Lillywhite and 30 Seconds to Mars. The album peaked at number one on the Tastemaker Albums, number two on the Alternative Albums and Digital Albums, number four on the Rock Albums, and number 18 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Its first two singles, "Kings and Queens" and "This Is War", peaked at number one on the Alternative Songs and reached number four on the Rock Songs. The short film for "Kings and Queens", called "The Ride," was directed by Leto and premiered at The Montalban Theater in Los Angeles on November 9, 2009. The music video features a Critical Mass Crank Mob movement and celebrates the community of riders on a night time journey from downtown L.A. to Santa Monica Pier, a fitting love letter to the city of Los Angeles. "It's a lyrical and slightly metaphorical surreal journey through the city of Angels, from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica Pier," Leto said. The video received four nominations at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in the categories of Best Art Direction, Best Direction, Best Rock Video, and Video of the Year, winning the Best Rock Video Award. The band shot the music video for "This Is War" with director Edouard Salier in 2010, but was released a year later, in April 2011. Leto told MTV News, "'This Is War' is the first video that I let someone else direct, and let's just say we won't be doing that again anytime soon."

The third single, "Closer to the Edge", reached number seven on the Alternative Songs, becoming the band's fifth Modern Rock top 10 hit. It holds the record for most weeks spent at the number one during 2010 on the UK Rock Chart when it remained at the top for eight consecutive weeks. The song's music video was directed by Leto and premiered on June 7, 2010, in New Zealand. The short film is a collage of tour footage, fan commentary and pictures of the band from their youth. It was shot in 89 cities in 27 different countries during the band's ''Into the Wild Tour''. The music video was received with highly positive reviews by critics and garnered awards and nominations from ''Rock Sound'', Fuse, and MTV.

}} In 2009, Kanye West announced that he and Leto recorded together a song named "Hurricane". However, West's vocal contribution to the song was ultimately removed because of legal issues surrounding the rights of each record company. The collaboration was later released on the deluxe edition of ''This Is War'' and became the album's fourth single in some territories. The music video for the single was directed by Leto and premiered on MTV on November 29, 2010. "Hurricane" is a psychologically thrilling meditation on sexually deviancy, and as Leto himself put it, "a meditation on the violence of sex, and the sex of violence." He described the concept saying, "It's a surrealistic nightmare dream-fantasy through the desolate empty streets of New York City at night. There's no people, there's no cars and you see the band as we encounter some fears and some fetishes, a series of challenges. It's a really ambitious, really cinematic short film." "Hurricane" was controversially received and was censored because of its elements of violence, nudity and sex. The short film was later released with a clean version that can air on television. Despite its censorship, "Hurricane" was praised by critics and was nominated for several awards, including the MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction. It was named the Most Epically Unforgettable Video of 2010 by MTV and won the O Music Award for Best NSFW Music Video.

Other projects

Television work

In 1998, Leto appeared and provided additional photography for "Alaska's Bush Pilots," an hour long episode of ''Wild Life Adventures'', a series hosted predominately by celebrity personalities. He also guest hosted "Posehn, Papa and Mars", an episode from the second series of ''Player$''. Leto is also featured in ''Hollywood High'', a documentary television film about the depiction of drug addiction in film. In 2006, he narrated the Andrew Goldberg's documentary ''The Armenian Genocide''. Leto hosted the 2008 MTV Asia Awards on August 2, 2008, at the Arena of Stars in Genting, Malaysia.

Leto has appeared in several television commercials: one for the U.S. market, a Levi's Jeans commercial that aired in 1993. Other commercial appearances came in television spots for Hugo Boss in 2011. Leto, who is the face of the campaign for the HUGO Just Different fragrance, was directed by Jonas Åkerlund.

Philanthropy

Leto attended the Amnesty International campaign to support human rights, marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As part of the campaign, he also made a short film. In October 2008, he attended the Carousel of Hope Gala to raise money for the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes. He supports the The Art of Elysium, which encourages working actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions. He donated an item to watchmaker Nixon to be made into a watch, the sale of which benefitted the MusiCares MAP Fund—a pool of resources set aside to address addiction and recovery needs of members of the music community.

In June 2008, Leto and his bandmates joined forces with Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity to work on a home being repaired and renovated through the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles Area's "A Brush With Kindness" programme. In advance of the build, the band organized an auction of "build slots" to give fans the opportunity to volunteer alongside them and their family and friends. In less than a week, six extra workers were enlisted and over $10,000 was raised to fund additional Habitat for Humanity projects. Leto also supported Habitat for Humanity Malaysia in Sentul in August 2008.

In April 2009, he attended An Evening of Women, an event that raises funds for legal, social, and cultural services of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. In October 2009, Leto raised money to the campaign against California Proposition 8, an initiative to overturn the state Supreme Court decision that had legalized same-sex marriage. Leto spoke out in support of LGBT rights group Freedom Action Inclusion Rights (FAIR). He took part in an online auction of celebrity-signed prints of Shepard Fairey's "Defend Equality Love Unites," a poster in support of gay marriage. Leto decided to make his poster different than the rest, by writing the words of the Proposition 8 ballot on it and then setting it on fire. He then placed the ashes in a jar, writing on it: "Here lies within, the remains of Proposition 8, may it rest in peace."

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Leto and his bandmates have employed eBay to raise $100,100 for Haitian relief. The charity auction included concert tickets, an exclusive backstage meet and greet, and dinner with the band. 30 Seconds to Mars has also supported the people of Haiti through the Echelon Project "House for Haiti" and the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief. Leto released a book of photographs taken during his trip to Haiti in 2011, in a bid to raise funds for the earthquake-ravaged country. He has connected with and helped various organizations since arriving in Haiti, including Sean Penn's J/P Haitian Relief Organization. Leto spent a year in the Caribbean country during his childhood, and he returned there in January 2011 to "reconnect" with his former home following the devastating tremor of January 2010.

An auction of exclusive personal items and memorabilia donated by 30 Seconds to Mars raised funds to help the Red Cross support people affected by the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

In the media

Leto was twice named one of ''People'' magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 1996 and 1997, and was listed among the "Teen Idols of the '90s". He appeared on ''People'''s "Hottest Bachelors" in 2006 and 2007, and "Best Chests" in 2009. Leto was nominated several times as one of the "Sexiest Vegetarians" by PETA. He won a Chainsaw Award for Price of Darkness in 2006. In 2011, he was nominated the NME Award for Hottest Man and TRL Award for Best Look.

Personal life

Relationships

Leto began dating Cameron Diaz in 1999 and the couple became engaged in 2000. In 2003, they ended their four-year relationship.

In July 2011, Leto began dating model and actress Katharina Damm. On July 18, he was spotted with Damm on the beach in Saint-Tropez.

Political convictions

Leto is vegan and a strict vegetarian. In 2008, he supported the Proposition 2 and attended the Yes! On Prop 2 benefit gala to stop animal cruelty held in Los Angeles, California. In July 2010, he supported WWF's Text For Tigers charity campaign to aid in saving wild tigers from extinction.

In October 2006, Leto and his bandmates began their ''Welcome to the Universe Tour'', which was "environmentally sound" according to an interview with then-bassist Matt Wachter. "Jared and Shannon put together this thing called Environmentour which is illustrating ways—alternatives—to kind of clean up some of the mess we leave behind. We fueled the bus with vegetable oil," he explained. In March 2011, Leto attended the Night of Generosity in Los Angeles, California. The event raised over $100,000 for Generosity Water, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the clean water crisis in developing countries.

The Leto-directed music video of "A Beautiful Lie" was the first one ever to be shot 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Greenland. Determined to offset the impact that filming would have on the environment, Leto and the band worked with the Natural Resources Defense Council to develop strategies that would minimize fuel consumption on the shoot and purchased North American Blend Green Tags (a renewable energy certificate product) from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. 30 Seconds to Mars also launched abeautifullie.org, which includes information about current environmental issues, ways to participate in environmental activities and more. In addition, people can make donations through the site to support the Natural Resources Defense Council.

In the 2008 presidential election, Leto supported Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. At the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, Leto and his bandmates wore Obama T-shirts, and he also asked the crowd to stand in honour of the Democratic senator.

Filmography

+ Actor
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1995	''How to Make an American Quilt''	Beck
1996	''''	Frankie Griffin	Also known as ''Summer Fling''
1997		Steve Prefontaine
1997		Lane Dixon
1998		Basil
1998		Paul Gardener
1998	''''	Second Lieutenant Whyte
1999		Casey
1999		Angel Face
1999		Tobias "Toby" Jacobs	Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2000		Paul Allen	Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor
2000	''Requiem for a Dream''	Harry Goldfarb
2000		Glen Walker
2001	''Sol Goode''	Rock Star Wannabe	Uncredited cameo
2002		Jack Hayes
2002	''Panic Room''	Junior
2002		Actor	Uncredited cameo
2004		Hephaestion
2005	''Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow''	Himself	Documentary film
2005	''Lord of War''	Vitaly Orlov	Nominated—National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor
2006			Austin Film Festival
2007	''[[Chapter 27''	Mark David Chapman	[[Zurich Film Festival
2009		Nemo Nobody	Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival Award for Best PerformanceSitges Film Festival Award for Best ActorNominated—Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Award for Best ActorNominated—Stockholm Film Festival Award for Best ActorNominated—Venice Film Festival – Volpi Cup for Best Actor
2011	''TT3D: Closer to the Edge''	Narrator	Documentary film

+ Director
! Year	! Title	Notes
2006	""	Music videoFuse Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Video Inspired by FilmKerrang! Readers Choice Award for Best VideoMTV Australia Video Music Award for Best Rock VideoMTV Australia Video Music Award for Video of the YearMTV Video Music Award – MTV2 AwardNominated—MTV Australia Video Music Award – Viewer's ChoiceNominated—MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock VideoNominated—Virgin Media Music Award for Best Video
2006	"From Yesterday"	Music videoRock on Request Award for Best VideoYahoo! Australia Music Award for Greatest Epic Video of All TimeNominated—Kerrang! Readers Choice Award for Best VideoNominated—Rock Sound Readers Choice Award for Best Video
2008	""	Music videoMTV Asia Award for Favorite VideoMTV Europe Music Award for Best VideoMTV Gold Video Plays AwardRock on Request Award for Best VideoNominated—Kerrang! Award for Best VideoNominated—Rock Sound Readers Choice Award for Best VideoNominated—TMF Award for Best International Video
2009		Music videoMTV Gold Video Plays AwardMTV Video Music Award for Best Rock VideoRock on Request Award for Best VideoRock Sound Readers Choice Award for Best VideoNominated—Fuse Award for Best VideoNominated—Kerrang! Award for Best VideoNominated—MTV Europe Music Award for Best VideoNominated—MTV Video Music Award for Best DirectionNominated—MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
2010	"Closer to the Edge"	Music videoCMA Wild and Young Award for Best International VideoMTV Gold Video Plays AwardNominated—Rock Sound Readers Choice Award for Best Video
2010		Music videoMTV Buzzworthy Award for Most Epically Unforgettable Video of the YearMTV Fan Music Award for Best Group VideoO Music Award for NSFW Music VideoNominated—Kerrang! Award for Best VideoNominated—MTV Video Music Award for Best CinematographyNominated—MTV Video Music Award for Best DirectionNominated—MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing
2011	''Artifact''	Post-production

+ Producer
! Year	! Title	Notes
2001	''Sol Goode''	Co-producer
2007	''Chapter 27''	Executive producer
2011	''Artifact''	Post-production

+ Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1992–1993	''Camp Wilder''	Dexter	2 episodes
1993		Rick Aiken	Episode: "The Fox and the Hound"
1994–1995	''My So-Called Life''	Jordan Catalano
1994	''Cool and the Crazy''	Michael	TV film
1998		Himself	Episode: "Alaska's Bush Pilots"
2003		Himself	Episode: "Posehn, Papa and Mars"
2003		Himself	Documentary film
2006	''''	Narrator	Documentary film

Discography

;30 Seconds to Mars studio albums

''30 Seconds to Mars'' (2002)

''A Beautiful Lie'' (2005)

''This Is War'' (2009)

References

External links

Category:1971 births Category:30 Seconds to Mars members Category:Actors from Louisiana Category:American activists Category:American environmentalists Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:American humanitarians Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American music video directors Category:American photographers Category:American record producers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American vegans Category:American vegetarians Category:American voice actors Category:English-language singers Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Louisiana Category:People from Bossier City, Louisiana Category:School of Visual Arts alumni Category:University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni

als:Jared Leto az:Cared Leto be-x-old:Джарэд Лета bg:Джаред Лето ca:Jared Leto cs:Jared Leto co:Jared Leto da:Jared Leto de:Jared Leto et:Jared Leto es:Jared Leto fa:جرد لتو fr:Jared Leto gl:Jared Leto hy:Ջարեդ Լետո hr:Jared Leto it:Jared Leto he:ג'ארד לטו la:Jared Leto lv:Džareds Leto lb:Jared Leto lt:Jared Leto hu:Jared Leto nah:Jared Leto nl:Jared Leto ja:ジャレッド・レト no:Jared Leto uz:Jared Leto pl:Jared Leto pt:Jared Leto ru:Лето, Джаред simple:Jared Leto sk:Jared Leto sr:Džared Leto sh:Jared Leto fi:Jared Leto sv:Jared Leto th:จาเรด เลโท tr:Jared Leto uk:Джаред Лето zh:杰瑞德·莱托

birth name	Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal
birth date	December 19, 1980
birth place	Los Angeles, California
occupation	Actor
years active	1991–present
parents	Stephen GyllenhaalNaomi Foner Gyllenhaal
relatives	Maggie Gyllenhaal (sister) }}

Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal ( ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age ten. He has appeared in diverse roles since his first lead role in 1999's ''October Sky'', followed by the 2001 indie cult hit ''Donnie Darko'', in which he played a psychologically troubled teen and onscreen brother to his real-life sister, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. In the 2004 science-fiction film ''The Day After Tomorrow'' he portrayed a student caught in a cataclysmic global cooling event, alongside Dennis Quaid as his father. He then played against type as a frustrated Marine in ''Jarhead'' (2005). The same year, he garnered critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor as Jack Twist in the film ''Brokeback Mountain'' opposite Heath Ledger.

Gyllenhaal has promoted various political and social causes. He has appeared in Rock the Vote advertising, campaigned for the Democratic Party in the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, promoted environmental causes, and campaigned on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Early life and education

Gyllenhaal was born in Los Angeles, the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and film producer and screenwriter Naomi Foner (née Achs). Maggie Gyllenhaal, his older sister and also an actress, appeared with Jake in the movie ''Donnie Darko''. Gyllenhaal's father was raised in the Swedenborgian religion and is a descendant of the Swedish noble Gyllenhaal family. His last native Swedish ancestor was his great-great-grandfather, Anders Leonard Gyllenhaal. Jake Gyllenhaal's mother is from a Jewish family from New York City, and Gyllenhaal has said that he considers himself "more Jewish than anything else." On his 13th birthday, Gyllenhaal performed a "barmitzvah-like act, without the typical trappings", volunteering at a homeless shelter, because his parents wanted to instill in him a sense of gratitude for his privileged lifestyle. His parents insisted that he have summer jobs to support himself, and he thus worked as a lifeguard and as a busboy at a restaurant operated by a family friend.

Acting career

Early career

During childhood, Gyllenhaal had regular exposure to filmmaking due to his family's deep ties to the industry. As an 11-year-old he made his acting debut as Billy Crystal's son in the 1991 comedy film ''City Slickers''. His parents did not allow him to appear in the 1992 film ''The Mighty Ducks'' because it would have required him leaving home for two months. In subsequent years, his parents allowed him to audition for parts, but regularly forbade him to take them if he were chosen. He was allowed to appear in his father's films several times. Gyllenhaal appeared in the 1993 film ''A Dangerous Woman'' (along with sister Maggie); in "Bop Gun" a 1994 episode of ''Homicide: Life on the Street''; and in the 1998 comedy ''Homegrown''. Along with their mother, Jake and Maggie appeared in two episodes of ''Molto Mario'', an Italian cooking show on the Food Network. Prior to his senior year in high school, the only other film not directed by his father in which Gyllenhaal was allowed to perform was the 1993 film ''Josh and S.A.M.'', a little-known children's adventure.

Gyllenhaal graduated from the Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles in 1998, then attended Columbia University, where his sister was a senior and from which his mother had graduated, to study Eastern religions and philosophy. Gyllenhaal dropped out after two years to concentrate on acting, but has expressed intentions to eventually finish his degree. Gyllenhaal's first lead role was in ''October Sky'', Joe Johnston's 1999 adaptation of the Homer Hickam autobiography ''Rocket Boys'', in which he portrayed a young man from West Virginia striving to win a science scholarship to avoid becoming a coal miner. The film earned $32 million and was described in the ''Sacramento News and Review'' as Gyllenhaal's "breakout performance."

From ''Donnie Darko'' to the London stage

''Donnie Darko'', Gyllenhaal's second major film, was not a box office success upon its initial 2001 release, but eventually became a cult favorite. The film, directed by Richard Kelly, is set in 1988 and stars Gyllenhaal as a troubled teenager who, after narrowly escaping death, experiences visions of a 6 foot (1.8 m) tall rabbit named Frank who tells him that the world is coming to an end. Gyllenhaal's performance was well-received by critics; Gary Mairs of Culture Vulture wrote that "Gyllenhaal manages the difficult trick of seeming both blandly normal and profoundly disturbed, often within the same scene."

After the critical success of ''Donnie Darko'', Gyllenhaal's next role was as Pilot Kelston in 2002's ''Highway'' alongside Jared Leto. His performance was described by one critic as "silly, cliched and straight to video." Gyllenhaal had more success starring opposite Jennifer Aniston in ''The Good Girl'', which premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival; he also starred in ''Lovely & Amazing'' with Catherine Keener. In both films he plays an unstable character who begins a reckless affair with an older woman. Gyllenhaal later described these as "teenager in transition" roles. Gyllenhaal later starred in the Touchstone Pictures romantic comedy ''Bubble Boy'', which was loosely based on the story of David Vetter. The film portrays the title character's adventures as he pursues the love of his life before she marries the wrong man. The film was panned by critics, with one calling it an "empty-headed, chaotic, utterly tasteless atrocity".

Following ''Bubble Boy'', Gyllenhaal starred opposite Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon and Ellen Pompeo in ''Moonlight Mile'', as a young man coping with the death of his fiancée and the grief of her parents. The story, which received mixed reviews, is loosely based on writer/director Brad Silberling's personal experiences following the murder of girlfriend Rebecca Schaeffer.

Gyllenhaal was almost cast as Spider-Man for ''Spider-Man 2'' due to director Sam Raimi's concerns about original ''Spider-Man'' star Tobey Maguire's health. Maguire recovered, however, and the sequel was shot without Gyllenhaal. Instead, Gyllenhaal starred in the blockbuster ''The Day After Tomorrow'' in 2004, co-starring Dennis Quaid as his father.

In his theatrical debut Gyllenhaal starred on the London stage in Kenneth Lonergan's revival of ''This is Our Youth''. Gyllenhaal said, "Every actor I look up to has done theatre work, so I knew I had to give it a try." The play, which had been a critical sensation on Broadway, ran for eight weeks in London's West End. Gyllenhaal received favorable critical reviews and an Evening Standard Theatre Award in the category "Outstanding Newcomer."

''Brokeback Mountain'' and subsequent roles

2005 was a prolific year for Gyllenhaal, who starred in the critically praised films ''Proof'', ''Jarhead'', and ''Brokeback Mountain''. In ''Proof'', featuring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins, Gyllenhaal played a graduate student in mathematics who tries to convince Paltrow's character to publish a revolutionary proof to a problem puzzling the mathematicians' community. In ''Jarhead'', Gyllenhaal played against his usual "sensitive yet disturbed" type by displaying an aggressive masculinity as a violent U.S. Marine during the first Gulf War. He also auditioned to be Batman for one of the biggest blockbusters ''Batman Begins'' and came close to getting the role but Christian Bale was ultimately chosen for it.

In ''Brokeback Mountain'', Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger play young men who meet as sheep herders and embark upon a sexual relationship that begins in the summer of 1963 and lasts for 20 years. The film was often referred to in the media with the shorthand phrase "the gay cowboy movie," though there was differing opinion on the sexual orientation of the characters. The film won the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival. The film went on to win four Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, and three Academy Awards. Gyllenhaal was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his performance, but lost to George Clooney for ''Syriana''. Gyllenhaal also won the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA for the same role and received a Best Supporting Actor nomination and Best Film Ensemble nomination from the Screen Actors Guild. Also for ''Brokeback Mountain'', he and Ledger won an MTV Movie Award for "Best Kiss" in 2006. Shortly after the 2006 Academy Awards, Gyllenhaal was invited to join the Academy in recognition of his acting career. Gyllenhaal was awarded the 2006 Young Artist Award for Artistic Excellence by The Americans for the Arts National Arts Awards for his role.

Gyllenhaal expressed mixed feelings about the experience of being directed by Ang Lee in ''Brokeback Mountain'', but generally had more praise than criticism for Lee's directing style. While complaining of the way Lee tended to disconnect with his actors once filming began, Gyllenhaal praised his encouraging direction of the actors and sensitive approach to the material. At the Directors Guild of America Awards on January 28, 2006, Gyllenhaal also praised Lee for "his humbleness and his respect for everyone around him."

When asked about his kissing scenes with Heath Ledger in ''Brokeback Mountain'', Gyllenhaal said, "As an actor, I think we need to embrace the times we feel most uncomfortable." When asked about the more intimate scenes with Ledger, Gyllenhaal likened them to "doing a sex scene with a woman I'm not particularly attracted to."}}

Gyllenhaal narrated the 2005 short animated film ''The Man Who Walked Between the Towers'', based on Mordicai Gerstein's book of the same name about Philippe Petit's famous stunt. In January 2007, as host of ''Saturday Night Live'', he put on a sparkly evening dress and sang "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from the musical ''Dreamgirls'' for his opening monologue, dedicating the song to his "unique fan base... the fans of ''Brokeback''."

In 2007, Gyllenhaal starred in David Fincher's ''Zodiac'', which was based on a true story. He played Robert Graysmith, a ''San Francisco Chronicle'' cartoonist and author of two books about the Zodiac serial killer. Gyllenhaal starred opposite Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, and Reese Witherspoon in the October 2007 release ''Rendition'', a Gavin Hood-directed political thriller about the U.S. policy of extraordinary rendition. In 2009, he appeared with Tobey Maguire in Jim Sheridan's remake of Susanne Bier's 2004 Danish language film ''Brothers''. The following year Gyllenhaal played the lead role in the movie adaptation of the video game ''Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'', produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and released by Disney on May 28, 2010.

His upcoming roles include the comedy ''Nailed'', which he filmed in South Carolina with Jessica Biel, and Doug Liman's as yet untitled film about the race for lunar colonization.

Personal life

Family and relationships

:''For more on Gyllenhaal's paternal ancestors, see Gyllenhaal family'' The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal's immediate family includes his sister, actress Maggie, who is married to actor Peter Sarsgaard, Gyllenhaal's co-star in ''Jarhead'' and ''Rendition''. In December 2006, Jake and his sister escaped a fire that destroyed Manka's, a famed lodge and restaurant in Inverness, California, at which they were vacationing. Gyllenhaal's niece, Ramona Sarsgaard, was born on October 3, 2006. Jamie Lee Curtis is Gyllenhaal's godmother, and he has repeatedly referred to his godfathers being a gay couple. Gyllenhaal himself is the godfather of Matilda Rose Ledger (born October 28, 2005), daughter of Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, both of whom co-starred with him in ''Brokeback Mountain''.

Gyllenhaal dated actress Kirsten Dunst for nearly two years starting in 2002. He later dated his ''Rendition'' co-star Reese Witherspoon from about 2007 to 2009.

Politics and other interests

Gyllenhaal is politically active. He shot a commercial for Rock the Vote, and along with his sister, visited the University of Southern California to encourage students to vote during the 2004 U.S. Election. He also campaigned for Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry. He has said, however, that "it frustrates me when actors talk politics; I'm political and I make choices in my movies that I think are political. I try and say things with what I do. Rightly or wrongly, young actors have all the power." In an interview for ''Rendition'', he remarked that "it's a sad time when actors are politicians and politicians are actors."

Raised in a family concerned with social issues, in 2003 Gyllenhaal participated in an advertising campaign by the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization his entire family strongly supports. Environmentally conscious, he recycles regularly, and said in an interview that he spends $400 a year to have trees planted in a Mozambique forest, partly to promote the Future Forests program. After filming ''The Day After Tomorrow'', he flew to the Arctic to promote awareness of climate change.

In his spare time, Gyllenhaal enjoys woodworking and cooking. He has said, "I am not a card-carrying Buddhist, but I do try to practice mindfulness" and it is his goal to meditate every day.

Gyllenhaal has signed on to help the TV fundraiser Stand Up To Cancer.

Media image

Internationally viewed as a sex symbol, Gyllenhaal was named one of ''People'' magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2006. He was also listed in ''People's'' "Hottest Bachelors of 2006". In response to mainstream press lists like these, thousands of gay and bisexual men were polled for the 2007 and 2008 "AfterElton.com Hot 100 List." Gyllenhaal was ranked at No.1 in both consecutive years. He was ranked at No.2 on the ''Gay Wired Magazine'' poll of male actors who have played gay characters in movies.

Filmography

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1991	''City Slickers''	Danny Robbins
1993	''Josh and S.A.M.''	Leon
1993	''''	Edward	as Jacob Gyllenhaal
1998		Jake/Blue Kahan
1999	''October Sky''
2001	''Donnie Darko''	Donald J. "Donnie" Darko
2001	''Bubble Boy''	Jimmy Livingston
2001	''Lovely & Amazing''	Jordan
2002		Pilot Kelson
2002		Joe Nast
2002	''''	Thomas 'Holden' Worther
2003		Himself	Cameo
2004	''''	Sam Hall
2005	''Brokeback Mountain''	Jack Twist
2005
2005		Harold 'Hal' Dobbs
2007		Robert Graysmith
2007		Douglas Freeman
2009		Tommy Cahill
2010
2010	''Love and Other Drugs''	Jamie Randall
2011	''Source Code''	Colter Stevens

Accolades

! Year	! Group	! Award	! Result	! Work
2002	Young Hollywood Awards	Breakthrough Performance – Male		''Donnie Darko''
2002	Independent Spirit Awards			''Donnie Darko''
2003				''Donnie Darko''
2003	DVD Exclusive Awards	DVD Premiere Award – Best Actor
2003	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Breakout Star – Male		''The Good Girl''
2005	National Board of Review			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	MTV Movie Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	MTV Movie Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Screen Actors Guild Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Screen Actors Guild Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006				''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	BAFTA Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Palm Springs International Film Festival	Achievement – Actor Award		''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Academy Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Satellite Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Satellite Awards
2006		Young Artist Award for Artistic Excellence
2008	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor – Drama
2010	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor – Fantasy
2010	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor – Drama
2010	Golden Globe Award			''Love and Other Drugs''

References

External links

Category:1980 births Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:American people of Swedish descent Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:California Democrats Category:Columbia University alumni Category:Jewish actors Category:Living people

ar:جيك جيلنهال bcl:Jake Gyllenhaal bg:Джейк Джиленхол ca:Jake Gyllenhaal cs:Jake Gyllenhaal co:Jake Gyllenhaal cy:Jake Gyllenhaal da:Jake Gyllenhaal de:Jake Gyllenhaal et:Jake Gyllenhaal el:Τζέικ Τζίλενχαλ es:Jake Gyllenhaal fa:جیک جیلنهال fr:Jake Gyllenhaal ga:Jake Gyllenhaal gv:Jake Gyllenhaal gl:Jake Gyllenhaal ko:제이크 질렌할 hy:Ջեյք Ջիլլենհոլ hr:Jake Gyllenhaal id:Jake Gyllenhaal it:Jake Gyllenhaal he:ג'ייק ג'ילנהול ka:ჯეიკ ჯილენჰოლი la:Iacobus Beniamin Gyllenhaal lv:Džeiks Džilenhāls hu:Jake Gyllenhaal mn:Жэйк Жилленхол nl:Jake Gyllenhaal ja:ジェイク・ジレンホール no:Jake Gyllenhaal pl:Jake Gyllenhaal pt:Jake Gyllenhaal ro:Jake Gyllenhaal ru:Джилленхол, Джейк sq:Jake Gyllenhaal simple:Jake Gyllenhaal sk:Jake Gyllenhaal sl:Jake Gyllenhaal sr:Џејк Џиленхол sh:Jake Gyllenhaal fi:Jake Gyllenhaal sv:Jake Gyllenhaal tl:Jake Gyllenhaal th:เจค จิลเลินฮาล tr:Jake Gyllenhaal uk:Джейк Джилленголл vi:Jake Gyllenhaal zh:杰克·吉林哈尔

name	Shannon Leto
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Shannon Leto
born	March 09, 1970Bossier City, Louisiana
instrument	Vocals, drums, percussion, samples, guitar
genre	Alternative rock
occupation	Musician, Photographer, Actor
associated acts	30 Seconds to Mars, The Wondergirls, CB7, Street Drum Corps
relatives	Jared Leto (brother) }}

Shannon Leto (born March 9, 1970) is an American drummer and an occasional actor. He is the older brother of musician and actor Jared Leto; both are part of the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars.

Career

Shannon Christopher Leto was born in Bossier City, Louisiana. He has been playing drums since 1975, and currently plays in the band 30 Seconds to Mars, whose singer is his younger brother Jared Leto. Some of Shannon's favorite drummers include John Bonham, Roger Taylor, Stewart Copeland, Keith Moon, Nick Mason, and Lars Ulrich, all of whom he notes as influencing his own playing style.

With the band, he practices six to seven hours a day. In an interview with ''Modern Drummer'' magazine in February 2006, he stated: "Rehearsing that much has helped to build up my stamina and make my playing more precise". He has also said that he doesn't like playing to tape or to a loop, and prefers the more organic way of doing things, experimenting with electronics the band creates on their own.

Bob Ezrin, who helped produce 30 Seconds to Mars's debut self-titled album, referred to Leto as "one of the most inventive drummers I've worked with. He isn't satisfied with simply adding a beat; his drum parts are an integral part of the orchestration of the record. He's also a great live drummer who is lots of fun to watch, with a presence and energy level that are mesmerizing".

Leto describes his band's music as having the grandiosity of Pink Floyd and the energy of The Sex Pistols. His other musical influences include The Cure, the first two albums from Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Who, early The Police, and Steely Dan. He appeared on a few episodes of ''My So-Called Life'' with his brother Jared before forming 30 Seconds to Mars in 1998 with the addition of bass player Matt Wachter and later joined by Tomo Miličević on guitar.

He also expresses interest in writing, Abstract art, progressive rock, self-interpretation, and practices photography.

For his drums he uses Sabian Cymbals, Vater Nude 5AN drum sticks, Remo drumheads, Sonor Drums, And DW hardware. His drums are decorated with RockenWraps Skin artwork that features photos of over 400 people of The Echelon.

He is also occasionally an actor; initially he appeared in some episodes of the series ''My So-Called Life'' with his brother Jared, and he played a small role in ''Prefontaine'' and ''Highway'', in which his brother starred.

Instrumentation

Drum kit: Sonor Custom (Maple/Birch)

14" x 7.5" Snare drum

8" Rototom

8" x 8" Tom

10" x 8" Tom

12" x 8" Tom

14" x 8" Tom

18" x 18" Floor Tom

16" x 18" Floor Tom

20" x 19" Bass drum

(auxiliary snare) 13" x 5" Snare drum

Electronic Drum Kit (Spread out amongst acoustic drum kit, Roland):

TD-12 V-Drum module

KD-7 kick trigger pad

8 PD-8 dual-trigger pads (3 spread out above rack toms, 5 on left)

Drumheads (Remo):

Coated Pinstripes (top) and Ambassadors (bottom) on all Toms, Coated Emperor X (top) and Ambassador (bottom) on snares, and Clear Powersonic on Bass Drum

Cymbal (Sabian):

14" AA Hi-Hats

10" AAX Splash

8" Chopper

8" AA China Splash

14" AAX Mini Chinese

19" AAX X-Plosion Crash

19" AAX X-Treme Chinese

20" AAX Stage Crash

21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride

Other:

TreeWorks Tre35 Chimes

Percussion mallet: Nude Vater 5A Nylon (length 16", diameter 0.57")

Hardware: Tama Iron Cobra II, DW 9000 Series Rack System

Pedals: Drum Workshop 9000

Discography

30 Seconds to Mars

2002 - ''30 Seconds to Mars''

2005 - ''A Beautiful Lie''

2009 - ''This Is War''

The Wondergirls

1999 - ''Drop That Baby''

1999 - ''Let's Go All The Way''

Filmography

1994

Year !! Title !! Other notes
	|	''My So-Called Life''	In the four episodes: ''Self-Esteem'', ''Strangers in the House'', ''Why Jordan Can't Read'', ''Father Figures'' his brother Jared Leto plays Jordan.
rowspan="2"	1997	Prefontaine (film)>Prefontaine''
''Way Out West (musicians)	Way Out West'' - ''Blue''	Videoclip
	2001	''Sol Goode''
	2002	Highway (2002 film)>Highway''

References

External links

30 Seconds to Mars official site

Category:1970 births Category:30 Seconds to Mars members Category:American actors Category:American rock drummers Category:Musicians from Louisiana Category:People from Bossier City, Louisiana Category:Living people

bg:Шанън Лето ca:Shannon Leto cs:Shannon Leto da:Shannon Leto de:Shannon Leto es:Shannon Leto fr:Shannon Leto gl:Shannon Leto it:Shannon Leto lv:Šenons Leto lt:Shannon Leto nah:Shannon Leto pl:Shannon Leto pt:Shannon Leto ru:Лето, Шеннон sk:Shannon Leto fi:Shannon Leto sv:Shannon Leto uk:Шеннон Лето

birth name	Selma Blair Beitner
birth date	June 23, 1972
birth place	Southfield, Michigan, U.S.
occupation	Actress
years active	1995–present
spouse	Ahmet Zappa (2004–2006) }}

Selma Blair (born June 23, 1972) is an American actress, who has worked in film, theatre and television. She has performed in feature films including ''Cruel Intentions'', ''Legally Blonde'', ''The Sweetest Thing'', ''Hellboy'', ''The Fog'', ''Purple Violets'' and ''Hellboy II: The Golden Army''. She also played the titular role of Kim in the US version of the TV series ''Kath & Kim''.

Early life

Blair was born Selma Blair Beitner in Southfield, Michigan, the daughter of Elliot and Judge Molly Ann Beitner. She has three older sisters, Katherine (a book publicist), Elizabeth, and Marie. Blair attended Hillel Day School, a Jewish day school in Farmington Hills, Cranbrook Kingswood in Bloomfield Hills, and Kalamazoo College, where she spent her freshman year (1990–91) and she did a play called "The Little Theater of the Green Goose" and studied photography.

After transferring from New York University, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan in 1994 with a BFA in photography, a Double major in Fine Arts & English and a BA in Psychology.

Later, Blair moved to New York city to pursue her photography career, where she took acting classes at The Stella Adler Conservatory and The Column Theatre and began an acting career.

Career

Early work

After training at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting, Blair was discovered by an agent, one week later, Blair received her membership card at the Actors' union, and she gave her first appearance in a television spots advertising for a theater in Virginia.

After this, Blair began acting in the mid-90s, and won her first professional role in 1995 in an episode of the children's television sitcom ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete''.

She won her first lead role in the fantasy TV series ''Amazon High'' with Karl Urban, which was cancelled after one episode and later was transmitted in the episode "Lifeblood" of the series ''Xena: Warrior Princess''. In 1996 she landed her first film role in ''The Broccoli Theory'', an unromantic comedy; later in 1997 Blair had her first starring movie role in the family drama ''No Laughing Matter'', as a pregnant teenager, subsequently she appeared in several independent movies like ''Debutante'' with Josh Hartnett, ''Girl'' opposite Dominique Swain, the suspense thriller ''Brown's Requiem'', based on the crime novel of the same name and ''Strong Island boys'', based on true events about a Long Island street gang.

Blair also appeared in My Friend Steve's 1998 music video for the song "Charmed", and the Placebo music video for "Every You Every Me".

Film career

With several auditions, film roles and guest roles in various television series, Blair starred in a mainstream movie with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe in the 1999 film ''Cruel Intentions''; Blair took the role of an innocent girl whose her classmates try to ruin her reputation, for her performance she was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for "Best Breakthrough Performance" and won for "Best Kiss" with Gellar.

From 1999-2000, Blair went on to star as Zoe Bean on ''Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane'', the first season follow the lives of four high school classmates and the second season was just called "Zoe" and follows Zoe a few years later as a college student studying psychology, for her role she was nominated for the Teen Choice Awards for TV – Breakout Performance category.

In 2000 Blair won a Young Hollywood Award in the Exciting new face—female Category and portrays a predatory and sexy seductress college girl in the teen comedy ''Down to you'' alongside Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Julia Stiles.

Her film career continued in the 21st Century with the comedy ''Legally Blonde'' opposite Reese Witherspoon, she played a snobby and preppy law student. Blair also starred in several independent dramas like ''Kill Me Later'' as a depressed girl fed up with her life, who attempts suicide, followed by the controversial ''Storytelling'', a drama set in 1985, Blair portrayed a college student, unsure of herself, who is forced to have a relationship with her teacher.

Blair later co-starred the indie film ''Highway'' featuring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jared Leto, a story set in 1994 that tells the road trip to Seattle for three friends wanting to leave their problems behind. The movie went straight to DVD in early 2002.

Soon after, Blair appeared in the comedy ''The Sweetest Thing'' alongside Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate, for which she was nominated again for an Teen Choice Award, this time for "Best Actress in a Comedy". She also appeared in a guest role on the hit TV series ''Friends''.

At the same time Selma Blair appeared on the cover of ''Rolling Stone'' on April 25, 2002.

In early 2003, Blair appeared in the romantic comedy ''A Guy Thing'' with Jason Lee where she rejoined Stiles. Later she appeared in several supporting roles like the television movie ''Coast to Coast'' with Judy Davis, the action film ''Dallas 362'' and the comedy-drama ''In Good Company''.

Blair followed these with one of her most recognized roles as depressed, pyrotechnic superhero Liz Sherman in the Guillermo Del Toro blockbuster ''Hellboy'', the film is based on the Mike Mignola's popular comic and co-starring Ron Perlman. Later she took the titular role in the TV series pilot ''DeMarco Affairs'' in a story about three sisters who run a wedding planning business located in Long Island.

In the fall 2004, Blair played the role of an adolescent exhibitionist in John Waters’ satirical sex comedy ''A Dirty Shame'', and she takes part on the social project ''The 1 Second Film'' as producer.

Selma Blair was included on the FHM 100 list Sexiest Women of 2004.

In 2005 she portrays a young Harvard-trained economist involved in an international oil scandal in the political thriller ''The Deal'' alongside Christian Slater, and appeared in a supporting role in the black comedy ''Pretty Persuasion'', Blair then starred in John Carpenter's ghost movie ''The Fog'', in which she did her own stunts. The movie debuted at number one in its opening weekend in the United States and Canada. She also stars in the short film '''', produced by George Clooney about an unusual medical condition.

Blair's next starring role was in the 2006 indie film ''The Night of the White Pants'' with Nick Stahl, later she appeared in a small role in the comedy-drama ''The Alibi''.

In 2007 Blair take the lead role in Edward Burns´ ''Purple Violets'', a romantic comedy, alongside Burns, Patrick Wilson and Debra Messing, which was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and being the first feature film to debut on the iTunes Store, She played a lonely writer who falls in love with her childhood sweetheart. She then appeared in the horror thriller ''WΔZ'' opposite Stellan Skarsgård, playing a medical student victim of sexual assault avenging her mother's murder. The film was well-received by critics. She also appeared in ''Feast of Love'' featuring Greg Kinnear and Morgan Freeman, playing a woman tired of being ignored in her marriage.

Blair was included in the list of People magazine's "World's Most Beautiful People 2007".

In 2008 she again played Liz Sherman in ''Hellboy II: The Golden Army'', in this sequel, her character was much more extensive and influential in the plot of the movie, for which she was nominated for the Scream Awards for Best Actress in a Fantasy Movie or TV Show, the film ranked First at the Box-office in the United States, Canada and many other countries.

Later she returns to indie film territory, and portrayed a drugged out abusive mother in Lori Petty's ''The Poker House'' opposite Jennifer Lawrence, which is based on true events and is set in 1976, the film received generally favorable reviews from critics. Blair also worked with Antonio Banderas and Meg Ryan in the adventure comedy ''My Mom's New Boyfriend'' where she played a young FBI detective.

Blair was included in Glamour's The 50 most glamorous women of 2008.

From 2008-2009, Blair accepted the titular role in the TV series ''Kath & Kim'', opposite Molly Shannon based on the Australian television series of the same name about a mother and daughter who are obsessed with celebrity culture, Blair plays Kim, a self-absorbed suburban young princess, who is forced to reassess her relationship with her mother. Blair also appeared with Rainn Wilson singing a Christmas carol (Baby, It's Cold Outside) for an extensive Christmas commercial campaign.

In 2009, she returned to the stage, and take the lead role as Kayleen in Rajiv Joseph's Gruesome Playground Injuries, which had its world premiere at Houston's Alley Theatre. The work talks about why people hurt themselves emotional and physically to win love and attention. The play was premiered with positive reviews in Texas.

Blair also appeared in a supporting role as a seductive teacher in the black comedy ''The Family Tree'' with Madeline Zima, which was officially released in U.S. theaters on August 26, 2011.

In 2010, Blair had the lead in the indie thriller ''Columbus Circle'', featuring Amy Smart, she portrayed a reclusive heiress who is brought face to face with her fears when a detective shows up to investigate a homicide. Selma Blair also appeared again in a music video, this time with Elijah Wood in Danko Jones´ spy story Full of Regret and she starred as a funny pregnant girl in three episodes of the on line television series ''Web Therapy'' starring Friends star Lisa Kudrow.

In the same year Blair appeared as a guest-judge in Heidi Klum's fashion reality show ''Project Runway''. Blair later starred the trailer shot for Jamie Foxx's drama project ''"Tommy's Little Girl"'', where she plays a psychologically traumatized orphan girl who will grow up to become an attorney by day, and a deadly killer by night.

Blair is responsible for lending her voice to a document of The Holocaust, "The Diary of Anne Frank" in Audiobook format, ''Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl: The Definitive Edition'', for which she was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children category.

In 2011 Blair appeared as guest-star in the episode "Blunderbuss" of the TV series ''Portlandia''. Blair has recently filmed the short film ''Animal Love'' which was premiered at the 2011 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, and also stars in the comedy-Short subject "The Break-In" directed by Jaime King for Atom Films entertainment.

Selma Blair's upcoming projects include the World War I drama "''Four Saints''" based on the novel "Angels in Flanders", where she play the lead role and portrays an heroic nurse, she also take the lead in the cross-cultural comedy-drama "''Different Kind Of Love''" with Richard Dreyfuss, recently the film won two awards for Best Comedy-Drama Screenplay and Best Special Mention screenplay at the Angel Film Awards in Monaco.

Blair also will star in the home invasion thriller "''Replicas''" where she portrays a mother trying to enjoy some quality time with her family when things go horribly wrong and she has agreed to appear in the upcoming independent drama "''Dark Horse''" with Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow, she plays a woman in arrested development in search of success, the film will have its world premiere at the 68th Venice Film Festival , Blair also will promote the film at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.

Personal life

Blair married Ahmet Zappa in January, 2004 at Carrie Fisher's mansion in Beverly Hills, California. She filed for divorce at the Los Angeles Superior Court on June, 2006, citing irreconcilable differences. In a statement to ''People'', a spokesperson for the couple said, "Selma and Ahmet have decided to divorce but love each other very much and will continue to be close friends”.

On January 14, 2011, Blair's representative announced that she is expecting her first child with her boyfriend, fashion designer Jason Bleick, according to People Magazine: "They couldn't be happier", "Her life right now is a dream come true".

On July 25, 2011, Selma Blair gave birth to a baby boy named 'Arthur Saint'. A representative for the actress tells People magazine that the little one weighed in at 7 lbs., 12 oz while delivered at a Los Angeles hospital.

Selma Blair is known to follow new style and fashion trends in addition to her radical hairstyle changes, and she is a frequent guest-star at New York Fashion Week and other fashion events.

Blair enjoys child and animal care and has practiced horseback riding since age 17; Wink, her dog since her beginnings in the acting industry, died in February 2011. She also collects black and white photographs and practices Ice skating.

Blair's charity work and causes include Marc Jacobs' Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign, H&M;'s Fashion Against AIDS 2011 Campaign, Staying Alive Foundation and Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Filmography

+Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1996	''''	Pretzel Cart
1996	''Brain Candy''	Girl at rock concert
1997	''Strong Island Boys''	Tara
1997	''Gone Again''	Ayla
1997	''Arresting Gena''	Drugged woman
1997	''Two in the Morning''	Shea
1997	''In & Out''	Cousin Linda
1997	''Scream 2''	Cici's Friend on Phone	Uncredited
1998		Jane
1998		Darcy
1998	''Can't Hardly Wait''	Girl Mike Hits On #1
1998	''Debutante''	Nan
1999	''Cruel Intentions''	Cecile Caldwell
2000	''Down to You''	Cyrus
2001	''Kill Me Later''	Shawn Holloway
2001		Vi
2001	''Legally Blonde''	Vivian Kensington
2002		Cassie
2002	''''	Jane Burns
2003	''''	Karen
2003	''Dallas 362''	Peg
2004		Liz Sherman
2004	''''	Caprice Stickles / Ursula Udders
2004		Kimberly
2005	''Pretty Persuasion''	Grace Anderson
2005	''''	Abbey Gallagher
2005	''''	Stevie Wayne
2005	''''	Alice	Short subject
2006	''''	Adelle
2006	''Chlorine''	Elise	''Suspended''
2006	''''	Beth Hagan
2007	''Purple Violets''	Patti Petalson
2007	''WΔZ''	Jean Lerner
2007	''''		''Suspended''
2007	''Feast of Love''	Kathryn Smith
2008	''My Mom's New Boyfriend''	Emily Lott
2008	''''	Sarah
2008	''Hellboy II: The Golden Army''	Liz Sherman
2009	''''	Ms. Delbo	''Released until 2011''
2010		Katt	Music video for Danko Jones
2010		Abigail
2011	''Animal Love''	Sorrel	''Short Subject''
2011	''Four Saints''	Dorothy Fielding	''Pre-production''
2011	''Different Kind Of Love''	Camilla	''In Production''
2011	''Dark Horse''	Miranda ('Vi')	''Post-production''
2011	''Replicas''	Mary	''Completed''

+Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1995	''''	Penelope Ghiruto	1 episode
1997	''Amazon High''	Cyane
1997	''Soldier of Fortune, Inc.''	Tish August	1 episode
1997	''No Laughing Matter''	Lauren Winslow	Television movie
1998	''Getting Personal''	Receptionist	Premiere Episode
1998		Carla Braver	1 episode
1999–2000	''Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane''	Zoe Bean	24 episodes
2000	''Xena: Warrior Princess''	Cyane	1 episode
2002	''Friends''	Wendy	Episode: "The One with Christmas in Tulsa"
2003		Stacey Pierce	Television movie
2004	''DeMarco Affairs''	Kate DeMarco
2006	''Hellboy: Sword of Storms''	Liz Sherman (Voice)	Television movie
2007	''Hellboy: Blood and Iron''	Liz Sherman (Voice)	Television movie
2008–2009		Kim	18 episodes
2010	''Project Runway''	Herself (guest judge)	1 episode
2010	''Web Therapy''	Tammy Hines	2 episodes
2011		Frannie Walker	1 episode
2011	''The Break-In''	Beverly	Web Comedy-Short

Awards and nominations

! Year	! Award	! Result	! Category	! Title of work
1999	Teen Choice Awards	Nominated	TV – Breakout Performance	''Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane''
2002	Teen Choice Awards	Nominated	Film – Choice Actress, Comedy	''''
2000	MTV Movie Awards	Nominated	Breakthrough Female Performance	''Cruel Intentions''
2000	MTV Movie Awards	Won	Best Kiss	''Cruel Intentions'' (Shared with Sarah Michelle Gellar)
2000	Young Hollywood Awards	Won	Exciting New Face – Female
2002	Young Hollywood Awards	Won	Next Generation
2003	DVD Exclusive Awards	Nominated	Best Actress	''Highway''
2011	Grammy Award	Nominated	Best Spoken Word Album – Children	''The Diary of Anne Frank''

References

External links

Selma Blair Producer Profile for The 1 Second Film

Blair in June 2008 issue of ''Men's Vogue''

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Michigan Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American television actors Category:Cranbrook Educational Community alumni Category:Jewish actors Category:Kalamazoo College alumni Category:New York University alumni Category:People from Southfield, Michigan Category:University of Michigan alumni

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