- published: 11 Sep 2013
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Jared Joseph Leto (/lɛtoʊ/) (born December 26, 1971) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director. After starting his career with television appearances in the early 1990s, Leto achieved recognition for his role as Jordan Catalano on the television series My So-Called Life (1994). He made his film debut in How to Make an American Quilt (1995) and received critical praise for his performance in Prefontaine (1997). Leto played supporting roles in The Thin Red Line (1998), Fight Club (1999) and American Psycho (2000), as well as the lead role in Urban Legend (1998), and earned critical acclaim after portraying heroin addict Harry Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream (2000). He later began focusing increasingly on his music career, returning to acting with Panic Room (2002), Alexander (2004), Lord of War (2005), Lonely Hearts (2006), Chapter 27 (2007), and Mr. Nobody (2009). He made his directorial debut in 2012 with the documentary film Artifact.
Leto's performance as a transgender woman in Dallas Buyers Club (2013) earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, among numerous other accolades. Leto is considered to be a method actor, known for his constant devotion to and research of his roles. He often remains completely in character for the duration of the shooting schedules of his films, even to the point of adversely affecting his health. He is also known to be selective about his film roles.
Diane Kruger (German pronunciation: [diˈa:nə ˈkru:ɡɐ]; born Diane Heidkrüger; 15 July 1976) is a German actress and former fashion model. She is known for roles such as Helen in the epic war film Troy (2004), Dr. Abigail Chase in the adventure/heist film National Treasure (2004) and its sequel (2007), Bridget von Hammersmark in the Quentin Tarantino-directed war film Inglourious Basterds (2009), Anna in the sci-fi drama Mr. Nobody (2009), and Gina in the psychological thriller film Unknown (2011). She plays the Seeker/Lacey in the romantic sci-fi thriller The Host (2013). From 2013 to 2014, she starred as Detective Sonya Cross in the FX television crime drama series The Bridge.
She was born as Diane Heidkrüger on 15 July 1976 in Algermissen, Germany, in the west near Hildesheim, the daughter of computer specialist Hans-Heinrich Heidkrüger, and his wife, Maria-Theresa, a bank employee. She was brought up Roman Catholic and attended Catholic school. She has stated that one of her grandmothers was Polish.