Hayden Christensen

Hayden Christensen (born April 19, 1981) is a Canadian-American actor and producer. He began his career on Canadian television at the age of 13, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He was praised for his acting as Sam in Life as a House, which earned him nominations for both the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award. He was also nominated to the Saturn Award for Best Actor and earned the Cannes Film Festival Revelation Award for the Star Wars movies. He gained international fame for his portrayal of the young Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Christensen was additionally edited into the end of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Early life Christensen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia to Alie Nelson, an American speechwriter, and David Christensen, a Canadian computer programmer and communications executive. His father is of Danish descent and his mother has Swedish and Italian ancestry. Christensen is one of four children with an older brother, Tove, an older sister, Hejsa, and a younger sister, Kaylen. Christensen was raised in Thornhill, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. Christensen attended E.J. Sand Public School, Baythorn Public School and Unionville High School in Unionville, Ontario. He was an athlete in high school, playing hockey competitively and tennis on a provincial level. He spent summers on Long Island with his maternal grandmother, Rose Schwartz, and attended the Actors Studio in New York as well as the Arts York program for drama at Unionville High School. He was "discovered" when his older sister, a former trampoline champion, was searching for an agent after she landed a role in a Pringles commercial. Career Christensen made his acting debut in September 1993, when at the age of 12, he played a supporting role on the German-Canadian television series Macht Der Leidenschaft/Family Passions The following year he acquired a minor role in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness. From 1995 through 1999, he appeared in several films and television series, including Harrison Bergeron, Forever Knight, Goosebumps, The Virgin Suicides, and Are You Afraid of the Dark?. He acquired wider notice while starring in Fox Family Channel's television series Higher Ground in 2000, portraying a teen who was sexually molested by his stepmother, and then turned to drugs in his despair. Christensen's critically acclaimed portrayal of a misunderstood teenager in Life as a House (2001) earned him Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations as well as the National Board of Review's award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year. However, the performance did not receive widespread public notice. In 2002, Christensen made his London theatre debut with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anna Paquin in This Is Our Youth. He went on to receive good reviews for 2003's Shattered Glass, which tells the true story of journalist Stephen Glass, who was discovered to be fabricating stories as a writer for The New Republic and other publications. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "Hayden Christensen is sensational as Glass, finding the wonder boy and the weasel in a disturbed kid flying high on a fame he hasn't earned." In 2005, Christensen made his Broadway debut when he appeared briefly in a 10-minute play. In 2005, he took part in the fifth annual "24 Hour Plays" benefit, which raises cash for nonprofit groups in the Big Apple. Star Wars On May 12, 2000, Christensen announced that he would be starring as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). The casting director reviewed approximately 1,500 other candidates before director George Lucas selected Christensen. Lucas is quoted as saying that he chose Christensen because he "needed an actor who has that presence of the dark side" that was essential to solidify the story that Lucas was trying to tell: the tragic fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader. During the production of Revenge of the Sith, Christensen asked Lucas if a special Vader suit could be constructed to fit his own body, rather than have a different actor don one of the original sets of Vader armor worn by David Prowse. Lucas agreed, and a suit was engineered to fit Christensen's frame, even including extensions to allow for the actor to attain Vader's 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) height. His voice as the "robotic" Vader, however, was dubbed over by James Earl Jones, who first made it famous in the original trilogy. Stock footage of Christensen was used in the 2004 DVD release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, where he was inserted to replace Sebastian Shaw as the ghost of the redeemed Anakin Skywalker. This was one of the most controversial changes. Lucas wanted Anakin's inner person to return to who he was before he turned to the dark side. Christensen insisted this was done without his knowledge, an act that was confirmed by Lucasfilm itself in the featurette "Return of the Jedi: What has changed?" as seen on the official website to commemorate the 2006 DVDs. His performance in both Episodes II and III received mixed reviews by critics (earning him the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor in both films). However, the role made him a popular star among audiences. He was named in both People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People and Teen People's 25 Hottest Stars under 25. For his performance in Episode III, he won the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. Personal life In 2007, Christensen began dating actress Rachel Bilson, with whom he filmed the movie Jumper. They became engaged on December 25, 2008. In mid-2010, they broke up, but began dating again a few months later. On October 29, 2014, Bilson gave birth to their daughter Briar Rose. In 2007, Christensen bought a farm near Uxbridge, Ontario. He noted in 2008 that he had been renovating the property himself and devoting time to learning about "livestock, crops and agricultural machinery". In November 2013, Christensen collaborated with Canadian fashion chain RW&Co to release a men's clothing line inspired by his farm. Christensen is an avid Toronto Maple Leafs fan.