Jack Osbourne
About
Biography
Biography
Born into rock royalty, Jack Osbourne grew up in front of America as one of reality television's first superstars. The son of Black Sabbath frontman and self-proclaimed "Prince of Darkness" Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, TV personality Sharon Osbourne, he came to prominence after starring with his family on MTV's reality series "The Osbournes" (2002-05). Widely touted as the first reality sitcom, "The Osbournes" followed heavy metal's First Family as they worked, played, and argued their way into the hearts of millions of viewers. Osbourne's frequent and intense blowups with his sister Kelly ignited the show's most dramatic episodes, but it was the hilarity and heart of their family dynamic that truly made "The Osbournes" a hit. His young life took a downward spiral following the show's end, from weight issues to a drug addiction that began when he was 13. With his family's support, Osbourne cleaned up his act and emerged a fit, outdoors enthusiast. He documented his passion for martial arts and extreme sports on his own reality series "Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie" (ITV, 2005- ). Several years after "The Osbournes" mania had settled down, Osbourne reinvented his career by working behind the camera, producing the 2010 documentary "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne." The candid film about his father helped leave behind any public memories of Osbourne's wild child past and established him as a respected auteur.
Jack Joseph Osbourne was born on Nov. 8, 1985 in London, England. His father was none other than Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary rocker and vocalist for heavy metal group Black Sabbath who famously bit heads off of winged creatures. Osbourne's mother Sharon managed Black Sabbath and later on, his father's solo career. He had two sisters, Aimee and Kelly. Osbourne was six when his family moved from the English countryside to Los Angeles. They returned to England a year later, but only to move back to Southern California and settle in the posh neighborhood of Beverly Hills. The constant moving did not disrupt Osbourne's childhood, although he had other issues to overcome at a young age. The future television personality was diagnosed with a form of dyslexia at eight, and then with Attention Deficit Disorder when he was 10. Osbourne initially studied at a Christian school in L.A., but transferred to a special needs school to help with his learning disabilities. Touring with his father as a child and growing up around the music industry sparked Osbourne's interest in show business. At 14, he was offered an internship at Virgin Records, where his mother managed the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. He later worked as a talent scout for Epic Records.
Osbourne spent most of his formative teen years in front of the cameras after his family signed on to star in their own MTV reality show. "The Osbournes" followed the wild and crazy exploits of the rock and roll brood, filmed mostly inside their Beverly Hills mansion. The series focused on the Osbournes' unique family dynamic, where the children (minus sister Aimee, who declined to appear on the show) had as much say on various situations as their parents. Patriarch Ozzy often puttered around the mansion and was surprisingly the least involved in heated family drama. The self-proclaimed "Prince of Darkness" was less of a household regulator than his business-minded wife Sharon, who acted as the family's mediator and voice of reason. Osbourne and his older sister Kelly provided the show with plenty of teen angst drama, from sibling rivalry-fueled arguments, to intense screaming matches filled with expletives. Yet at the show's core was the fact that the Osbournes was just like any other suburban family - just with a rock and roll edge. Ratings success of "The Osbournes" launched the entire family to superstardom - from appearing at every red carpet event, to resurrecting Ozzy's music career. Kelly pursued her own career in entertainment, releasing a couple of dance-pop albums and co-hosting the weekly series "Fashion Police" (E!, 2004- ), while mother Sharon went on to judge the reality competition series "America's Got Talent" (NBC, 2006- ) and to co-host the daytime chat fest "The Talk" (CBS, 2010- ).
Following the end of "The Osbournes," Osbourne tried his hand at acting. He made cameos in the films "Austin Power: Goldmember" (2002) and "New York Minute" (2004), as well as on the drama series "Dawson's Creek" (The WB, 1998-2003). Living in the epicenter of the Young Hollywood scene soon took its toll on the 17-year-old Osbourne, who became addicted to pain pills and the drug Oxycontin. He also revealed that he started drinking and taking drugs at the age of 13. Osbourne briefly quit all his habits in early 2003 before relapsing at his parent's Malibu home. With his parents by his side, he checked in to a rehabilitation facility shortly after and cleaned up his act. The heavy-set Osbourne, who battled weight issues all his life, then shed a staggering 50 pounds by attending a Muay Thai martial arts camp in Pattaya, Thailand and training to climb El Capitan in California's Yosemite National Park. His challenging ascent to the top of the imposing rock formation was filmed for the British reality series "Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie." Osbourne even bared his new, fit physique in a 2005 ad campaign for testicular cancer that appeared in Cosmopolitan magazine. The Osbourne family reunited in front of the cameras for the variety comedy program "Osbournes Reloaded" (Fox, 2009), which was cancelled after the first episode due to poor ratings, tasteless jokes, and lack of chemistry. Osbourne reinvented his career in 2010 when he produced "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne," a no-holds-barred documentary about his father. Osbourne's film explored his father's childhood in England, his meteoric rise to fame as the "Prince of Darkness," and his journey to sobriety. Sadly, just two weeks after his fiancée Lisa Stelly gave birth to daughter Pearl Clementine, Osbourne announced in June 2012 that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an incurable central nervous disease. Despite that physical drawback, Osbourne was cast in the 17th season of the long-running reality competition series "Dancing With The Stars" (ABC 2005- ), where his at times difficult struggle made him the show's underdog star. He and partner Cheryl Burke garnered a third-place finish behind "Glee" (Fox 2009- ) star Amber Riley and "High School Musical" (2006) breakout Corbin Bleu.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Misc. Crew (Special)
Life Events
1991
Appeared in his father's documentary "Ozzy Osbourne: Don't Blame Me"
1999
Interned at Virgin Records at 14
2002
Co-starred with his family on the hit MTV reality series "The Osbournes"
2002
Made recurring guest appearances on The WB teen drama "Dawson's Creek"
2003
TV acting debut on Fox's "That '70s Show"
2004
Feature acting debut opposite Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in "New York Minute"
2005
Starred on the British reality adventure series "Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie" (ITV)
2009
Reunited with his family on the short-lived Fox comedy variety show "Osbournes Reloaded"; also executive produced
2011
Produced the no-holds-barred documentary about his rock star father "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne"
