Aaron Eckhart
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
"We both like to explore the darker side of humanity. I have no interest in doing 'Touched By an Angel.' I like it when guys are down and out and fighting against life and they don't always make it."---Eckhart on his affinity with Neil LaBute, to the San Francisco Chronicle, August 16, 1998.
"I don't think it's impossible to have a relationship. I think it's complicated. I think we never reach our human potential to love. I think the need for sex overrides the capacity to love. I feel like as long as that happens, we're doomed. Love is what we should be after, instead of this physical gyration."---Eckhart to Cindy Pearlman of the Chicago Sun-Times, August 16, 1998.
Biography
A longtime actor in playwright Neil LaBute's stable, Aaron Eckhart first caught moviegoers' attention in his film debut as the unctuous businessman Chad in the black comedy "In the Company of Men" (1997). Previously, Eckhart had been struggling to find his way on television - both in series and in commercials - as well as on the big screen. After collaborating again with LaBute on "Your Friends and Neighbors" (1998), Eckhart branched out on his own, first landing a small part in "Any Given Sunday" (1999), then gaining wider recognition in the award-winning hit "Erin Brockovich" (2000). He continued to delve into richly varied characters under LaBute's direction, playing an insensitive thug in "Nurse Betty" (2000) before calmly shifting gears for a romantic lead in "Possession" (2002). Meanwhile, he captured the attention of top Hollywood talent, being cast by the likes of Sean Penn in "The Pledge" (2001) and Ron Howard in "The Missing" (2003), though he struggled to find that one defining role to propel him into his own. His opportunity finally arrived with a deviously enjoyable performance as an unapologetic spokesman for Big Tobacco in "Thank You For Smoking" (2005), which earned the talented actor the strongest praise of his career, leading to massive mainstream exposure with his portrayal of Batman's nemesis, Two Face, in "The Dark Knight" (2008). His appearance in the box office blockbuster was an accomplishment recognized by several critics, firmly placing Eckhart's name on the roster of contemporary A-list actors. Eckhart continued to work steadily, balancing acclaimed fare like the dark family drama "Rabbit Hole" (2010) and Clint Eastwood's aviation biopic "Sully" (2016) with crowd-pleasing work in hits including terrorist drama "Olympus Has Fallen" (2013) and its sequel "London Has Fallen" (2016).
Born Mar. 12, 1968 in Cupertino, CA, Eckhart was raised in a Mormon home. His father, James, was a computer executive and his mother, Mary, was an accomplished children's author and poet, giving Eckhart the foundation for his later creativity. When he was 13, his father's work moved the family to London, where the fish-out-of-water struggled to fit in. After discovering acting by way of playing Charlie Brown in a school production, Eckhart moved to Sydney, Australia for his senior year of high school, where he furthered development of his acting with more serious productions like "Waiting for Godot" at a small dramatic school. Starved for cash, he left the school before he could finish in order to take a job working at a mall movie theater. He eventually obtained his high school diploma via a correspondence course, then spent a couple of years living in France, Switzerland and Hawaii. Eckhart then made his way to Brigham Young University, where he joined the film program and met budding writer Neil LaBute, who cast the actor in several of his original plays, many of which had to be performed incognito because of the Mormon school's refusal to officially display the playwright's controversial work.
Once Eckhart left BYU with degree in hand, he moved to New York and began his acting career in earnest. Within days of landing his first agent, he was cast in a beer commercial. He then made his television debut as an extra on "Beverly Hills, 90210" (Fox, 1990-2000), which Eckhart quickly followed with a more substantial guest starring role on the short-lived adventure series "Crossroads" (ABC, 1992-93). Following a turn as Samson in the documentary reenactment series "Ancient Secrets of the Bible, Part II" (CBS, 1993), Eckhart landed parts in the television movie "Slaughter of the Innocents" (HBO, 1993) and the short-lived sitcom "Aliens in the Family" (ABC, 1995-96). Then five years after parting ways at BYU, Eckhart was approached by LaBute to star in a film adaptation of his stage play, "In the Company of Men" (1997). LaBute had raised $30,000 to make the film and immediately thought of Eckhart for the role of alpha-male Chad, a white-collar guy frustrated with women, who hatches a plan with his nebbish buddy, Howard (Matt Malloy), to woo a deaf office worker (Stacy Edwards), gain her affections, then unexpectedly dump her. But when she falls in love with Chad, both men amp up their psychological games with her, as well as with each other.
Neither Eckhart nor LaBute ever thought the ultra-low budget film would ever see the light of day. But a rousing victory at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival propelled the film into art house success and made a name for both actor and director. The following year, Eckhart joined forces again with LaBute for "Your Friends and Neighbors" (1998), a searing dark comedy of manners centered around three men (Eckhart, Ben Stiller and Jason Patrick) doing battle with three women (Catherine Keener, Amy Brenneman and Nastassja Kinski) over their dysfunctional relationships. After an appearance as an offensive coordinator in "Any Given Sunday" (1999), Oliver Stone's indictment of the corporate takeover of professional football, Eckhart landed a more conventional role in the heartwarming drama, "Molly" (1999), playing the brother of an autistic woman (Elizabeth Shue) released into his care after 26 years in an institution.
Eckhart gained his first wide exposure as the pony-tailed biker who eventually wins the heart of a rough-around-the-edges legal crusader (Julia Roberts) in "Erin Brockovich" (2000). Reuniting with LaBute, he delivered an amusing performance as a sleazy used car salesman who neglects his sweet-natured spouse (Renee Zellweger) in "Nurse Betty" (2000). Sean Penn then tapped Eckhart to play a young detective partnered with a grizzled veteran (Jack Nicholson) on the verge of retirement in "The Pledge" (2001), before the actor reunited a fourth time with LaBute for "Possession" (2002). In LaBute's first book-to-screen adaptation, he played an academic researcher attempting to reconstruct the relationship between two Victorian-era authors with a London-based expert (Gwyneth Paltrow), sparking a romance despite their apprehensions. Eckhart then portrayed a geophysicist who - along with Hilary Swank and Bruce Greenwood - tries to detonate a nuclear device in order to jumpstart the Earth's electromagnetic forces and save the world from destruction in the low-thrills sci-fi action flick, "The Core" (2003).
Having tasted some success in big features, Eckhart sought the right role to elevate him to A-list status. He was underutilized as Cate Blanchett's ranch hand-cum-lover in Ron Howard's Western "The Missing" (2003), then as Ben Affleck's mysterious employer in the action thriller, "Paycheck" (2003). After a recurring stint on the final episodes of "Frasier" (NBC, 1993-2004), Eckhart took center stage in the big screen thriller "Suspect Zero" (2004) as a disgraced FBI agent tracking a serial killer who murders other serial killers. He next starred in the independently made "Conversations with Other Women" (2006), playing an unnamed man whose encounter with a seeming stranger (Helena Bonham Carter) leads to a sexually-charged battle of wits, revealing a deep-rooted passion and a two decades-old love affair. Eckhart was gleefully provocative in "Thank You for Smoking" (2006), playing a lobbyist for Big Tobacco who spins and schemes his way through a maze of overzealous health advocates and opportunistic politicians while defending the rights of smokers. Eckhart's brash performance in Jason Reitman's satire earned big laughs at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, generating enough buzz for a good showing in its limited theatrical release.
After a cameo in LaBute's "The Wicker Man" (2006), Eckhart starred in "The Black Dahlia" (2006), Brian De Palma's take on James Ellroy's complicated and richly-textured noir thriller about two hard-edged cops (Eckhart and Josh Hartnett) who descend into obsession, corruption and sexual degeneracy as they investigate the brutal murder of would-be actress Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner). After a turn as a freewheeling chef working for a no-nonsense master (Catherine Zeta-Jones) with whom he falls in love in "No Reservations" (2007), Eckhart appeared in Alan Ball's directorial debut, "Towelhead" (2008), an adaptation of Alicia Erian's novel about a 13-year-old Arab-American girl coping with alienation, paternal oppression, and her own emerging sexuality while growing up in Texas during the first Gulf War. That same year, Eckhart joined Batman's rogues' gallery in director Christopher Nolan's genre-shaking superhero sequel, "The Dark Knight" (2008), as Gotham City D.A. Harvey Dent, who, after being horribly disfigured in a brutal attack, becomes the schizophrenic madman, Two Face.
In a departure from the grim violence of "The Dark Knight," Eckhart co-starred with Jennifer Aniston in the romantic drama "Love Happens" (2009), playing a motivational guru unsuccessfully coping with the recent loss of his beloved wife. Eckhart next returned to the theme of loss, although with a more somber tone, in the drama "Rabbit Hole" (2010), based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire, and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. For his role as a husband dealing with the aftermath of his son's death in a very different manner from that of his emotionally restrained wife (Nicole Kidman), Eckhart was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. Switching gears once again, Eckhart next appeared as a Marine platoon leader defending the City of Angels from an alien invasion in the blockbuster sci-fi adventure "Battle: Los Angeles" (2011). A supporting role opposite Johnny Depp in "The Rum Diary" (2012) was followed by a starring turn in the thriller "Erased" (2012), known as "The Expatriate" outside of its U.S. release. Eckhart starred as the president in the terrorist thriller "Olympus Has Fallen" (2014) opposite Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler, reprising his role in the sequel "London Has Fallen" (2016). In between, he starred as the Monster in the fantasy "I, Frankenstein" (2014) and co-starred opposite Finn Wittrock in inspirational sports biopic "My All American" (2015). Eckhart next co-starred as First Officer Jeff Skiles opposite Tom Hanks in "Sully" (2016), Clint Eastwood's film about the "Miracle on the Hudson" water landing performed by airline captain Chesley Sullenberger.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1991
Met future collaborator Neil LaBute while attending Brigham Young University
1992
Appeared as an extra on episode of "Beverly Hills, 90210" (Fox)
1992
Early TV acting credit, appearing on ABC series "Crossroads"
1992
Made TV movie debut in Showtime's "Double Jeopardy"
1993
Portrayed Samson in CBS special "Ancient Secrets of the Bible, Part II"
1996
Appeared on two episodes of ABC sitcom "Aliens in the Family"
1997
Feature film debut, "In the Company of Men"; first collaboration with director Neil LaBute
1998
Re-teamed with LaBute for "Your Friends and Neighbors"; gained 45 pounds to play an unhappily married man
1999
Played small part of an assistant coach in Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday"
2000
Cast opposite Renée Zellweger in "Nurse Betty"; third collaboration with director Neil LaBute
2000
Delivered a memorable turn as the biker who falls in love with the title character (Julia Roberts) in "Erin Brockovich"
2001
Teamed with Jack Nicholson in Sean Penn directed "The Pledge"
2002
Co-starred with Gwyneth Paltrow in "Possession," directed by Neil LaBute
2003
Co-starred with Uma Thurman and Ben Affleck in John Woo directed "Paycheck"
2003
Along with Hilary Swank, co-starred in science fiction thriller "The Core"
2004
Starred as FBI agent Thomas Mackelway in thriller "Suspect Zero"
2006
Portrayed detective Lee Blanchard in "The Black Dahlia," Brian De Palma's adaptation of James Ellroy's classic noir novel
2006
Portrayed the chief spokesman for the tobacco lobby in Jason Reitman's satirical comedy "Thank You for Smoking"
2007
Cast opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones in "No Reservations," the American remake of 2001 German feature "Mostly Martha"
2007
Portrayed a guy whose life isn't going according to plan in "Meet Bill"; also executive produced
2008
Landed major role in Christopher Nolan's Batman film series as District Attorney Harvey Dent in "The Dark Knight"
2009
Played a widowed self-help author alongside Jennifer Aniston in romantic drama "Love Happens"
2010
Co-starred with Nicole Kidman as a mourning couple in indie drama "Rabbit Hole"
2011
Acted opposite Johnny Depp in big screen adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel "The Rum Diary"
2013
Played the U.S. President in action thriller "Olympus Has Fallen"
2014
Starred in the action-fantasy film "I, Frankenstein"
2016
Co-starred in the action film "London Has Fallen"
2016
Starred alongside Tom Hanks in the biographical drama "Sully"
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"We both like to explore the darker side of humanity. I have no interest in doing 'Touched By an Angel.' I like it when guys are down and out and fighting against life and they don't always make it."---Eckhart on his affinity with Neil LaBute, to the San Francisco Chronicle, August 16, 1998.
"I don't think it's impossible to have a relationship. I think it's complicated. I think we never reach our human potential to love. I think the need for sex overrides the capacity to love. I feel like as long as that happens, we're doomed. Love is what we should be after, instead of this physical gyration."---Eckhart to Cindy Pearlman of the Chicago Sun-Times, August 16, 1998.
"I just want to do what it takes to embody a character in a way that is different from what I did last time. I mean, why play the same guy?"---Aaron Eckhart quoted in W, March 2000.
"I'm not good at auditioning. I'm not a good salesman."---Eckhart to Movieline, October 2000.
"My life right now is my dog and my job. I know that one day the rest will follow."---Eckhart to People, September 9, 2002.
