Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and producer. He first came to attention
in 1997 for his role as Michael Fitzgerald in the television series Cracker. He made
his feature film debut in 1998 in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, followed by teen roles
in films such as The Faculty and The Virgin Suicides. Hartnett has since gone on to further
fame for his roles in films such as Pearl Harbor, O, Black Hawk Down, 40 Days and 40
Nights, and 30 Days of Night.
Early life Hartnett was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota,
the son of Wendy Anne and Daniel Thomas Hartnett. He was raised by his father, a building manager,
and his stepmother, Molly, an artist. He has three younger half-siblings, through his father's
re-marriage: Jessica, Jake and Joe. His father is of half Irish and half German ancestry,
and his mother is of Swedish and Norwegian descent. Hartnett was raised Roman Catholic,
attending Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Grade School, where he played Adam Apple in an eighth
grade production of "Krazy Kamp". He later attended Cretin-Derham Hall High School before
switching to South High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from which he graduated in June
1996. Hartnett was active in sports as a child,
especially football, and did not entertain the thought of becoming a performer until
an injury left him unable to participate on the athletic playing field. A relative encouraged
him to audition for a stage production of Tom Sawyer at Youth Performance Company, and
to Hartnett's surprise, he won the part of Huckleberry Finn. He fell in love with acting
and went on to star in a slew of high school plays. He got his first job at a local video
store. He became a vegetarian at the age of 12 but ate meat during the shooting of The
Black Dahlia for his role as a boxer. Career
After finishing high school, a move to New York to attend the Conservatory of Theatre
Arts & Film at SUNY Purchase did not go as well as Hartnett had hoped for, and a year
later at age 19, he found himself in California. Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, he
caught an improbable break, landing a part in the short-lived but acclaimed drama Cracker,
on ABC. Although the series was cancelled after sixteen episodes, Hartnett had made
a name for himself. He then began to focus on feature film work.
In April 1997, Hartnett made his screen debut playing the role of Michael Fitzgerald on
the short-lived television series, Cracker. He performed in small plays and on national
television commercials before being cast in his first feature film, playing the son of
Jamie Lee Curtis' character in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. Released on August 5, 1998,
it performed well at the box office. Hartnett has since developed a successful
film career, having appeared in many Hollywood films, including The Faculty, Black Hawk Down,
Lucky Number Slevin and Pearl Harbor. He was originally scheduled to play the role of Tino
in Deuces Wild, but dropped out to star in Pearl Harbor. In 2002, he starred in O, an
adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello set in an American high school, as Hugo, the
film's version of Iago. In the early 2000s, Hartnett was approached several times to play
the role of Clark Kent/Superman in the upcoming film, but always turned it down, not wanting
to commit to a predicted ten-year role.
Hartnett was chosen as one of Teen People magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21" in
1999, Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars under 25", and one of People magazine's "50 Most
Beautiful People", both in 2002. He was also voted Bliss magazine's "3rd Sexiest Male",
and in 2003 PETA named him the Sexiest Vegetarian Alive, as chosen by voters.
One of Hartnett's next films was the 2006 drama-mystery The Black Dahlia, in which he
played a detective investigating the notorious real-life murder of actress Elizabeth Short.
Hartnett had been cast in the role five years before the film was produced, remaining committed
to appearing in the movie because he liked the subject matter.
Among his 2007 roles were Resurrecting the Champ, a drama also starring Samuel L. Jackson,
and the graphic novel-based 30 Days of Night, in which he played a small-town sheriff. Hartnett
described the second film as "supernatural, but kind of a western". He was going to play
trumpet player, Chet Baker, in the film The Prince of Cool, but did not agree with the
producer's ideas and left the project. In 2008, Hartnett played Charlie Babbit alongside
Adam Godley in the theatre adaptation of Barry Morrow's Academy Award-winning Rain Man at
the Apollo Theatre in London's West End. He starred in the new campaign of the Emporio
Armani fragrance, "Diamonds for Men", being featured in both print and TV ads for the
fragrance, thus becoming the first male celebrity to represent Giorgio Armani Beauty.
He has been featured on many magazine covers, such as Cosmogirl, Details, Entertainment
Weekly, Girlfriend, Seventeen, Vanity Fair, GQ and Vman, in addition to being in other
magazines like Vogue, ELLE, People, Glamour, Intouch and InStyle.
In 2009, Hartnett produced the video clip for the rapper Kid Cudi's song Pursuit of
Happiness. In 2013, Hartnett was a guest of honor on
Off Plus Camera 2013 Hartnett turned down the role of Superman.
"It just wasn't the kind of movie I wanted to do. I turned down other superhero roles
as well," he stated. Regarding fame, the actor said, "I know what it's like to be in that
whole world. I was up there for a couple of years, and it was uncomfortable. I think trying
to stay at the top is a shortcut to unhappiness." Hartnett also took a break from acting; he
noted, "I spent a bit of time really thinking about whether this was the right thing for
me." Activism
Hartnett has been involved in various causes. In 2007, he took time out from filming to
support the green lifestyle campaign of Global Cool.
In 2011, Hartnett became one of a handful of celebrities attached to USAID and Ad Council's
FWD campaign, an awareness initiative tied to that year's East Africa drought. He joined
Uma Thurman, Chanel Iman and Geena Davis in TV and internet ads to "forward the facts"
about the crisis. In 2012, Hartnett also joined Barack Obama
in his campaign in Minnesota, appearing at such events as the Minnesota Greater Together
Youth Summit before formally endorsing the President on the official campaign YouTube
channel. He along with Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak also appeared at the University of Minnesota's
McNamara Alumni Center for an Obama Q&A in April.
Partial Filmography Actor
Producer Other awards & nominations
2010 Won - Ischia International Arts Academy Acting
Award Ischia Global Film & Music Fest, Italy 2009
Won - Outstanding Environmentalist 21st Century Leaders Awards, Qatar
2007 Won - GQ Männer des Jahres GQ magazine, Germany
2002 Won - ShoWest Award Male Star of Tomorrow
ShoWest Convention, USA Further reading
Beresford, Bruce. Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants to Do This, and Other Lies from a Life
in the Screen Trade. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-7322-8439-8. Matthews, Emma. The Josh Hartnett Album. Plexus
Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85965-324-4. Lanum, Lorelei. Josh Hartnett, American Idol.
Touchstone. ISBN 978-0-7432-4273-8. References
External links Josh Hartnett at the Internet Movie Database