Paul Walker

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Paul Walker
Walker (right) with Alex Neuberger in Running Scared
Birth name	Paul William Walker IV
Born	September 12, 1973 (age 33) Glendale, California
Notable roles	Brian O'Conner in The Fast and the Furious

Paul William Walker IV (born September 12, 1973) is an American actor and former male fashion model.

1 Biography
2 Selected filmography
3 Interviews
4 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Paul Walker was born in Glendale, California to Paul William Walker III (a retired sewer contractor) and Cheryl Crabtree (a former fashion model); his paternal grandfather, William Walker (aka. "Irish" Billy Walker), was a Pearl Harbor survivor and a Navy middleweight boxing champion, while his maternal grandfather commanded a tank Battalion that invaded Italy under General Patton during World War II [1]. He has two younger brothers, Caleb and Cody, and a younger sister, Ashlie.

Walker was raised a Latter Day Saint in a conservative Mormon household. He grew up in Glendale, California . He attended Alfred Nobel School and later Village Christian High School, graduating in 1991. During his late teen years he was briefly involved in a felony, although the charge has been reduced and he has no criminal record [2]. He attended several community colleges and studied marine biology.

[edit] Career

Walker began modeling in the late 1980s. He began his acting career with appearances in several low-budget B movies, including Monster in the Closet (1987) and Tammy and the T-Rex (1994). He also had a brief stint on the soap opera The Young and the Restless in 1993. In 1998, he starred in his first widely released film, the critically-derided Meet the Deedles as well as the well-received Pleasantville, playing a high school basketball player opposite Reese Witherspoon. Between 1999 and 2001, Walker appeared in a few notable films aimed at a teenage audience, including She's All That and Varsity Blues.

His breakthrough came in 2001, when he starred opposite Vin Diesel in the highly successful action film The Fast and the Furious, which established Walker as a notable film star and leading man. Consequently, Walker played the lead role in a number of action-adventure films, the most financially successful of which was 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003). His other 2001 film, Joy Ride, received very positive reviews by critics. Walker was also originally set to star in the film S.W.A.T. (2003), but left the project and was replaced by Colin Farrell.

In 2002, he was chosen by People Magazine as one of the "50 most beautiful people in the world". He admitted that he was not so beautiful, and shouldn't have received the award.

In February 2006, Walker starred in two films; Running Scared, an action thriller, and Eight Below, an adventure set in Antarctica. Eight Below, a family-friendly Disney film, opened in first place at the box office, grossing over $24 million during its first four days.[3] The film received positive reviews and was considered a success for Walker, whose most recent films, including Timeline and Into the Blue, were financial and critical failures. Walker filmed Running Scared in 2004, wanting to participate in a darker-edged film; the film's director, Wayne Kramer, has commented that the film's character is closer to Walker's own personality than any of his previous roles [4]. In fall 2006, Walker appeared in Flags of our Fathers, a war movie directed by Clint Eastwood.

[edit] Personal life

Walker resides in Santa Barbara and Huntington Beach, California, where he is currently single and enjoys surfing. He has a daughter, Meadow Rain (born January 28, 1999) from a former girlfriend; she lives with her mother in Hawaii. One of his close friends is actor Scott Caan, who appeared alongside Walker in several films, including Varsity Blues and Into the Blue. He also formed a close friendship with Tyrese Gibson during the filming of 2 Fast 2 Furious.

He also enjoys travelling, having visited India, Fiji, and Costa Rica among others. Paul Walker was also recently spotted in Hawaii with singer/song-writer Jack Johnson surfing on the North Shore in December of 2006.

Walker owns a Beagle, a Chesapeake Bay puppy named Roxy and a horse named Cowboy.

[edit] Selected filmography

Walker (right) with Vin Diesel in The Fast and the Furious, 2001

Year	Title	Role
2009	Captain America	Steve Rodgers/Captain America (rumored)
2006	Flags of Our Fathers	Hank Hansen
	The Death and Life of Bobby Z	Tim Kearney
	Running Scared	Joey Gazelle
	Eight Below	Gerry Shepherd
2005	Into the Blue	Jared
2003	Timeline	Chris Johnston
2003	2 Fast 2 Furious	Brian O'Conner
2001	Joy Ride	Lewis Thomas
2001	The Fast and the Furious	Brian O'Conner
2000	The Skulls	Caleb Mandrake
1999	She's All That	Dean Sampson
1999	Varsity Blues	Lance Harbor
1998	Pleasantville	Skip Martin
1998	Meet the Deedles	Phil Deedle
1994	Tammy and the T-Rex	Michael aka Teenage T-Rex