Joel Edgerton

Joel Edgerton
Edgerton at the premiere of The Great Gatsby, Sydney, May 2013
Born	(1974-06-23) 23 June 1974 Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Education	The Hills Grammar School
Alma mater	University of Western Sydney
Occupation	Actor, film producer, screenwriter
Years active	1995–present
Relatives	Nash Edgerton (brother)

Joel Edgerton (born 23 June 1974)^[1] is an Australian actor best known for his roles in 2000s and 2010s films like Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), Kinky Boots (2005), Animal Kingdom (2010), The Thing (2011), Warrior (2011), The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and The Great Gatsby (2013).

Early life

Edgerton was born in Blacktown, Sydney. Edgerton graduated from The Hills Grammar School in 1991. He attended the Nepean Drama School at the University of Western Sydney,^[2] before moving on to various stage productions, most notably at Sydney Theatre Company.

Career

Edgerton has appeared in such films as Erskineville Kings, King Arthur, Ned Kelly, and, most notably, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, portraying a young Owen Lars, stepbrother of Anakin Skywalker and uncle to Luke Skywalker. Edgerton's brother Nash was the stunt double for Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.^[3] He is known for playing the role of Will on the series The Secret Life of Us for which he was nominated for an AACTA Award.

In 2005, he lent his voice to the title character of The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, an Academy Award-nominated animated short film. The same year, Edgerton appeared in the British comedy Kinky Boots, in a lead role alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, as the son of a deceased shoe maker who must find a niche market in the 21st century. He also had a significant role in the 2006 American film Smokin' Aces.

Edgerton was seen in the film Whisper with Josh Holloway in 2007;^[4] The Square, which he co-wrote and was directed by his brother Nash; Acolytes, an Australian film about teenagers who get revenge on a serial killer; and Separation City, a comedy-drama which follows the collapse of two marriages.^[5] In 2009, he starred alongside Cate Blanchett as Stanley in the Sydney Theatre Company's acclaimed production of A Streetcar Named Desire.^[6] Edgerton and Blanchett also appeared in a production of this play at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in December 2009.^[7]

Edgerton had a major role in the MMA movie Warrior, which received a 2011 release through Lions Gate Entertainment.^[8] Edgerton played the son of Nick Nolte's character and older brother of Tom Hardy's character.^[9]

On 7 February 2010, he was cast in Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.'s 2011 prequel to The Thing,^[10] portraying helicopter pilot Sam Carter.^[11] Edgerton played Tom Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann's 2013 remake of The Great Gatsby.

Edgerton was honoured, along with David Michôd and Teresa Palmer, for their work in international roles with the coveted 2011 Australians in Film Breakthrough Award.^[12] On 9 September 2013, he was reported to be in talks with Warner Bros. to star in the film adaptation of Shantaram.^[13]

Personal life

Edgerton is the son of Michael, a solicitor/property developer, and Marianne Edgerton.^[14][15][16] His brother, Nash, is a stuntman and filmmaker.^[17]

Humanitarian causes

Edgerton has been an ambassador for The Fred Hollows Foundation for a number of years and has strong personal ties to the organization, which works to restore sight in poor countries and to improve Aboriginal health.^[18] In 2012, he visited Nepal, where he saw sight restored first hand.^[19] Edgerton has described social activism and his involvement with The Fred Hollows Foundation as ‘an escape’ from the ‘materialistic life’ that often surrounds an actor.^[20]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Joel Edgerton at the Internet Movie Database