Joseph Gordon-Levitt biography, young, wife, etnicity, net worth, brother, height 2025

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's biography

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a beloved American actor whose talent and dedication have propelled him to major success in Hollywood. He's best known for his standout performances in 500 Days of Summer, 50/50, Don Jon, and Snowden.

Joseph believes his success comes down to something simple – carefully choosing his roles and throwing himself completely into the filmmaking process. This approach has led to an impressive filmography of over 70 roles. Net worth: $45 million.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's childhood

Joseph was born on February 17, 1981, in Los Angeles, California. His parents were former hippies who raised their son with messages of love and peace, so Joseph never got into fights growing up. He didn't even have toy soldiers among his childhood playthings. His family made sure that from an early age, Joseph would spread light and kindness in the world.

Both parents worked at the same radio station – his father as a host and his mother as an editor. Joseph had an older brother named Daniel, who tragically passed away in 2010 under uncertain circumstances. Though Daniel wasn't connected to the film industry, he was still artistic – working as a fire dancer. Their grandfather Michael Gordon, however, was a well-known film director who earned three Oscar nominations.

Joseph first entered the acting world at just four years old. He quickly fell in love with performing, so his parents enrolled him in a local drama club. Within a year, he was already making small appearances in musicals. Luckily, a talent agent happened to attend one of his performances and spotted Joseph's natural acting ability.

The beginning of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's career

Beyond dramatic roles, he also began appearing in commercials for various food products and footwear brands. From 1988 to 1992, Joseph took on roles in every series and TV show he could audition for. Though his screen time was brief and episodic, he still managed to showcase his talent and make an impression on viewers. Notable early appearances included the detective series Murder, She Wrote and the sitcom Family Ties.

In 1992, Joseph made his feature film debut in Beethoven, though his part lasted literally just a couple of seconds. A few months later, A River Runs Through It was released, where he played the younger version of one of the main characters. He shared scenes with Brad Pitt during filming.

In 1993, he made an appearance in the series Switching Parents, playing one of the leading roles. By then, he'd already delivered notable performances in Holy Matrimony and Angels in the Outfield.

While none of his previous roles brought him fame, 1996 changed everything when he landed 3rd Rock from the Sun, playing an alien who came to Earth on a special mission. The role put Gordon-Levitt in higher demand. Soon after, he appeared in the thriller The Juror, followed by Halloween H20: 20 Years Later in 1998.

During this period, he also appeared in the teen series That 70's Show. The following year, he played a key role in the romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You starring Heath Ledger. In the film, Joseph played the protagonist's love interest, who had to find someone to date her difficult sister first.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Interview

By the late '90s, his enthusiasm for acting had waned. While filming the final season of 3rd Rock from the Sun, he broke his contract with the show's producers. Around the same time, he graduated high school and began considering college. In 2000, he applied to Columbia University and enrolled in the French Literature program. Joseph was deeply passionate about France, its history, and poetry, but four years later decided to return to acting.

A new chapter in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's career

Upon his return to the acting world, he started reading scripts meticulously and choosing his roles carefully. From then on, he didn't want to settle for any mediocre movie but decided to impress his fans and critics with deep and heartfelt roles.

One of these roles was Lyle in the 2001 drama Manic. Gordon-Levitt played an unstable young man who gets sent to a mental health facility due to violent outbursts. That place becomes the setting of the movie's plot. The film was actually shot in a real psychiatric ward. He co-starred with Zooey Deschanel, Don Cheadle, and Michael Bacall.

In 2004, Joseph landed a key role in the drama Mysterious Skin. This time, he portrayed a young gay man who was sexually abused as a child. The film only reinforced the critical acclaim for his performance from both critics and audiences.

In 2005's Brick, the actor once again landed a leading role. The plot follows his quest to find his mysteriously disappeared ex-girlfriend. To find her, he gets involved with dangerous people, but he's determined to finish what he started.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Heath Ledger look quite alike

In 2007's crime thriller The Lookout, Joseph played a hockey player suffering from amnesia. The tragedy forces him to work as a bank janitor to make ends meet. Meanwhile, a local gang of thieves plans to rob the same bank and decides to turn the janitor into an accomplice. The film received positive reviews from critics, boosting the actor's popularity even further. Gordon-Levitt got to co-star with Isla Fisher.

Joseph also played key roles in 2008's Uncertainty and Killshot. In 2009, the actor co-starred with Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer, and later in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

In 2010, Gordon-Levitt appeared alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the mind-bending thriller Inception, which quickly became a modern classic. He then starred in 50/50 alongside Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick. In 2012, Joseph appeared as Robin in The Dark Knight Rises, the final installment of the trilogy. Later that year, he starred in the sci-fi thriller Looper with Bruce Willis.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Don Jon

In 2013, the actor made his directorial debut with Don Jon, also starring alongside Scarlett Johansson.

In 2014, together with Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Bruce Willis, and Eva Green, he appeared in the second part of Sin City.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Walk

After a year, the actor starred in The Walk, a movie based on real life. It tells the story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit, who moved to New York determined to make his dream a reality – walking on a high wire between skyscrapers. The leading parts were played by Ben Kingsley and Charlotte Le Bon. In 2016, Joseph Gordon-Levitt portrayed ex-CIA tech agent Edward Snowden in the movie with the same name – Snowden. The biographical drama tells the story of one of the most famous whistleblowers in modern history. This time, he co-starred with the Divergent protagonist - Shailene Woodley.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the real Edward Snowden

In 2017, the first season of the series Comrade Detective starring Channing Tatum was released. In this political detective series, Gordon-Levitt played a supporting role.

Joseph Gordon Levitt's personal life

As a public figure, he's often the subject of dating rumors. He's been linked to many of his female co-stars over the years. He's been romantically linked to Zooey Deschanel, Ellen Page, and Scarlett Johansson, however, those were all rumors.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Scarlett Johansson

However, one of those rumored romances turned out to be real: from 1999 to 2002, he was in a relationship with Larisa Oleynik. After that, he dated dancer Lexy Hulme, whom he met on the set of 500 Days of Summer. But that relationship didn't last long.

In 2013, he met Tasha McCauley, who runs a robotics company, and they married at the end of 2014. She has no connection to the film industry, which was exactly what he was looking for. On August 15, 2015, the couple had their first child.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt now

In 2019, the detective "Knives Out" was released. Joseph's partners on the set are Daniel Craig and Chris Evans. Also in June 2020, the trailer for the movie "7500" from Amazon was released, in which Gordon-Levitt played a major role.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt: latest news and articles

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27 Nov 2024

Beatrice Harris

First time I saw him in Sin City and he impressed me very much. Now I read about him more :)

2021-05-17 15:11:54
Teresa Sutton

I watch movies with Joseph not for his acting talent but for his face: D Very handsome man!

2021-04-20 15:27:12
John Moore

Levitt is a very charismatic actor and plays well but his roles, which I remember, are kind of the same. Movies with him looks the same and his character in there as well.

2021-04-19 21:34:34
Sharon Roberts

I watched The Walk with bated breath. I kind of understood that all this was graphics, Levitt acted out the emotions of a tightrope walker so believably that everything in my stomach contracted every time he stepped onto the rope.

2021-03-30 16:28:33
Grace McCoy

Snowden is a top movie and Joseph perfeclty played the role of Edward. I believe every shot! I love those movies that`s based on a true story and related policy and espionage.

2021-02-03 13:29:44

Photos: Joseph Gordon-Levitt