Josh Hartnett Biography
Josh Hartnett is an American stage and film actor and producer. He shot to international stardom after starring in the war drama "Pearl Harbor," where he played pilot Danny Walker. Throughout the 2000s, he appeared in over twenty films, including "Black Hawk Down," "I Come with the Rain," "Wicker Park," and "The Black Dahlia."
Early Life and Family
Joshua Daniel Hartnett was born in the summer of 1978 to Daniel and Wendy Anne Hartnett in St. Paul, Minnesota. His family has Irish, German, Norwegian, and Swedish ancestry.After Josh was born, his siblings Jessica, Joe, and Jack followed. Their parents chose to give all their children names starting with the same letter.
When the children were still young, Wendy left Daniel for reasons that remain unclear. The kids began calling their stepmother Molly, an artist their father married, "Mom." After the divorce, their father found work as a housing complex administrator.
Looking back on his childhood, Hartnett revealed that Christmas was his favorite holiday—a love that only grew stronger over time:
As a teenager, Josh was passionate about football and dreamed of a career in sports. He first played for his school and then for the city team. However, a knee injury during training crushed those athletic dreams.My family teases me because I always get the most excited about it, even though I'm the eldest. My sister is six years younger than me, and we have two younger brothers, but even when they were just kids, it was always me who would wake them up shouting, 'Wake up, it's Christmas!' I really love this holiday. There's something idyllic about it. It's especially felt in Minnesota, where it's cold and snowy, and Christmas trees are everywhere. It's the most beautiful time of the year, at least for me.
In L.A., he began attending private acting classes and frequently appeared at auditions. His luck turned when he started landing roles in TV shows, commercials, and eventually movies.I played football until I was 16. Then I tore my anterior cruciate ligament and had to leave the sport. After that, I got into theater and art, living what you might call a bohemian lifestyle. I went clubbing and dated around, but I wouldn't say I was a party animal — I despise all that clubbing stuff.
Acting Career
Josh Hartnett's film career kicked off in 1998 with three movie appearances. He landed lead roles in two of these films. In Robert Rodriguez's horror film "The Faculty," Josh delivered a standout performance as rebel Zeke Tyler, leading a group of high school students against alien-possessed teachers.
Hartnett's popularity skyrocketed. But he didn't take every role that came his way. Among the films he took on that garnered audience attention in the following years, noteworthy mentions include "Lucky Number Slevin" (Slevin), the psychological drama "I Come with the Rain" (Kline), the supernatural series "Penny Dreadful" (Ethan Chandler), the sci-fi movie "The Lovers" (Jay Fennel), and thrillers "6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain" (Eric LeMarque) and "The Ottoman Lieutenant" (Jude).I think our movie explores the thin line between love and passion. Real love, or whatever you want to call it, is just passion rewarded. Just look at how you act when you fall in love. You're almost always silly and somewhat obsessed. I guess everyone's felt something similar... I think my character made a brave choice – to search for the girl he loved. I'm not sure I could set aside my pride and do the same.
Josh Hartnett's Personal Life
Josh's first love was Ellen Fenster, a high school classmate. They got together during their senior year. Ellen was modest and principled. Josh was so serious about marrying her that he bought a $2.5 million home in Minneapolis. But they never made it down the aisle. After several years together, they broke up—with Ellen calling it off. Hartnett later said he was heartbroken.
Josh kept his relationship with actress Tamsin Egerton under wraps for quite some time. They met on the set of "The Lovers," Roland Joffé's troubled production that started filming in 2011. Originally, Neve Campbell was cast as the female lead, but production shut down when she left the project. When filming eventually resumed, Egerton took over the role of Laura Fennel. Their on-set friendship blossomed into romance, though both chose to keep things private.I believe if you spend too much time seeking attention for your private life, you lose ownership of it. That's why I ensure my life belongs only to me. I wasn't naive when I started in this business. I quickly saw what it could do to people.
Josh Hartnett Now
In 2022, Josh took on the role of computer genius Alexander Hoffman in the thriller "The Fear Index," based on British author Robert Harris's novel. His character teams up with a friend to launch an AI system for virtual trading that feeds off players' emotions. But the "Fear Index," which promised to make its creator millions, turns against him. Co-stars included Leila Farzad, Asher Ali, and others.
