Emile Hirsch

Early life

Hirsch, who is of German-Jewish, English, and Scots-Irish ancestry, was born in Palms. His mother, Margaret Esther (née Davenport), is a visual artist, teacher and pop-up books designer, and his father, David M. Hirsch, is an entrepreneur, manager and producer. He has an older sister, Jenny, and was raised in Los Angeles and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lived with his mother for several years.

Career

Hirsch began acting on television roles in the late 1990s. He starred in the award-winning Showtime original film Wild Iris (2001), with Laura Linney and Gena Rowlands. He made his film debut in Peter Care's The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002) and next acted alongside Kevin Kline in the Michael Hoffman-directed film, The Emperor's Club (2002).

In 2004, Hirsch starred in The Girl Next Door. He starred with Jeff Daniels and Sigourney Weaver in the limited release Imaginary Heroes (2005), about the dysfunctional family.

In 2005, Hirsch starred in Catherine Hardwicke's film Lords of Dogtown (2005), about a number of skaters in the 1970s and their role in the birth of skateboard culture. Hirsch played Jay Adams. He played a character based on a real-life drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood in Alpha Dog (2007). The film was shot in 2004 and released on January 12, 2007. Hirsch reportedly consulted with Hollywood's real life father before playing the role.

Hirsch played Christopher McCandless in the true story of Chris McCandless called Into the Wild (2007). He lost 40 pounds for the role, which earned him a Screen Actors Guild nomination for best actor. Esquire said, "[Hirsch] creates a vivid, unforgettable character you at once admire and pity."

Hirsch had the title role in Lilly and Lana Wachowski's follow-up to The Matrix Trilogy, Speed Racer, which was released on May 9, 2008. Hirsch plays gay rights activist Cleve Jones in Gus Van Sant's Academy Award-winning Harvey Milk bio-pic Milk (2008) that featured Sean Penn in the title role. He also appeared in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock (2009), based on a screenplay of the Elliot Tiber memoir Taking Woodstock, adapted by James Schamus. He then starred in the box-office disappointment Killer Joe (2011).

He starred in The Motel Life, based on Willy Vlautin's novel. It was filmed in Nevada in 2010, and released in 2013.

In April 2011, he was cast in Oliver Stone's Savages, which was released in July 2012.

In 2012 Hirsch starred with Penélope Cruz in Venuto al mondo, a film by Italian director Sergio Castellitto. In 2013, he was in Prince Avalanche, co-starring Paul Rudd, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where it was acquired by Magnolia Pictures. Director David Gordon Green would go on to win Best Director for the film at the Berlin Film Festival. Additionally, Hirsch starred alongside Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey in the William Friedkin directed Killer Joe. The controversial, NC-17 film, was written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Tracy Letts.

Hirsch also starred in the Rome Film Festival Award-winning film The Motel Life, co-starring Dakota Fanning and Stephen Dorff, directed by the Polsky brothers. In Fall 2013, he starred alongside Holliday Grainger, and Oscar winners Holly Hunter and William Hurt, in the two-part Bruce Beresford directed miniseries, Bonnie & Clyde.

Also in 2013, Hirsch co-starred alongside Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster in the Peter Berg-directed Universal Pictures film Lone Survivor, (based on the true life memoir of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell). The film grossed over $125 million domestically, as well as earning an A+ grade from CinemaScore. In the film, Hirsch plays fallen Navy SEAL Danny Dietz.

On February 8, 2017, it was announced that Hirsch would star alongside Aubrey Plaza in indie comedy An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn.

Personal life

Hirsch resides in Venice, California. He has appeared on many magazine covers, including Nylon Guys, Teen Vogue, Movieline, Another Man and L’Uomo Vogue (Italy).

Hirsch appeared in Esquire in November 2007, which named him one of the "Actors of the Year", along with Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchett, Javier Bardem, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Robert Downey, Jr.

Hirsch appeared on the cover of Men’s Journal in January 2009. He wrote a "Congo Diary" in December 2008 that was published in the following issue along with a photo spread. He had ventured into Africa along with four young activists, and kept a journal of his five-day trip. Reflecting on his trip, Hirsch said, "Now I look back at some of the earlier parts of this travelogue and almost chuckle at my naïveté. Maybe we can all come together to change the world."

On October 27, 2013, Hirsch's first child was born, a boy named Valor. The child's mother is a woman Hirsch dated; however, they are not in a relationship.

Legal troubles

On February 12, 2015, Hirsch was charged with aggravated assault after initiating an altercation with Paramount executive Daniele Bernfeld on January 25, 2015, at the Tao Nightclub in Park City, Utah. On August 17, 2015, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to spend 15 days in jail, pay a $4,750 fine, perform 50 hours of community service, and complete 90 days of probation.