Emile Hirsch


Emile Davenport Hirsch is an American actor. His portrayal of Chris McCandless in Into the Wild earned him acclaim and multiple award nominations.
Other notable roles include The Girl Next Door, Lords of Dogtown, Alpha Dog, Speed Racer, Milk, Lone Survivor, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Chinese Widow, An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Woozy.

Early life

Emile Hirsch was born in the Palms section of Los Angeles. His mother, Margaret Esther, is a visual artist, teacher, and pop-up book designer, and his father, David Milton Hirsch, is an entrepreneur, manager, and film producer. He has an older sister, Jennifer, and was raised in Los Angeles and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lived with his mother for several years. Hirsch attended Alexander Hamilton High School where he studied in the Music program.

Career

Hirsch began acting on television roles in the late 1990s. He starred in the Showtime original film Wild Iris, with Laura Linney and Gena Rowlands. He made his cinematic film debut for The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and next starred with Kevin Kline in The Emperor's Club.
In 2004, Hirsch starred in The Girl Next Door. He starred with Jeff Daniels and Sigourney Weaver in the limited release Imaginary Heroes. In 2005, Hirsch starred in Catherine Hardwicke's film Lords of Dogtown about a group 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.
Hirsch played Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild. He lost 40 pounds for the role, which earned him a Screen Actors Guild nomination for best actor. Esquire said, " creates a vivid, unforgettable character you at once admire and pity."
Hirsch had the title role in the Wachowskis' Speed Racer, which was released on May 9, 2008 and was a box office bomb. Hirsch played gay-rights activist Cleve Jones in Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk. He also appeared in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock, based on a screenplay of the Elliot Tiber memoir Taking Woodstock. He then starred in William Friedkin's 2011 southern gothic thriller Killer Joe.
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.
Hirsch starred in The Motel Life, co-starring Dakota Fanning and Stephen Dorff, directed by the Polsky brothers. In 2013, he starred with Holliday Grainger, Holly Hunter, and William Hurt in the miniseries Bonnie & Clyde. Hirsch co-starred in the film Lone Survivor, based on the memoir of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell.
In February 2017, it was announced that Hirsch would star with Aubrey Plaza in the comedy An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn.
In May 2018, Hirsch became the new voice for character James Lake Jr. in the Netflix original DreamWorks show Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia from Guillermo del Toro, replacing Anton Yelchin in its third season following his death. Hirsch continues to reprise the role of Jim in 3 Below, Wizards and Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans.
In 2019, Hirsch portrayed Hollywood hairdresser and Manson family victim Jay Sebring in the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Music

On October 25, 2019, Hirsch released his first album under Hirsch called Mnemonic. Two of its songs, "Tooth Fairy" and "Angels Will", were selected to be on the New Alt playlist on Spotify. KROQ DJ Megan Holiday also picked Mnemonic as one of her favorite albums of the year. After that album's release, Hirsch released the single "American Dreamin'", and on 2/14 released his new single "Casual Animal."
Hirsch has released five singles, starting with "Remember Days When," and "Hard Hearts". He released "Prisoners" and "The Same Different" and then "Favors". Both "Prisoners" and "Favors" were both put on Spotify's New Noise Playlist. "Favors" was also put on multiple playlists on Deezer, including #3 placement on "Seleccíon Editorial Mexico y Central America," one of Deezer's biggest playlists worldwide, with 6.7 million followers.
After releasing more singles over the course of a year, Hirsch released his second album called Denihilism on March 12, 2021.

Personal life

Hirsch is of German Jewish, English, and Scots-Irish ancestry. He resides in Los Angeles. He has a son born in October 2013. His relationship with his son's mother ended before the birth of their child.

Assault charge

In 2015 Hirsch was charged with aggravated assault after attacking and attempting to strangle a female Paramount Pictures executive with his bare hands at a nightclub in Park City, Utah. Hirsch claimed he did not remember what had happened as the event happened when he was taking stimulants while inebriated. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to 15 days in jail. He was also fined $4,750, received 90 days of probation, and was ordered to perform 50 hours of community service. Hirsch entered a rehab facility following the assault.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996Sugared PeasBradShort film
2002'Francis Doyle
2002'Sedgewick BellNominated — Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor
2003'Duncan Mudge
2004'Matthew KidmanNominated — MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Kiss
2004Imaginary HeroesTim Travis
2005Lords of DogtownJay AdamsNominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Choice Breakout Movie Actor
2006Alpha DogJohnny Truelove
2007Tony
2007Into the WildChris McCandlessNominated — Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Performer
Nominated — National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance
Nominated — Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Unforgettable Moment
Nominated — Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Online Film Critics Society for Best Actor
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Drama
Nominated — Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
2008Speed RacerSpeed RacerNominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Action/Adventure
2008MilkCleve JonesNominated — Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2009Taking WoodstockBilly
2009X Games 3D: The MovieNarratorDocumentary
2011Killer JoeChris Smith
2011The Darkest HourSean
2012SavagesSpin
2012Twice Born Diego
2012The Motel LifeFrank Flannigan
2013Prince AvalancheLance
2013Lone SurvivorDanny Dietz
2015Ten Thousand SaintsJohnny
2015Just JimDean
2016Vincent N RoxxyVincent
2016The Autopsy of Jane DoeAustin Tilden
2017All NighterMartin
2017I Am Heath LedgerHimselfDocumentary
2017The Chinese WidowJack
2018An Evening with Beverly Luff LinnShane Danger
2018The OutsiderPaulie Bowers
2018FreaksHenry Lewis
2019PeelPeel Munter
2019Once Upon a Time in HollywoodJay SebringNominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2019Never Grow OldPatrick Tate
2020Force of NatureCardillo
2020The Comeback TrailJames Moore
2021SonPaulAlso executive producer
2021Trollhunters: Rise of the TitansJim Lake Jr.
2021Midnight in the SwitchgrassByron Crawford
2021American NightMichael Rubino
2022The Immaculate RoomMike
2022PursuitRick Calloway
2022DigVictor
2022Devil's WorkshopDonald
2022The Price We PayAlex
2022State of ConsciousnessStephen
2023Inside ManBobby Belucci
2023The EngineerEtan
2023Helen's DeadAdam
2023WaldenWalden DeanAlso executive producer
2024PreyGrunaka Kalahari
2024Bau: Artist at WarJoseph Bau
2024Dead MoneyAndyaka Degenerate
TBALiceMr. ShankerPost-production
TBAGood Side of a Bad ManPretty Boy FloydPost-production
TBAWoozyDustyPost-production