Canadian actor Hayden Christensen was born on April 19, 1981 in Vancouver, British Columbia. He attended the E.J sand Public School, Baythorn Public School and Unionville High School, which is in Ontario. He was an athlete in high school, as well as a member of the Arts York program for drama. Christensen also attended the Actors Studio in New York.
Hayden Christensen landed his first acting role when he was 12, on the Canadian television series Family Passions in 1993. He was then cast a minor role as a paper boy in John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness two years after. Christensen then appeared once more in a TV drama Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story. He was also given the role of Young John Ryan in Street Law and in Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron, both in 1995. The next year, he played parts in No Greater Love and Forever Knight. He has also appeared in two episodes of Goosebumps and in one episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? Hayden Christensen was also known as Joe Hill Conley in Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, released in 1999.
During the 2000s, Hayden Christensen appeared in several television movies and series, including Trapped in a Purple Haze and Higher Ground. In 2001, he was nominated for the Golden Globe award and SAG, as well as the National Board of Review’s “Best Breakthrough Performance of the Year.” This was for his portrayal of a misunderstood teenager in Life as a House. What gave Hayden Christensen more public attention was his role as Anakin Skywalker in 2002’s Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Though he was met with mixed reviews for his performance, Hayden Christensen had already established his fame and stardom, as he was received by audiences worldwide. Christensen was named one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People and Teen People’s 25 Hottest Stars under 25. He also received good reviews for his performance in 2003’s Shattered Glass. He then resumed his role for 2005’s Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. In 2007, he starred in the thriller Awake, as well as in the romantic comedy Virgin Territory. He also appeared in Factory Girl, opposite Sienna Miller and Guy Pierce and was also cast with Samuel L. Jackson in 2008’s Jumper.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Was a "ball boy" at the Canadian Open tennis matches. Jumped out too soon during a match in which John McEnroe was playing, causing an interruption in play.
A digital rendering of Hayden appears in the 2004 DVD version of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), as the spirit of Anakin Skywalker. This replaced Sebastian Shaw as the ghostly image that appears beside Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda at the end of the film. Hayden said in an interview that he had been unaware of this change.
He fractured his hand during the filming of a rather violent scene in Life as a House (2001) in which his character hits a wall.
He and Jessica Alba visited Bellevue hospital and spent time with little children, bringing them Christmas cheer while filming Awake (2007).
Takers (2010)
Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (2009)
New York, I Love You (2008)
Jumper (2008)
Awake (2007)
Factory Girl (2006)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Shattered Glass (2003)
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Life as a House (2001)
Higher Ground (22 episodes, 2000)
Trapped in a Purple Haze (2000)
"Ewan McGregor and I had very similar first-time light sabre experiences. We both burned ourselves! These things are hot - they're full of batteries!"
"I have two sisters and a mother, obviously, so I grew up with a household of girls. Maybe I have a greater respect for women because of it."
[on his favourite scene in Attack Of The Clones] "I love the sequence in which Obi-Wan visits Yoda when he's giving lessons to the Jedi apprentices. At that moment, an image of the universe is projected because Obi-Wan is looking for the planet Kamino. I find this marvelous and very poetic."
"I wish they taught green screen acting classes."