Josh Hartnett

Hartnett was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota,[1] though some sources, he has said, erroneously give San Francisco.[2] The son of Daniel Thomas Hartnett and Wendy Anne (née Kronstedt), he was raised by his father, a building manager, and his stepmother, Molly, an artist.[3] Hartnett was raised Catholic,[4] attending Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School.[5]

After Hartnett graduated from Minneapolis South High School in 1996, his move to New York to attend the Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film at SUNY Purchase did not go as well as he had hoped, and a year later, at 19, he found himself in California.[6] Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, he caught an improbable break, landing a part in the short-lived but acclaimed drama Cracker, on ABC. Although the series was cancelled after sixteen episodes, Hartnett had made a name for himself. He then began to focus on feature film work. He performed in small plays and on national television commercials before being cast in his first feature film, playing the son of Jamie Lee Curtis' character in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. Released on August 5, 1998, it performed well at the box office.

Hartnett developed a film career, having appeared in Hollywood films, including The Faculty, Black Hawk Down, Lucky Number Slevin and Pearl Harbor. He was originally scheduled to play the role of Tino in Deuces Wild, but dropped out to star in Pearl Harbor. In 2002, he starred in O, an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello set in an American high school, as Hugo, the film's version of Iago. In the early 2000s, Hartnett was approached several times to play the role of Clark Kent/Superman in the early 2000s for a project originally helmed by Brett Ratner, but always turned it down, not wanting to commit to a predicted ten-year role.[7][8] Hartnett said of his decision, "It just wasn't the kind of movie I wanted to do. I turned down other superhero roles as well."

Hartnett at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival

Hartnett was chosen as one of Teen People magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21" in 1999, Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars under 25", and one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People", both in 2002. He was also voted Bliss magazine's "3rd Sexiest Male", and in 2003 PETA named him the Sexiest Vegetarian Alive, as chosen by voters.[9]

One of Hartnett's next films was the 2006 drama-mystery The Black Dahlia, in which he played a detective investigating the notorious real-life murder of waitress Elizabeth Short. Hartnett had been cast in the role five years before the film was produced, remaining committed to appearing in the movie because he liked the subject matter.[10]

Among his 2007 roles were Resurrecting the Champ, a drama also starring Samuel L. Jackson, and the graphic novel-based 30 Days of Night, in which he played a small-town sheriff. Hartnett described the second film as "supernatural, but kind of a western". He was going to play trumpet player Chet Baker in the film The Prince of Cool, but did not agree with the producer's ideas and left the project.[11]

In 2008, Hartnett played Charlie Babbit alongside Adam Godley in the theatre adaptation of Barry Morrow's Academy Award-winning Rain Man at the Apollo Theatre in London's West End.[12] He starred in the new campaign of the Emporio Armani fragrance, "Diamonds for Men", being featured in both print and TV ads for the fragrance, thus becoming the first male celebrity to represent Giorgio Armani Beauty.[13]

He has been featured on many magazine covers, such as Cosmogirl, Details, Entertainment Weekly, Girlfriend, Seventeen, Vanity Fair, GQ and Vman, in addition to being in other magazines like Vogue, ELLE, People, Glamour, In Touch and InStyle.[14][15]

In 2009, Hartnett produced the video clip for the rapper Kid Cudi's song Pursuit of Happiness.[16]

In 2013, Hartnett was a guest of honor on Off Plus Camera.[17]

In 2014, he was cast in the part of Ethan Chandler in the Gothic horror series Penny Dreadful,[18] shot in locations around Dublin and Ireland.[19] Later Hartnett's character turned out to be none other than Lawrence Talbot / the Wolfman, who had changed his name to distance himself from his family. Hartnett became the third actor to portray the Wolfman in big-budget production.

Regarding fame, Hartnett has said, "I know what it's like to be in that whole world. I was up there for a couple of years, and it was uncomfortable. I think trying to stay at the top is a shortcut to unhappiness." Hartnett took a break from acting, saying "I spent a bit of time really thinking about whether this was the right thing for me."[20]

Hartnett has been involved in various causes. In 2007, he took time out from filming to support the green lifestyle campaign of Global Cool.[11]

In 2011, Hartnett became one of a handful of celebrities attached to USAID and Ad Council's FWD campaign, an awareness initiative tied to that year's East Africa drought. He joined Uma Thurman, Chanel Iman and Geena Davis in TV and Internet ads to "forward the facts" about the crisis.[21]

In 2012, Hartnett also joined Barack Obama in his campaign in Minnesota, appearing at such events as the Minnesota Greater Together Youth Summit before formally endorsing the President on the official campaign YouTube channel.[22] He along with Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak also appeared at the University of Minnesota's McNamara Alumni Center for an Obama Q&A in April.[23]

Hartnett has been in a long-term relationship with actress Tamsin Egerton since 2012.[24] They have three children.[25] As of 2017, the couple were living in Surrey, England, with their children.[26]

• 2010: Won – Ischia International Arts Academy Acting Award / Ischia Global Film & Music Fest, Italy[39]
• 2009: Won – Outstanding Environmentalist / 21st Century Leaders Awards, Qatar[40]
• 2007: Won – GQ Männer des Jahres (GQ Men of the Year) / GQ magazine, Germany[41]
• 2002: Won – ShoWest Award Male Star of Tomorrow / ShoWest Convention, USA

• Beresford, Bruce (2007). Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants to Do This, and Other Lies from a Life in the Screen Trade. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-7322-8439-8.
• Matthews, Emma (2003). The Josh Hartnett Album. Plexus Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85965-324-4.
• Lanum, Lorelei (2002). Josh Hartnett, American Idol. Touchstone. ISBN 978-0-7432-4273-8.

• Media related to Josh Hartnett at Wikimedia Commons
• Josh Hartnett at IMDb