Hayden Christensen Biography

Hayden Christensen is a Canadian actor and producer. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about his life.

Quick Facts

Birthday: April 19, 1981

Nationality: Canadian

Famous: Actors Voice Actors

Age: 38 Years, 38 Year Old Males

Sun Sign: Aries

Also Known As: Hayden

Born in: Vancouver, Canada

Famous as: Actor, Voice Actor

Height: 6'0" (183 cm), 6'0" Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Rachel Bilson

father: David Christensen

mother: Alie Nelson

siblings: Hejsa Christensen, Kaylen Christensen, Tove Christensen

City: Vancouver, Canada

More Facts

education: Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute

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Hayden Christensen is a Canadian actor and producer who is best known for playing the role of Anakin Skywalker in the popular Star Wars movie series. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, he made his acting debut when he was 12. He appeared in a supporting role in the German-Canadian TV series named ‘Family Passions’. After appearing in supporting roles in several TV films and TV shows, he gained wider popularity for his appearance in the American-Canadian drama TV series named ‘Higher Ground’. Though the show was praised as well as rated well, it had to be cancelled after its first season because of the sale of its broadcast network the same year. Hayden gained international popularity after he was selected to play the character Anakin Skywalker in the American sci-fi film ‘Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones’, which was a part of the Star Wars film series. The film was a huge success and also won an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. Hayden’s performance was also appreciated and he continued playing the character in ‘Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi’, and ‘Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith’.

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Hayden Christensen

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Childhood & Early Life

Hayden Christensen was born on 19 April 1981 in Vancouver, British Columbia. His parents are Alie and David Christensen. His mother worked as a speechwriter, while his father was a computer programmer and communications executive. He is Danish from his father’s side, while from mother’s side he has Swedish and Italian ancestry.
He was raised in Thornhill, Ontario, in Canada. He attended several schools including Baythorn Public School and Unionville High School. He used to be an athlete during his school days, and played competitive hockey as well as tennis. He also attended Actors Studio in New York City, and Arts York program for drama, at Unionville High School, before starting his acting career.
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Career

Hayden Christensen made his acting debut in September 1993 when he was 12. He appeared in a supporting role in a German-Canadian show named ‘Family Passions’, where he played a character named Skip McDeere.
The next year, he made his film debut in the 1994 psychological horror movie ‘In the Mouth of Madness’. After appearing in several other films such as ‘The Hairy Bird’ (1998), and ‘Free Fall’ (1999), he appeared in the 2001 American drama film ‘Life as a House’, where he played an important role. His role also earned him two awards and several nominations.
From 2000, he also started playing a significant role in the American-Canadian TV series ‘Higher Ground’. The series was about a group of teenagers attending Mount Horizon High School, a therapeutic boarding school, while struggling with their addictions and disorders.
His career touched newer heights in 2002 after his appearance in the movie ‘Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones’. The film, which was directed by George Lucas, was a huge hit, and for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker, he earned much popularity on an international level. He also won two awards along with several nominations.
He continued playing the role of Anakin Skywalker in ‘Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi’ (2003) and ‘Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith’ (2005). Both the films were huge hits, and gained Hayden a lot of fame.
Over the following years, he appeared in films such as ‘Factory Girl’ (2006), ‘Virgin Territory’ (2007), ‘New York, I Love You’, (2009), and ‘Vanishing on 7th Street’ (2010).
He was latest seen in the films ‘American Heist’ (2015), and ’90 Minutes in Heaven’ (2015). He appeared in a lead role in both films. However, both turned out to be commercial failures, and received negative reviews from critics.
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Major Works

'Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones’, an American sci-fi movie which was the second film of the Star Wars film series, is among the most significant works in Hayden Christensen’s career. The film, which was directed by George Lucas, starred actors Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L Jackson, and Christopher Lee in addition to Christensen. The film was a commercial hit. It received mostly positive reviews and also won several awards. It also won a nomination for the Oscars for Best Visual Effects.
Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi’, which was released in 2003, is another one of Hayden Christensen’s major works. The film was directed by Richard Marquand, and along with Hayden the film starred actors such as Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Biilly Dee Williams, and Anthony Daniels. The film was a commercial success, and also won the Oscar for the Best Visual Effects. It also received mostly positive reviews from critics.
’Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith’, which was released in 2005 is yet another hit film in which Hayden reprised his previous role. The film was directed by George Lucas, and alongside Christensen, it starred actors Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Ian McDiarmid. The film was a huge commercial success, and breaking several records, it earned more than $800 million worldwide. It received mostly positive reviews. It also received an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup.

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Awards & Achievements

Hayden Christensen won the ‘Young Hollywood Award’ and ‘National Board of Review Award’ for Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actor, for his performance in the 2001 movie ‘Life as a House’. He also received five other nominations.
For his role in the 2002 sci-fi movie ‘Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones’, he won the ‘Cannes Film Festival Award’ for Male Revelation. He also received six other nominations, two for the Saturn awards, and four for the Teen Choice Awards.
His role in the 2003 biographical crime drama ‘Shattered Glass’ won him the ‘Las Palmas Film Festival Award’ for Best Actor. He was also nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Actor.
For his role in the 2005 sci-fi film ‘Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith’, he won the ‘ShoWest Award’ for Male Star of Tomorrow Award and ‘MTV Movie Award’ for Best Villain.