Childhood & Early Life
Oscar Isaac Hernández Estrada was born on March 9, 1979, in Guatemala. His mother Maria Eugenia Estrada Nicolle is Guatemalan, and his father Oscar Gonzalo Hernandez-Cano is a Cuban pulmonologist.
He grew up in Miami, Florida, and studied at the private grade school, ‘Westminster Christian.’ He was quite troublesome and caused a lot of trouble at school.
He began his acting career with ‘Area Stage Company,’ Miami Beach, and also acted in City Theatre's ‘Summer Shorts’ short play festival in 2000–2001. He also played the guitar and sang for the band ‘The Blinking Underdogs’ in Miami. He graduated from ‘Juilliard School’ in New York City, and was part of Drama Division's ‘Group 34’ from 2001 to 2005.
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Career
Oscar Isaac made his film debut in ‘Illtown’ in 1998, and appeared in ‘All About the Benjamins’ in 2002. He starred as ‘Detective Fartman’ in ‘Lenny the Wonder Dog’ in 2004.
He acted in the play ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona,’ which was staged by ‘Shakespeare in the Park,’ in 2005. Isaac appeared in an episode of ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ in 2006 and also acted in the film ‘Pu-239’ the same year.
Oscar Isaac had his first major role in the biblical epic ‘The Nativity Story’ in 2006 and received critical acclaim for his performance. In 2006, he acted in ‘Beauty of the Father,’ staged at ‘Manhattan Theatre Club.’ The following year, he played an important role in ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ staged by ‘Shakespeare in the Park.’
He starred in ‘The Life Before Her Eyes’ (2007), ‘Che: Part One’ (2008), ‘Body of Lies’ (2008), and Manhattan Theatre Club’s ‘Grace’ in 2008. He appeared in the film ‘Agora’ in 2009.
Isaac received recognition and appreciation for his role as ‘José Ramos-Horta’ in ‘Balibo’ in 2009. He played ‘Prince John’ in the historical film ‘Robin Hood’ in 2010.
He acted in ‘Sucker Punch,’ ‘W.E.,’ ‘10 Years,’ ‘Drive,’ and Manhattan Theatre Club’s ‘We Live Here’ in 2011.
He came up with a power-packed performance in the film ‘For Greater Glory,’ and also appeared in films like ‘Revenge for Jolly!,’ ‘The Bourne Legacy,’ and ‘Won’t Back Down’ in 2012.
The biggest role of his career thus far came in 2013 when he was cast to play the title role in the drama comedy ‘Inside Llewyn Davis.’ He then starred in movies like ‘In Secret’ (2013), ‘The Two Faces of January’ (2014), ‘Ticky Tacky’ (2014), and ‘A Most Violent Year’ (2014).
He portrayed ‘Nathan Bateman’ in ‘Ex Machina,’ and appeared in six episodes of ‘Show Me a Hero’ in 2015. He co-starred in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ in 2015.
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Apart from being an actor, Oscar Isaac has also worked as a voice artist. He voiced a character in the video game ‘Disney Infinity 3.0’ in 2015. He also voiced a character in the video game ‘Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ in 2016.
Isaac played ‘X-Men’ villain ‘Apocalypse’ in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ in 2016. The same year, he also acted in ‘Lightningface’ and ‘The Promise.’ The first episode of the podcast series ‘Homecoming’ was released in November, 2016.
In 2017, he portrayed ‘Prince Hamlet’ in ‘Hamlet,’ which was staged at ‘The Public Theater.’ His films ‘Suburbicon’ and ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ were also released in 2017.
2018 was a very busy year for the actor as he had five back-to-back releases, namely ‘Annihilation,’ ‘Operation Finale,’ ‘Life Itself,’ ‘At Eternity’s Gate,’ and ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’
His action-adventure movie ‘Triple Frontier’ released in 2019. He was also signed to reprise his role as ‘Poe Dameron’ in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ Directed by J. J. Abrams, the movie stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Lupita Nyong'o in important roles.
Awards & Achievements
Oscar Isaac won ‘MovieGuide Award’ for his performance in ‘The Nativity Story’ in 2006.
In 2009, he received ‘AACTA Award’ for ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role,’ and was nominated for ‘Film Critics Circle of Australia Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his performance in ‘Balibo.’
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In 2013, for his performance in the movie ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’ he won many awards, including ‘Best Actor’ award at ‘National Society of Film Critics Award,’ ‘San Diego Film Critics Society Award,’ and ‘International Cinephile Society.’ Also, the film earned him many nominations, including a ‘Golden Globe Award’ nomination.
Oscar Isaac won ‘National Board of Review Award’ for ‘Best Actor’ for his performance in ‘A Most Violent Year’ in 2014.
In 2015, he won the ‘Florida Film Critics Circle Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor,’ ‘Online Film Critics Society Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor,’ and ‘San Diego Film Critics Society Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for the movie ‘Ex Machina.’
He won the ‘Golden Globe Award’ for ‘Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film’ for ‘Show Me a Hero’ in 2015. He also received nominations at the ‘Satellite Award’ and ‘Critics' Choice Television Award.’
Personal Life & Legacy
Oscar Isaac renovated an apartment for himself in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he currently resides. He is an accomplished guitar player and singer, and has been playing the guitar since the age of 12.
In February 2017, he married Danish film director Elvira Lind. The couple has a son named Eugene who was born in April 2017.
Isaac was named among the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ by ‘Time’ magazine in 2016.
Facts About Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac is trilingual, fluent in English, Spanish, and French, allowing him to seamlessly transition between roles in different languages.
He is a talented musician and can play various instruments, including the guitar and the piano.
Oscar Isaac is a skilled dancer and has showcased his moves in several films, such as "Inside Llewyn Davis" and "Ex Machina."
He is a huge fan of the Star Wars franchise and was thrilled to be cast as Poe Dameron in the sequels, fulfilling a childhood dream.
Oscar Isaac is known for his philanthropic work and has supported various charitable causes, including organizations that focus on human rights and environmental conservation.
