John Peter Sarsgaard (/ˈsÉ'Ë rzÉ¡É'Ë rd/; born March 7, 1971) is an
American actor. His first feature role was in Dead Man Walking in
1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films Another Day in
Paradise and Desert Blue. That same year, Sarsgaard received a
substantial role in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), playing Raoul,
the ill-fated son of Athos. Sarsgaard later achieved critical
recognition when he was cast in Boys Don't Cry (1999) as John Lotter.
He landed his first leading role in the 2001 film The Center of the
World. The following year, he played supporting roles in Empire, The
Salton Sea, and K-19: The Widowmaker.For his portrayal of Charles Lane
in Shattered Glass, Sarsgaard won the National Society of Film Critics
Award for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for the 2004 Golden
Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sarsgaard has appeared in an
eclectic range of films, including the 2004 comedy-drama Garden State,
the biographical film Kinsey (2004), the drama The Dying Gaul (2005),
and big-budget films such as Flightplan (2005), Jarhead (2005), The
Skeleton Key (2005), Orphan (2009), An Education (2009), Knight and
Day (2010), Green Lantern (2011), Lovelace (2013), Kelly Reichardt's
Night Moves (2013), Blue Jasmine (2013), Black Mass (2015), and The
Magnificent Seven (2016). Sarsgaard also appeared in the American TV
series The Killing (2013) as a man on death row perhaps wrongfully
convicted for the brutal murder of his wifeâ€"a performance which he
says included "some of the best acting I have ever done in my
life."Sarsgaard has appeared in Off-Broadway productions including
Kingdom of Earth, Laura Dennis, Burn This, and Uncle Vanya. In
September 2008, he made his Broadway debut as Boris Alexeyevich
Trigorin in The Seagull. He is married to actress Maggie
Gyllenhaal.John Peter Sarsgaard was born at Scott Air Force Base in
St. Clair County, Illinois, on March 7, 1971, the son of Judy Lea
(née Reinhardt) and John Dale Sarsgaard. His father was an Air Force
engineer and later worked for Monsanto and IBM. His surname originates
in Denmark, where his paternal great-great-grandparents were born; it
is pronounced [ˈsÉ'Ë sÉ¡É"Ë€] in Danish. Sarsgaard was raised a
Catholic and served as an altar boy. His family moved more than 12
times during his childhood, following his father's job. At the age of
7, Sarsgaard originally wanted to become a soccer player and took up
ballet to help improve his coordination. After suffering several
concussions while playing soccer, he gave up the sport and became
interested in writing and theater.
American actor. His first feature role was in Dead Man Walking in
1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films Another Day in
Paradise and Desert Blue. That same year, Sarsgaard received a
substantial role in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), playing Raoul,
the ill-fated son of Athos. Sarsgaard later achieved critical
recognition when he was cast in Boys Don't Cry (1999) as John Lotter.
He landed his first leading role in the 2001 film The Center of the
World. The following year, he played supporting roles in Empire, The
Salton Sea, and K-19: The Widowmaker.For his portrayal of Charles Lane
in Shattered Glass, Sarsgaard won the National Society of Film Critics
Award for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for the 2004 Golden
Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sarsgaard has appeared in an
eclectic range of films, including the 2004 comedy-drama Garden State,
the biographical film Kinsey (2004), the drama The Dying Gaul (2005),
and big-budget films such as Flightplan (2005), Jarhead (2005), The
Skeleton Key (2005), Orphan (2009), An Education (2009), Knight and
Day (2010), Green Lantern (2011), Lovelace (2013), Kelly Reichardt's
Night Moves (2013), Blue Jasmine (2013), Black Mass (2015), and The
Magnificent Seven (2016). Sarsgaard also appeared in the American TV
series The Killing (2013) as a man on death row perhaps wrongfully
convicted for the brutal murder of his wifeâ€"a performance which he
says included "some of the best acting I have ever done in my
life."Sarsgaard has appeared in Off-Broadway productions including
Kingdom of Earth, Laura Dennis, Burn This, and Uncle Vanya. In
September 2008, he made his Broadway debut as Boris Alexeyevich
Trigorin in The Seagull. He is married to actress Maggie
Gyllenhaal.John Peter Sarsgaard was born at Scott Air Force Base in
St. Clair County, Illinois, on March 7, 1971, the son of Judy Lea
(née Reinhardt) and John Dale Sarsgaard. His father was an Air Force
engineer and later worked for Monsanto and IBM. His surname originates
in Denmark, where his paternal great-great-grandparents were born; it
is pronounced [ˈsÉ'Ë sÉ¡É"Ë€] in Danish. Sarsgaard was raised a
Catholic and served as an altar boy. His family moved more than 12
times during his childhood, following his father's job. At the age of
7, Sarsgaard originally wanted to become a soccer player and took up
ballet to help improve his coordination. After suffering several
concussions while playing soccer, he gave up the sport and became
interested in writing and theater.
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