Jim Caviezel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Caviezel
Caviezel in 2013
Born	James Patrick Caviezel Jr. (1968-09-26) September 26, 1968 (age 56) Mount Vernon, Washington, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Washington
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Kerri Browitt ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	3

James Patrick Caviezel Jr. (born September 26, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for playing Jesus in the movie The Passion of the Christ (2004). He also played Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom (2023). Many people also know him as John Reese from the TV show Person of Interest (2011–2016).

Since 2021, Caviezel has publicly supported some ideas linked to the QAnon movement.

Early life and family

Jim Caviezel was born in Mount Vernon, Washington. His mother, Margaret, was a homemaker and former actress. His father, James, was a chiropractor. Jim has a younger brother, Timothy, and three sisters: Ann, Amy, and Erin.

He grew up in Conway, Washington, in a close-knit Catholic family. His family name, Caviezel, comes from the Romansh language. His father's family is from Slovakia and Switzerland. His mother's family is Irish.

Acting career beginnings

Caviezel started acting in plays in Seattle, Washington. He got his first small movie role in 1991 in My Own Private Idaho. This role helped him get his Screen Actors Guild card. After this, he moved to Los Angeles to become a full-time actor.

In 1993, he was offered a scholarship to study acting. This was at the Juilliard School in New York City. But he decided not to go. Instead, he chose to play Warren Earp in the 1994 movie Wyatt Earp. He also appeared in TV shows like Murder, She Wrote and The Wonder Years.

Breakthrough roles

After being in G.I. Jane (1997), Caviezel had a big role in the 1998 movie The Thin Red Line. This film was about World War II. He then played Black John in Ride with the Devil (1999). This movie was about the American Civil War.

Caviezel was supposed to play Cyclops in the movie X-Men (2000). But he had to drop out because of another movie. This other movie was Frequency (2000). He also starred in other popular movies. These included Pay It Forward (2000) and Angel Eyes (2001). He also played Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).

In 2000, he played the main role in Madison. This movie was about hydroplane racing in Madison, Indiana. It was released in theaters in 2005. In 2002, he had an important role in the film I Am David.

Caviezel at Comic-Con, July 2012

Playing Jesus Christ

Jim Caviezel played Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson's 2004 movie The Passion of the Christ. Filming this movie was very challenging for him. During filming, he was accidentally hit by lightning. He was also accidentally whipped. He dislocated his shoulder and got sick with pneumonia and hypothermia.

Before filming, Mel Gibson warned Caviezel. He said playing Jesus might make it harder to get other roles. In 2011, Caviezel said that good roles were indeed harder to find. But he felt playing Jesus was a special, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Passion of the Christ earned a lot of money worldwide.

Later film and TV roles

Caviezel had main roles in the 2006 movies Unknown and Déjà Vu. He played Kainan in Outlander (2008). He also voiced Jesus in an audio play of the New Testament in 2007. This was called The Word of Promise. In 2008, he starred in Long Weekend.

In 2009, he played Jesus again for The Word of Promise. He also starred in The Prisoner. This was a new version of an old British science fiction TV show.

From 2011 to 2016, Caviezel was on the CBS TV show Person of Interest. He played John Reese, a former CIA agent. His character worked with a rich person to stop crimes. The show was very popular. It often had more than 10 million viewers each week. Caviezel was nominated for an award for his acting on the show in 2014 and 2016.

In 2014, Caviezel starred in the football movie When the Game Stands Tall. He played coach Bob Ladouceur. Coach Ladouceur's high school team had a winning streak of 151 games. This was a record in American sports. Caviezel also appeared in the 2013 movie Escape Plan. He played a warden in a very secure prison.

In 2016, Caviezel narrated two documentaries about Christianity. These were Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism and The Face of Mercy. He said that John Paul II defeated communism "with love."

In 2017, Caviezel was set to star in the CBS show SEAL Team. But he left the project before filming began. He was replaced by David Boreanaz.

Caviezel played the Apostle Luke in the movie Paul, Apostle of Christ. This movie came out in March 2018.

Upcoming projects

In January 2018, it was announced that Caviezel would play Jesus again. This would be in a sequel to The Passion of the Christ. The new movie is called The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection. In 2020, Caviezel said the movie was still being worked on. He believed it would be "the biggest film in world history."

In 2018, Caviezel also agreed to play Tim Ballard. Ballard is a former government agent who fights against human trafficking. The movie is called Sound of Freedom. It is about an organization that saves children from slavery. Ballard specifically asked Caviezel to play him. Caviezel said this movie was very important to him. He believed it would help save many children. The film was released in theaters on July 3, 2023.

Caviezel also starred in the 2020 movie Infidel. This was a political thriller.

Personal life

In 1996, Jim Caviezel married Kerri Browitt. She was a high school English teacher. They have adopted three children from China.

Religious beliefs

Caviezel is a very religious Catholic. In 2017, he spoke about how important his Catholic faith is to him. He also talked about how The Passion of the Christ changed his life. He has a special devotion to the Virgin Mary. While filming The Passion of the Christ in Italy, he met daily with a Catholic priest. He would go to confession and receive Holy Communion.

Public statements

In 2006, Caviezel appeared in an advertisement. He spoke against a law in Missouri. This law would have allowed some types of embryonic stem cell research. He started the ad by saying a phrase in Aramaic. This phrase means, "You betray the Son of Man with a kiss." It is from the Gospel of Luke. He ended the ad by telling people to vote no on the law. This ad was a response to another ad. That ad featured actor Michael J. Fox. Fox supported stem cell research.

Statements about QAnon

Starting in 2021, Caviezel has publicly supported some ideas linked to the QAnon movement. He first did this at a conference in Oklahoma. He was there to promote his film Sound of Freedom. This film is about fighting human trafficking. Caviezel suggested he had seen proof of children being harmed. The event also included other people who promote QAnon ideas.

In October 2021, Caviezel spoke at another conference in Las Vegas. He talked about fighting Satan and certain values. He said, "the storm is upon us." This is a phrase used by QAnon followers. He also urged the audience to send "Lucifer and his henchmen straight back to hell."

After Sound of Freedom was released in 2023, Caviezel continued to talk about QAnon. He did this during interviews for the film. In one interview, he said he did not know about QAnon when the movie was filmed in 2018. He also defended people who follow QAnon. He said they were being treated unfairly. He compared them to early Christians. Caviezel also spoke about certain topics that are often discussed by QAnon followers. He also claimed that "QAnon" does not exist. He said there is only "Q" and "anons" (anonymous followers). This is a common idea among QAnon followers.

Filmography

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

Television

Documentary

See also

In Spanish: Jim Caviezel para niños