Jared Leto facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jared Leto
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Leto in 2016
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Jared Joseph Leto
December 26, 1971 Bossier City, Louisiana, U.S.
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| Alma mater | School of Visual Arts |
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| Years active | 1992–present |
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Works
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| Partner(s) | Cameron Diaz (1999–2003) Valery Kaufman (2015–2022) |
| Family | Shannon Leto (brother) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
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Jared Joseph Leto (born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. He is famous for his acting in many different roles. He has won many awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. He is also known for his music and unique stage presence as the lead singer of the rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Jared Leto started his acting career on the TV show My So-Called Life in 1994. He made his first movie appearance in How to Make an American Quilt in 1995. He gained attention for his role in Prefontaine in 1997. He also had supporting roles in movies like The Thin Red Line (1998), Fight Club (1999), and Girl, Interrupted (1999). He received praise for his main role in Requiem for a Dream (2000), where he played a character facing tough challenges.
After focusing more on music, he returned to acting in films like Panic Room (2002) and Alexander (2004). His performance as a transgender woman in Dallas Buyers Club (2013) earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Since then, he has appeared in movies such as Suicide Squad (2016), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and House of Gucci (2021).
Leto is the lead singer, plays many instruments, and writes most of the songs for Thirty Seconds to Mars. He formed the band in 1998 with his older brother Shannon Leto. Their first album, 30 Seconds to Mars (2002), received good reviews. Their second album, A Beautiful Lie (2005), made the band very popular. ..... The band has sold over 15 million albums worldwide.
Contents
Early Life and Education
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Jared Leto was born on December 26, 1971, in Bossier City, Louisiana. His mother, Constance Leto, has Cajun family roots. Leto is the last name from his stepfather. Jared's parents divorced when he was young. He and his older brother, Shannon, lived with their mother and grandparents. Jared's father passed away when Jared was eight years old.
His family moved around a lot across the country. Jared explained that his grandfather was in the Air Force, so moving was normal for them. Jared also has two younger half-brothers from his father's second marriage.
Jared's mother was part of the hippie movement. She encouraged her sons to explore art. Jared said he grew up around many artists and musicians. He added that creative expression was always celebrated in his home. Jared started playing music with his brother when he was very young. His first instrument was a broken piano.
Jared briefly left school in 10th grade. But he decided to go back and focus on his studies at the Emerson Preparatory School in Washington, D.C. He was interested in visual art and went to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Later, he became interested in filmmaking. He then moved to the School of Visual Arts in New York City. While studying there, he wrote and starred in his own short film called Crying Joy. He also attended the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design.
Acting Career Highlights
Early Roles and Breakthrough
In 1992, Leto moved to Los Angeles to become a director. He planned to take acting jobs on the side. His first big opportunity came in 1994. He was cast as Jordan Catalano in the ABC teen drama My So-Called Life. This show was praised for showing what adolescence was like. Even though it only lasted one season, it became very popular.
In the same year, Leto appeared in the TV movie Cool and the Crazy. He also got his first film role in the 1995 drama How to Make an American Quilt. He later acted with Christina Ricci in The Last of the High Kings (1996). He also had a supporting role in Switchback (1997).
In 1997, Leto starred in the movie Prefontaine. He played Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine. To get ready for the role, Leto trained for six weeks. He also met with Prefontaine's family and friends. Critics gave his performance good reviews. Many people consider this his breakthrough role.
After playing a British aristocrat in Basil (1998), Leto appeared in the horror film Urban Legend. Later that year, Terrence Malick cast Leto in the war film The Thin Red Line. This movie received many awards and nominations. Leto shared a Satellite Award with the other actors.
In 1999, Leto played a high school teacher in Black and White. He also had a supporting role in Girl, Interrupted. He then played Angel Face in Fight Club (1999), directed by David Fincher.
Notable Roles and Return to Film
Leto played Paul Allen in the thriller ... Psycho (2000). His performance was well-received. In the same year, he starred as Harry Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream. To prepare, Leto lived on the streets of New York City for a time. He also lost a lot of weight for the role. Critics praised his acting, noting his emotional bravery.
Leto's next film was Highway. Filming ended in early 2000, but the movie was released in 2002. During this time, Leto focused more on his music career. He worked on his band's first album, 30 Seconds to Mars.
Leto returned to acting in 2002 with the thriller Panic Room. He played Junior, a burglar. The film was successful, earning almost $200 million worldwide. Leto's next movie was Alexander (2004), directed by Oliver Stone. He played Hephaestion, a close friend of Alexander the Great.
In 2005, Leto starred with Nicolas Cage in Lord of War. He played Vitaly, the younger brother of an illegal arms dealer. The film was praised by critics and did well financially.
Chapter 27 and Mr. Nobody
In 2006, Leto appeared in the crime drama Lonely Hearts. He played Raymond Fernandez, one of the "lonely hearts killers." Critics praised Leto's performance in this film.
In 2007, Leto starred in the movie Chapter 27. He played Mark David Chapman, the person who murdered John Lennon. Leto gained 67 pounds for this role. The sudden weight gain caused him to have gout. He even needed a wheelchair because of the stress on his body. After filming, he quickly went on a liquid diet to lose the weight. Critics widely praised Leto's performance in Chapter 27.
Leto's next film was the 2009 science fiction drama Mr. Nobody. He played Nemo Nobody, the last mortal person on Earth. He had to play his character at different ages, from 34 to 118 years old. This meant spending six hours each day in makeup. Critics praised the film's art and Leto's acting.
Recent Film Projects
After a five-year break from acting, Leto returned in Dallas Buyers Club (2013). He played Rayon, a transgender woman with AIDS. To prepare, Leto lost 30 pounds, shaved his eyebrows, and waxed his body. He met transgender people to understand his role better. During filming, Leto stayed in character. The movie received great reviews and was a financial success. Leto won many awards for his role, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In 2014, Warner Bros. announced that Leto would play the Joker in Suicide Squad (2016). This is a superhero film based on the comic book series. Leto received attention for his intense preparation for the role. His co-star Will Smith said he never met Jared Leto outside of filming. He only spoke to him as their characters.
Suicide Squad received mixed reviews from critics. However, Leto's performance was praised despite his character having limited screen time. In October 2020, it was reported that Leto would play the Joker again in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
In 2016, Leto was cast as the villain Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049 (2017). This film is a sequel to Blade Runner. Leto also appeared in 2036: Nexus Dawn, a short film that came out before Blade Runner 2049.
Leto played Albert Sparma in the 2021 film The Little Things. This role earned him nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He also played fashion designer Paolo Gucci in Ridley Scott's biographical crime drama House of Gucci. For this role, he was nominated for several awards.
In 2022, he starred as Adam Neumann with Anne Hathaway in Apple+'s WeCrashed. This show is about the rise and fall of WeWork. He was nominated for a Satellite Award for his performance. He also starred in the film Morbius, which was released on April 1, 2022. In July 2022, it was announced that Leto would star in Haunted Mansion for Disney. The film was released on July 28, 2023.
Leto is set to star as Ares in Tron: Ares, a new movie in the Tron series. In November 2024, it was announced that Leto was cast in the crime film Lunik Heist. In December 2024, he was cast as Skeletor in the Masters of the Universe reboot.
Music Career with Thirty Seconds to Mars
Jared Leto formed the rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars in 1998 with his brother Shannon. When the band first started, Jared did not want his fame as an actor to be used to promote the band. He wrote most of the songs for their first album. Many record labels were interested in signing Thirty Seconds to Mars. They eventually signed with Immortal Records.
Album Releases and Tours
Their first album, 30 Seconds to Mars, was released on August 27, 2002. It received mostly positive reviews. The album slowly became successful and sold two million copies worldwide.
It took two years to record their second album, A Beautiful Lie. The band traveled to four continents to work around Leto's acting schedule. A Beautiful Lie was released on August 30, 2005. It has sold over four million copies. The band toured a lot to support the album. They played at major festivals like Roskilde and Rock am Ring.
In August 2008, the band had a legal dispute with their record label, EMI. After almost a year, the lawsuit was settled. Thirty Seconds to Mars signed a new contract with EMI. They released their third album, This Is War, in December 2009. This album was praised by critics and won many music awards.
Thirty Seconds to Mars started their Into the Wild Tour in February 2010. They were one of the busiest touring artists that year. In December 2011, the band set a Guinness World Records for playing the most live shows during one album cycle, with 300 shows.
In 2012, Leto directed the documentary film Artifact. It tells the story of the legal fight between Thirty Seconds to Mars and EMI. The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. It won the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary.
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..... The album received positive reviews. It reached the top ten in more than fifteen countries.
From May to September 2017, Thirty Seconds to Mars toured North America with Muse. In February 2018, the band announced the Monolith Tour. Their fifth album, America, was released on April 6, 2018. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The album was promoted with a documentary film, A Day in the Life of America, directed by Leto.
Other Work and Interests
Business Ventures
Jared Leto started a company called The Hive. It helps artists with social media and digital marketing. It is based in Studio City, Los Angeles. The company has worked with artists like Jessie J. In 2010, Leto launched The One and Only Golden Tickets. This company manages special services for concerts and festivals. In 2013, it was renamed Adventures In Wonderland.
In 2011, Leto launched VyRT, an online platform. It is a live video streaming service that also has social networking. In June 2012, VyRT won Best Online Concert Experience at the O Music Awards. In 2012, Leto became an investor in Surf Air, an airline in California. He also invests in companies like Reddit and Robinhood Markets.
Community Involvement
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Leto has been involved in many charitable activities. He volunteers at Art of Elysium, which helps children with serious medical conditions. He supports the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes. In 2006, he created art for an album cover. Money from the sales went to The Nature Conservancy. In June 2008, he worked with Habitat for Humanity to help repair homes. He also supported Habitat for Humanity in Malaysia.
Leto supports Aid Still Required, a group that helps areas affected by natural disasters. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, he released a book of photos from his trip to Haiti in 2011. This was to raise money for the country. He had lived in Haiti for a year during his childhood. In February 2015, Leto became a global ambassador for World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). He supports online fundraisers for them.
Personal Life
Jared Leto dated actress Cameron Diaz from 1999 to 2003. He was in a relationship with Russian model Valery Kaufman from 2015 to 2022.
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Filmography
Discography
- Thirty Seconds to Mars studio albums
- 30 Seconds to Mars (2002)
- A Beautiful Lie (2005)
- This Is War (2009)
- America (2018)
- It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day (2023)
See also
In Spanish: Jared Leto para niños
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of awards and nominations received by Jared Leto
