Paul Walker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Walker
Walker at the premiere of Fast & Furious in London, March 2009
Born	Paul William Walker IV (1973-09-12)September 12, 1973 Glendale, California, U.S.
Died	November 30, 2013(2013-11-30) (aged 40) Santa Clarita, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Car crash
Burial place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
Education	Village Christian School
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1975–2013
Children	Meadow
Relatives	Cody Walker (brother)

Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He became famous for playing Brian O'Conner in the exciting Fast & Furious movies.

Paul Walker started acting when he was a child in the 1980s. He became more well-known in the 1990s after appearing in the TV show The Young and the Restless. He also got good reviews for his roles in teen movies like She's All That and Varsity Blues (both from 1999).

His big break came when he starred in The Fast and the Furious in 2001. This movie made him an international star. He also starred in the thriller Joy Ride (2001), which helped him become known as an action movie star.

Paul Walker sadly passed away on November 30, 2013, in a car accident. He was a passenger in a car that crashed. At the time, he was still filming Furious 7 (2015). The movie was finished using special effects and with his brothers, Cody and Caleb, helping as stand-ins. The song "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth was made as a tribute to him.

Paul Walker's Early Life and Education

Paul Walker was born on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California. His mother, Cheryl, was a fashion model. His father, Paul William Walker III, was a sewer contractor and a former amateur boxer. His grandfather was also a boxer and another relative raced cars for Ford.

Paul grew up with four younger brothers and sisters: Aimee, Ashlie, Caleb, and Cody. He spent most of his early life in the Sunland area of Los Angeles. He graduated from Village Christian School in 1991. After high school, he went to several colleges in Southern California. He studied marine biology, which is the study of ocean life.

Paul Walker's Acting Career

Paul Walker began his career as a model when he was just a toddler. He appeared in a TV commercial for Pampers at age two. He continued to be in commercials, like one for Showbiz Pizza in 1984. That same year, he started acting on television.

Early TV and Movie Roles

He appeared in the TV series CBS Schoolbreak Special. Paul continued to work in television until 1996. He was in two episodes of Highway to Heaven between 1984 and 1986. In 1987, he got his first main role as Jeremy Beatty in the TV show Throb.

In the early 1990s, he had guest roles in other TV shows. These included Charles in Charge and Who's the Boss?. In 1993, he played Brandon Collins on the soap opera The Young and the Restless. He and his co-star Heather Tom became famous and were nominated for awards.

Paul Walker started his film career in 1986. His first movie was the horror comedy Monster in the Closet. In 1994, he starred in Tammy and the T-Rex. He got his first big movie role in the comedy Meet the Deedles in 1998. Even though that movie wasn't very successful, it helped him get supporting roles in other films. These included Pleasantville (1998), Varsity Blues (1999), She's All That (1999), and The Skulls (2000).

Becoming a Star with Fast & Furious

In 2001, Paul Walker had his breakthrough role alongside Vin Diesel in the action movie The Fast and the Furious. This movie was a huge success and started a very popular movie series. It also made Paul Walker a big movie star. His performance even won him an MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team (shared with Vin Diesel) in 2002.

He also starred in the successful thriller Joy Ride (2001), which also involved cars. He played Brian O'Conner again in the 2003 sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious. After this, he was in some movies that were not as successful, like Timeline (2003) and Into the Blue (2005).

Picture of Fast Five cast (from left) Dwayne Johnson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Vin Diesel, and Walker with Natalie Morales for NBC's Today Show taken in April 2011

In 2006, Paul Walker was in two notable films. He played Hank Hansen in Clint Eastwood's war movie Flags of Our Fathers. He also starred in the survival drama Eight Below. Eight Below was praised by critics and was a box office hit. It made over $20 million during its first weekend.

Even though he was unsure at first, Paul Walker returned to play Brian O'Conner seven years later. He starred in Fast & Furious (2009). This movie became the highest-earning film in the series at that time. He then played his role again in the fifth and sixth movies of the series. These movies were very successful, and his acting was praised.

Paul Walker was nominated for several awards for these films. He was nominated for Choice Movie Actor – Action at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards for Fast Five. For Fast & Furious 6, he was nominated for Choice Movie: Chemistry (with Diesel and Dwayne Johnson). He also won his second MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo with Vin Diesel for that movie.

Paul Walker also starred in the heist movie Takers (2010). In 2011, he returned to modeling and became the face of the fragrance brand Cool Water. In 2012, he started his own film production company called Laguna Ridge Pictures.

Posthumous Film Releases

After his death in 2013, four movies starring Paul Walker were released. These included the thriller Hours (2013) and the action film Brick Mansions (2014). He also worked as an executive producer on the film Pawn Shop Chronicles (2013).

Furious 7 was originally planned for release in 2014. However, it was delayed to allow filmmakers to complete Paul Walker's scenes. They used special effects and his brothers, Caleb and Cody, as stand-ins. The movie was finally released in 2015. For his role in Furious 7, Paul Walker won the award for Choice Movie Actor: Action at the 2015 Teen Choice Awards.

Paul Walker was also supposed to play Agent 47 in the movie Hitman: Agent 47 (2015). However, he passed away before filming began. It was also revealed that he had turned down the role of Superman in Superman Returns (2006).

Paul Walker's Personal Life and Hobbies

Paul Walker was raised in a Latter-day Saint home. Later, he became a non-denominational Christian. He lived in Santa Barbara with his dogs.

He had a daughter named Meadow Rain Walker with a former girlfriend, Rebecca Soteros. Meadow lived with her mother in Hawaii for 13 years. She then moved to California to live with Paul in 2011. Paul Walker was very close friends with his Fast & Furious co-star Vin Diesel. Vin Diesel was Meadow's godfather. Paul was also good friends with another co-star, Tyrese Gibson.

Paul Walker held a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This is a martial art focused on grappling. He was given his black belt in this martial art after he passed away.

He founded a charity called Reach Out Worldwide (ROWW) with his friend Roger Rodas. This charity provides humanitarian aid to people affected by disasters. He traveled to many disaster areas to help people until his death.

Walker drove a R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec in 2 Fast 2 Furious. He later owned the car.

Paul Walker was very interested in marine biology. In 2006, he joined the board of directors of The Billfish Foundation. He achieved a lifelong dream by starring in the National Geographic Channel series Expedition Great White. This show premiered in June 2010. Paul spent 11 days catching and tagging seven great white sharks off the coast of Mexico. This expedition helped scientists study shark migration patterns.

Paul was also a big car enthusiast. He competed in the Redline Time Attack racing series. He raced a BMW E92 M3 on the AE Performance Team. He also owned Always Evolving, a high-end car performance shop in Valencia. His friend Roger Rodas was the CEO of this shop.

Paul Walker had a large collection of about 30 cars. He owned some of these cars with Roger Rodas. In January 2020, twenty-one of his vehicles were sold at a car auction for over $2.3 million.

Paul Walker's Passing

The site of Walker's death on Hercules Street in Santa Clarita, 2015

On November 30, 2013, Paul Walker, who was 40, and Roger Rodas, 38, left a charity event. The event was for Paul's charity, Reach Out Worldwide, which helped victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Rodas was driving his 2005 Porsche Carrera GT.

The car was traveling very fast, between 80 and 93 miles per hour, in an area with a 45 miles per hour speed limit. The car crashed into a concrete lamp post and two trees on Hercules Street in Valencia. The car then caught fire. Roger Rodas died from his injuries. Paul Walker died from a combination of injuries and burns.

The curve where the accident happened is known for drifting cars. Police investigated and found no evidence of drag racing. The investigation concluded that the car's high speed and the age of its tires were the main reasons for the crash.

Grave of Paul Walker at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills

Since Furious 7 was still being filmed when Paul Walker died, Universal Pictures paused the production. They wanted to talk with his family before deciding what to do with the movie.

Many friends and movie stars shared tributes to Paul Walker on social media. His body was cremated, and his ashes were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. A documentary about his life, I Am Paul Walker, was released on August 11, 2018.

Lawsuits Related to His Death

In December 2014, Paul Walker's father filed a lawsuit against Roger Rodas's estate. He was seeking the return of or a share of money from a group of cars that Paul and Roger owned together.

In September 2015, Paul Walker's daughter filed a lawsuit against Porsche. She claimed that the Porsche Carrera GT had several design flaws. She said it had a history of being unstable, and that the seat belt could cause harm in a crash. Porsche denied any fault. They stated that Paul Walker knew the risks of using the vehicle.

Paul Walker's father and daughter both reached separate agreements with Porsche outside of court. In April 2016, a judge ruled in favor of Porsche in a separate lawsuit filed by Rodas's widow, Kristine.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Paul Walker para niños