Josh Hartnett Biography
Josh Hartnett is an American actor who started his career portraying Michael Fitzgerald on ABC’s Cracker from 1997 to 1998. Following his appearance in the film, he became a teen idol appearing in films like Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, The Faculty, The Virgin Suicides, Pearl Harbor, O, Black Hawk Down, and 40 Days and 40 Nights.
Josh Hartnett Age
Hartnett was born Joshua Daniel Hartnett on July 21, 1978, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A. He is 46 years old as of 2024. Hartnett celebrates his birthday on July 21st.
Josh Hartnett Height
Hartnett stands at an approximate height of 6 feet and 3 inches.
Josh Hartnett Family
Hartnett was born to Wendy Anne Kronstedt and Daniel Thomas Hartnett. He grew up alongside his father and stepmother, Molly. His father has Irish and German roots while his birth mother has Swedish and Norwegian roots. After divorcing, Wendy moved back to San Francisco.
His father worked as a building manager and was a former guitarist for Al Green. On the other hand, his stepmother was an artist. He has three younger siblings including Jake, Joe, and Jessica. He grew up Roman Catholic and was interested in becoming a painter.
Josh Hartnett Wife
Hartnett started dating English actress Tamsin Egerton in 2012. In 2015, she gave birth to their daughter. She is 9 years old as of 2024. In 2017, she delivered their second child who is 7 years as of 2024. In 2019, she delivered their third child who is 5 years old as of 2024.
Hartnett shared that he had exchanged vows with Tamsin in November 2021. The family lives in the Surrey–Sussex border area, in southeast England. In 2024, he shared that they had welcomed their 4th child.
Josh Hartnett Relationships
According to IMDB, Hartnett dated actress Scarlett Johansson from 2004 to 2006. Before her, he dated his childhood sweetheart, Ellen Fenster, for several years. They even purchased a $2.5 million mansion together in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They split in February 2004 after deciding to go their separate ways.
Josh Hartnett Net Worth
Hartnett has an estimated net worth of between $20 Million-$30 Million which he has earned through his successful career as an actor.
Josh Hartnett Education
Hartnett studied at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School and Minneapolis South High School. While in high school, he played football but left the team due to a knee injury when he was 16. Next, he tried out youth theater, acting in productions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Guys and Dolls. His performances gained the attention of a talent scout.
After graduating high school in 1996, Hartnett joined the Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film at the State University of New York at Purchase. However, he was expelled from the school he wrote to the dean, professing that the school’s evaluation system held back the students’ creativity.
Josh Hartnett Pearl Harbor
In 2001, Hartnett starred in Pearl Harbor, winning him nominations for an MTV Movie Best Male Performance Award, Teen Choice Choice Movie Actor Award, and Razzie Worst Screen Couple (with Ben Affleck) Award. Initially, he was supposed to star as Tino in Deuces Wild but dropped the role to star in Pearl Harbor.
In preparation for his role in the film, Hartnett and his co-stars went to a shortened Army boot camp at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. For about four to five days, they trained to stimulate the experience of military life. He also talked to Pearl Harbor veterans and read multiple books about Pearl Harbor.
In Pearl Harbor, Hartnett stars as Lieutenant Danny Walker. Danny is an adept fighter pilot and childhood friend of Rafe McCawley. Rafe and Danny shoot down multiple enemy aircraft at Pearl Harbor thus, helping in the fight against the Japanese assault. He was later promoted to captain in the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Rafe and Danny are in a love triangle with nurse Evelyn Johnson which develops when Rafe is presumed dead after he is shot down over the English Channel.
Josh Hartnett Black Mirror
Hartnett starred as David Ross in the Black Mirror episode Beyond the Sea opposite Aaron Paul who stars as Gamer691/Cliff Stanfield. Cliff and David Ross are astronauts on a long mission in space in an alternate history of 1969. With the help of advanced technology, they can live in robotic replicas of themselves on Earth.
After David’s family is killed and his body destroyed by a cult, Cliff and his wife Lana permit him to use his replica on Earth. Over time, he develops an infatuation with Lana and makes sexual advances towards her. Things turn sour when Cliff finds out that David has been drawing naked paintings of Lana on the ship.
Josh Hartnett Oppenheimer
Hartnett starred as Ernest Lawrence in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Ernest is a Nobel-winning nuclear physicist and a close associate of J. Robert Oppenheimer, working together at the University of California, Berkeley. He is crucial in the Manhattan Project and the formation of atomic energy. He is known for famous for creating the cyclotron, a particle accelerator that helped advance nuclear research.
Hartnett’s performance in the film won him Critics’ Choice Movie Best Acting Ensemble Award, a Satellite Best Cast – Motion Picture Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Award.
Josh Hartnett Trap
Hartnett starred as Cooper Abbott/The Butcher in Trap. Cooper is a Philadelphia firefighter and a serial killer dubbed The Butcher. Trap follows him as he tries to escape a police blockade while attending a concert with his daughter, Riley.
Josh Hartnett The Bear
Hartnett starred as Frank in The Bear episode, Violet. Frank is the new fiancé of Richie’s ex-wife, Tiffany, and the future stepfather of her daughter, Evie.
Josh Hartnett Fame
Hartnett said that he is familiar with being in the fame world. He commented that he was uncomfortable being there, stating that it was a shortcut to unhappiness. When he went on a 15-month break from acting, he said that he spent most of that time thinking about whether or not acting was the right thing for him.
In 2015, Hartnett said that he was overwhelmed with the intensity of his sudden fame, making him not trust any new person he met or their motives. As a result, he did small movies and went on a hiatus. He also said that if he could go back in time with his wisdom, he would have been more resilient and not as panicked as he was, stating that he had grown a bit.
Batman and Turning Down Roles
Hartnett also commented on turning down roles, saying that he said no to the wrong people. Expounding on that, he mentioned that he was exhausted and wanted to be with friends and family. He said that he learned his lesson when he refused the role of Batman in Christopher Nolan’s film, stating that Christopher didn’t want him in The Prestige with him casting Christian Bale(who played Batman after he turned the role down) and Scarlett Johansson for the film.
Hartnett said that this helped him realize that relationships were formed in the fire of that first Batman film and he should have formed a relationship with Christopher. He said that he found Christopher cool and talented. Further, he said that he was afraid of being categorized as only one thing as an actor, which he countered by saying that he should have thought of working harder. Harnett said that it had been pleasant seeing Christian Bale go so far who has been able to overcome the possibility of being pigeonholed.
Josh Hartnett Career
Hartnett initially wanted to be a painter but changed to an actor when he worked at a video rental shop, acquainting him with films like Trainspotting, 12 Monkeys, and The Usual Suspects. When he was 19, he relocated to Los Angeles after Nancy Kremer, his manager, recommended. Nancy had helped him book television commercials.
Briefly, after coming to Los Angeles, Hartnett landed a role in ABC’s Cracker. He then starred as John Tate in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, winning him nominations for a Blockbuster Entertainment Favorite Male Newcomer Award and an MTV Movie Best Breakthrough Male Performance Award.
Hartnett then starred in major films like The Faculty, The Virgin Suicides, and Black Hawk Down. His performance in The Faculty won him a nomination for a Saturn Best Performance by a Younger Actor Award. Further, he won a nomination for a Teen Choice Choice Action Movie Actor Award and a Phoenix Film Critics Society Best Acting Ensemble Cast Award for his performance in Black Hawk Down. In 1999, Teen People mentioned him in their list of the “21 Hottest Stars Under 21.”
In 2001, Hartnett starred in Pearl Harbor, winning him nominations for an MTV Movie Best Male Performance Award, Teen Choice Choice Movie Actor Award, and Razzie Worst Screen Couple (with Ben Affleck) Award. Initially, he was supposed to star as Tino in Deuces Wild but dropped the role to star in Pearl Harbor. That same year, he starred in O as Hugo based on William Shakespeare’s Othello set in an American high school. The following year, he appeared in 40 Days and 40 Nights. His performance in the film won him a nomination for a Teen Choice Choice Chemistry ( with Shannyn Sossamon) Award.
Early 2000s to 2009
In the early 2000s, Hartnett received several proposals to star as Clark Kent/Superman but he turned down the role since he didn’t want to commit to a predicted ten-year role. He was also considered to star as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins.
In 2002, he appeared in People’s “50 Most Beautiful People” and Teen People’s “25 Hottest Stars under 25.” Bliss magazine voted him as the “3rd Sexiest Male.” Marketed as a teen idol and a potential megastar, he stopped going after roles in influential films because of his unease with this public image.
Hartnett starred in Hollywood Homicide in 2003, Wicker Park in 2004, Mozart and the Whale in 2005, Sin City in 2005, and Lucky Number Slevin in 2006. In 2006, he also starred in The Black Dahlia as a detective looking into the real-life murder of waitress Elizabeth Short. He was cast in the role five years before the film’s production, committing to the movie since he liked the subject matter.
In 2007, Hartnett appeared in Resurrecting the Champ and 30 Days of Night. His performance won in 30 Days of Night him a nomination for the Teen Choice Choice Horror Movie Actor Award. He was to star as Chet Baker in The Prince of Cool but left the project since he didn’t agree with the producer’s ideas.
In 2008, Hartnett starred as Charlie Babbit in Rain Man at the Apollo Theatre in London’s West End. He also appeared in a campaign for the Emporio Armani fragrance, “Diamonds for Men.” In this magnitude, he appeared in print and TV ads for the fragrance, making him the initial male celebrity to represent Giorgio Armani Beauty.
2009 to present;
Hartnett has made appearances on the covers of magazines like Fair, GQ Cosmogirl, Details, Girlfriend, Seventeen, Entertainment Weekly, Vanity, and Vman. Moreover, he has been featured in People, Glamour, Vogue, Elle, In Touch, and InStyle magazines.
In 2009, he worked as the producer for the music video of Kid Cudi’s Pursuit of Happiness. During this time, he starred in multiple direct-to-DVD films and international films including August, I Come with the Rain, Bunraku, Girl Walks into a Bar, Stuck Between Stations, The Lovers, Parts per Billion, and Wild Horses. In 2013, he was a guest of honor on Off Plus Camera.
Hartnett joined the cast of Penny Dreadful as Ethan Chandler in 2014. Later, he was revealed to portray Lawrence Talbot/the Wolfman. In 2017, he starred in Atsuko Hirayanagi’s Oh Lucy!, premiering at the Cannes Film Festival. That same year, he acted in and produced 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain. He continued starring in smaller films like The Ottoman Lieutenant, She’s Missing, Inherit the Viper, Valley of the Gods, and Ida Red.
Hartnett starred as Victor Malarek in Target Number One. The following year, he appeared in Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man. Guy then cast him in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. In January 2022, he starred as Ernest Lawrence in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. In July of that year, he joined the cast of SN 6 Black Mirror. He starred as the serial killer Cooper Abbott/The Butcher in M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap. That same year, he starred as Frank in SN 3 of The Bear. He is scheduled to star in The Long Home.
Activism
Hartnett has participated in several causes. In 2007, he went on a film hiatus to support Global Cool’s green lifestyle campaign. 4 years later, he joined the USAID and Ad Council’s FWD campaign, an initiative linked to 2011’s East Africa drought. He alongside Chanel Iman, Uma Thurman, and Geena Davis appeared in TV and Internet ads to share facts about the disaster.
In 2012, Hartnett joined Barack Obama’s campaign in Minnesota, appearing at events like the Minnesota Greater Together Youth Summit. He also formally promoted him on the official campaign YouTube channel. In collaboration with Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak, he went to the University of Minnesota’s McNamara Alumni Center for an Obama Q&A in April.
Josh Hartnett Movies and TV Shows
Hartnett has starred in multiple movies and TV shows during his career such as
- Here on Earth
- Blow Dry
- Town & Country
- Hollywood Homicide
- Wicker Park
- Mozart and the Whale
- Resurrecting the Champ
- The Ottoman Lieutenant
- Inherit the Viper
- Die Hart
- Target Number One
- Paradise Lost
- Exterminate All the Brutes
- Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre
- The Fear Index
Josh Hartnett Social Media Platforms
He is active on his social media accounts and often posts on his Twitter(now known as X). He has over 21K followers on X(previously known as Twitter)