Jared Leto filmography

A profile picture of an adult man.
Leto at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con

Jared Leto is an American entertainer with an extensive career in film, music, and television. He made his debut with minor roles in the television shows Camp Wilder (1992) and Almost Home (1993). He achieved recognition in 1994 for his role as Jordan Catalano in the teen drama television series My So-Called Life.[1] The show was praised for its portrayal of adolescence and gained a cult following, despite being canceled after only one season.[2] The same year, he made his television film debut starring alongside Alicia Silverstone in Cool and the Crazy. Leto's first film role was in the 1995 drama How to Make an American Quilt. He later co-starred with Christina Ricci in The Last of the High Kings (1996) and received a supporting role in Switchback (1997). In 1997, Leto starred in the biopic Prefontaine, in which he played the role of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine. His portrayal received positive reviews from critics and is often considered his breakthrough role.[3][4] The following year, Leto starred together with Alicia Witt in the horror Urban Legend. He then acted alongside Sean Penn and Adrien Brody in the war film The Thin Red Line (1998). After supporting roles in Black and White and Girl, Interrupted, Leto portrayed Angel Face in Fight Club (1999), which has since become a cult film.[5]

In 2000, Leto played Paul Allen in the psychological thriller American Psycho. The same year, he starred as heroin addict Harry Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream, directed by Darren Aronofsky. His acting in the addiction drama received praise from film critics.[6] During this period Leto focused increasingly on his band Thirty Seconds to Mars, returning to acting in 2002 in the David Fincher-directed thriller Panic Room, which was well-received both critically and commercially.[7][8] Following the lead role in the independent film Highway (2002), he co-starred with Colin Farrell in the historical drama Alexander (2004) as Hephaestion. Leto then starred together with Nicolas Cage in the political crime thriller Lord of War (2005) and acted alongside Salma Hayek in the crime drama Lonely Hearts (2006) as Raymond Fernandez. He also began to direct music videos for Thirty Seconds to Mars, with the first being "The Kill" (2006). The following year, he portrayed Mark David Chapman in the biopic Chapter 27. Despite divided critical opinion on the film as a whole, Leto's performance was widely praised.[9]

In 2009, he starred in the science fiction drama Mr. Nobody directed by Jaco Van Dormael. Critics praised the film's artistry and Leto's acting.[10][11] He later directed the music videos for "Kings and Queens" (2009) and "Hurricane" (2010), which were both nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction.[12][13] The latter garnered controversy upon release and was initially censored due to its elements of violence.[14] In 2012, Leto made his directorial debut with the documentary film Artifact. After a six-year hiatus, he returned to film acting in the 2013 drama Dallas Buyers Club starring together with Matthew McConaughey, for which he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and a variety of film critics' circle awards.[15] Leto then premiered the web series Into the Wild (2014) and the documentary film A Day in the Life of America (2019). He also played the Joker in the superhero film Suicide Squad (2016), which was unfavorably reviewed by critics, though Leto's performance was better received.[16]

In 2021, he played suspected serial killer Albert Sparma in John Lee Hancock's film The Little Things, which earned Leto nominations for a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award—both for Best Supporting Actor. The same year, Leto portrays fashion designer and business magnate Paolo Gucci in Ridley Scott's biographical crime drama film House of Gucci, which earned Leto nomination for a Satellite Award and Critics' Choice Movie Award—both for Best Supporting Actor.[17][18] He played the Marvel Comics character Morbius the Living Vampire in the live-action film Morbius released in 2022, part of Sony's Spider-Man Universe.[19]

  1. ^ Meagher, John (January 25, 2008). "The Big Interview: 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  2. ^ Lavery, David (2010). The Essential Cult TV Reader. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. p. 174. ISBN 978-0-8131-2568-8.
  3. ^ McCarthy, Todd (February 1, 1997). "Prefontaine". Variety. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  4. ^ Hobson, Louis B. (September 28, 1998). "His So-Called Life's on a Roll". Calgary Sun.
  5. ^ Ansen, David (July 11, 2005). "Is Anybody Making Movies We'll Actually Watch In 50 Years?". Newsweek.
  6. ^ Hensley, Dennis (April 1, 2002). "Jared Leto: Thriving in the Dark". Movieline. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  7. ^ "Panic Room (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  8. ^ Forrest, Emma (April 13, 2002). "Not just a pretty face". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  9. ^ Selvin, Joel (April 18, 2008). "Chapter 27". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  10. ^ Crousse, Nicolas (January 13, 2010). "L'extra (et) ordinaire Mister Nobody". Le Soir (in French). Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  11. ^ Kirkland, Bruce (July 15, 2010). "'Mr. Nobody' something special". Jam!. Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ Dinh, James (September 12, 2010). "30 Seconds To Mars 'Amazed' By VMA Best Rock Video Win". MTV. Viacom Media Networks. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  13. ^ Montgomery, James (July 12, 2011). "30 Seconds To Mars Call VMA Nominations 'Humbling'". MTV. Viacom Media Networks. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  14. ^ Vick, Megan (November 30, 2010). "30 Seconds To Mars Video Banned By MTV". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  15. ^ Wang, Andrea (March 2, 2014). "Oscars 2014: Jared Leto wins supporting actor Academy Award". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  16. ^ Khatchatourian, Maane (August 3, 2016). "'Suicide Squad' Director Responds to Negative Reviews". Variety. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  17. ^ "House of Gucci". IMDb. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "SAG Awards Nominations: 'Ma Rainey', 'Minari' Lead Film List; 'The Crown', 'Schitt's Creek' Top TV And 'Bridgerton' Arrives". February 4, 2021. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  19. ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (January 27, 2021). "Jared Leto on the Hardest Part About Playing Morbius in a Marvel Movie". Variety. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.