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Paul Walker

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For other people named Paul Walker, see Paul Walker (disambiguation).

Paul Walker
Walker in March 2009 at the Fast & Furious premiere in London's Leicester Square
Born
Paul William Walker IV

(1973-09-12)September 12, 1973[1]
Glendale, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 30, 2013(2013-11-30) (aged 40)
Santa Clarita, California, U.S.
Cause of deathTraffic collision
EducationVillage Christian School
OccupationActor
Years active1985–2013
Children1
Websitewww.paulwalker.com

Paul William Walker IV[3] (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He became famous in 1999 after his role in the hit film Varsity Blues, but later garnered fame as Brian O'Connor in The Fast and the Furious film series. His other well known works are Eight Below, Running Scared, The Lazarus Project, Into the Blue, Joy Ride, She's All That, and Takers.

Early life

Walker, the son of Cherylkynle(née Crabtree), a fashion model, and Paul William Walker III, a sewer contractor and a fighter who was a two-time Golden Gloves champion,[4] was born in Glendale, California.[5][6] His paternal grandfather was a professional boxer.[7] One of his grandfathers raced factory cars for Ford in the 1960s.[4] The oldest of five siblings, Walker was raised primarily in the Sunland community of Los Angeles and attended high school in the San Fernando Valley, graduating from Sun Valley's Village Christian School in 1991.[8][9] He was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[5] After high school, Walker attended several community colleges in Southern California, majoring in marine biology.[10]

Career

Walker began his small screen career as a toddler, when he starred in a television commercial for Pampers. He began modeling at the age of two and began working on television shows in 1985, with roles in shows such as Highway to Heaven, Who's the Boss?, The Young and the Restless, and Touched by an Angel. That same year, he starred in a commercial for Showbiz Pizza.[11] Walker's film career began in 1986, with the horror/comedy film Monster in the Closet. He and his sister Ashlie were contestants on a 1988 episode of the game show I'm Telling!; they finished in second place. In 1993 he played Brandon Collins on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. He and his co-star Heather Tom, who played Victoria Newman, were nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a soap opera at the Youth in Film Awards. In 1998, Walker made his feature film debut in the comedy Meet the Deedles, which finally gained him fame. This subsequently led to supporting roles in the movies Pleasantville (1998), Varsity Blues (1999), She's All That (1999), and The Skulls (2000).

Walker at a convention in February 2006

In 2001, Walker's breakthrough role arrived when he starred opposite actor Vin Diesel in the successful action film The Fast and the Furious. The film established Walker as a notable film star and leading man and led to his reprisal of the role in the 2003 sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious. He continued his career with leading roles in films such as Joy Ride (2001), Into the Blue (2005), and Timeline (2003); he had a supporting role in Clint Eastwood's adaptation of Flags of Our Fathers (2006).

Walker then starred in the crime thriller Running Scared and Walt Disney Pictures' Eight Below, both released in 2006. Eight Below garnered critical-acclaim and opened in first place at the box office, grossing over US$20 million during its first weekend.[12] During the filming of Running Scared, director Wayne Kramer stated that "[Walker] is that guy on some level"[13] when comparing Walker with his character in the movie, Joey Gazelle. Kramer continued on to say that he "loved working with [Walker] because as a director he's completely supportive of my vision of what the film is. And even better, he's completely game for it."[13]

Walker starred in the independent film The Lazarus Project, which was released on DVD on October 21, 2008. He subsequently returned to The Fast and the Furious franchise, reprising his role in Fast & Furious, which was released on April 3, 2009.[14] Walker then appeared in the crime drama Takers, which began filming in early September 2008 and was released in August 2010.[15]

The Coty Prestige fragrance brand Davidoff Cool Water for Men announced in January 2011 that Walker was going to be the new face of the brand as of July 2011.[16] He reprised his role in the fifth installment of The Fast and the Furious series, Fast Five (2011), and again in Fast & Furious 6 (2013). Upcoming films in which Walker starred or appeared in due for release are Hours, set for release in December 2013, and Brick Mansions, set for release in May 2014. At the time of his death, Walker had been filming Fast and Furious 7, which was slated for release in July 2014.[17] He was also set to play Agent 47 in the Hitman film adaptation.[18]

Personal life

Walker lived in Santa Barbara with his dogs.[5][19] He and Rebecca McBrain,[20] a one-time girlfriend,[21] had a daughter[22] who lived with her mother in Hawaii for 13 years and then moved to California to live with Walker in 2011.[23] He held a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Ricardo "Franjinha" Miller at Paragon Jiu-Jitsu[24] and was awarded with his black belt by Miller posthumously.[25]

Walker's first passion was marine biology; he joined the Board of Directors of The Billfish Foundation in 2006.[26] He fulfilled a lifelong dream by starring in a National Geographic Channel series Expedition Great White (later retitled Shark Men), which premiered in June 2010.[27][28] He spent 11 days as part of the crew, catching and tagging 7 great white sharks off the coast of Mexico. The expedition, led by Chris Fischer, founder and CEO of Fischer Productions, along with Captain Brett McBride and Dr. Michael Domeier of the Marine Conservation Science Institute took measurements, gathered DNA samples, and fastened real-time satellite tags to the great white sharks. This allowed Dr. Domeier to study migratory patterns especially those associated with mating and birthing over a 5-year period of time.[29]

In March 2010, Walker went to Constitución, Chile to offer his help and support to the people injured in the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on February 27. He flew with his humanitarian aid team, REACH OUT Worldwide, to Haiti to lend a helping hand to the 2010 Haiti earthquake victims.[30]

Walker drove a Nissan Skyline GT-R in 2 Fast 2 Furious.

An avid car enthusiast, he competed in the Redline Time Attack racing series in which he raced an M3 E92 and was on the AE Performance Team. His car was sponsored by Etnies, Brembo Brakes, Ohlins, Volk, OS Giken, Hankook, Gintani, and Reach Out Worldwide.[31] Walker had been preparing for an auto show prior to his death.[32]

Roger Rodas became Walker's financial adviser in 2007 and helped to establish Reach Out Worldwide.[33] Rodas was the CEO of Always Evolving, a Valencia high-end vehicle performance shop owned by Walker.[34] He shared a close friendship with Tyrese Gibson.[35]

Death

On November 30, 2013, at approximately 3:30 p.m. PST, Walker and friend Roger Rodas; who was a former professional racer and later worked as Paul Walker's financial adviser[36] age 38, left an event for Walker's charity Reach Out Worldwide for victims of Typhoon Haiyan[37][38] in Rodas' red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. After leaving the event, the car crashed into a light pole and tree on Hercules Street, a 45 mph speed zone near Kelly Johnson Parkway in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California, after which the vehicle burst into flames.[37][39][40][41][42] The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department declared both victims dead at the scene.[40][43] Rodas died of multiple traumatic injuries, while Walker died from the combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries, according to the Los Angeles county coroner's office.[44]

The curve where Walker and Rodas were killed is a popular spot for drifting cars.[45] Investigators believe the car he was in reached at least 90 mph before the crash.[46] Police also investigated as to whether drag racing played a role, but were unable to find evidence of a second car's involvement.[47] A different theory given by Paul Walker's family claims that reflectors on the road may have contributed to the crash, claiming this particular kind of Porsche is known to lose control if coming into contact with even the tiniest road bumps while speeding.[48] Authorities determined that Rodas was driving the car, while Walker was the passenger.[44]

With Fast & Furious 7 in the middle of filming at the time of Walker's death, Universal announced an indeterminate hiatus on the production, citing a desire to speak with his family before determining what to do with the film.[49] Numerous friends and movie stars have posted tributes to Walker on social media.[50]

Filmography

Film

Fast Five cast with Natalie Morales for NBC's Today Show.
Year Title Role Notes
1986 Monster in the Closet Professor Bennett
1987 Programmed to Kill Jason
1994 Tammy and the T-Rex Michael
1998 Meet the Deedles Phil Deedle
1998 Pleasantville Skip Martin
1999 Varsity Blues Lance Harbor
1999 She's All That Dean Sampson
1999 Brokedown Palace Jason Uncredited
2000 The Skulls Caleb Mandrake
2001 The Fast and the Furious Brian O'Connor
2001 Joy Ride Lewis Thomas
2002 Life Makes Sense If You're Famous Mikey
2003 Turbo-Charged Prelude Brian O'Connor Short introductory film for 2 Fast 2 Furious
2003 2 Fast 2 Furious Brian O'Connor
2003 Timeline Chris Johnston
2004 Noel Mike Riley
2005 Into the Blue Jared Cole
2006 Eight Below Jerry Shepard
2006 Running Scared Joey Gazelle
2006 Flags of Our Fathers Hank Hansen
2007 Stories USA Mikey
2007 The Death and Life of Bobby Z Tim Kearney
2008 The Lazarus Project Ben Garvey
2009 Fast & Furious Brian O'Connor
2010 Takers John Rahway
2011 Fast Five Brian O'Connor
2013 Vehicle 19 Michael Woods
2013 Fast & Furious 6 Brian O'Connor
2013 Pawn Shop Chronicles Raw Dog
2013 Hours Nolan
2014 Brick Mansions Damien
2014 Fast & Furious 7 Brian O'Connor Had not finished filming his scenes at time of death
2015 Random Acts Of Violence Unknown Had not finished filming his scenes at time of death

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Highway to Heaven Eric Travers 1 episode
1986 Highway to Heaven Todd Bryant 2 episodes
1986–1987 Throb Jeremy Beatty 23 episodes
1988 I'm Telling! Contestant 1 episode
1990 Charles in Charge Russell Davis 1 episode
1991 Who's the Boss? Michael Haynes 1 episode
1992–1993 The Young and the Restless Brandon Collins
1994 CBS Schoolbreak Special Dill 1 episode
1994 The Boys Are Back Jesse Hansen Pilot episode
1996 Touched by an Angel Jonathan 1 episode
2010 Shark Men Himself 3 episodes
2013 Shark Week Himself 1 episode

Music videos

Year Artist Song
1997 The Mighty Mighty Bosstones "Wrong Thing Right Then"
2003 Ludacris "Act a Fool"

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Film/TV show Result
1993 The Youth in Film Awards Outstanding Lead Actor Nominated
2000 Young Hollywood Award Exciting New Face – Male Nominated
2001 Hollywood Breakthrough Award Breakthrough Male Performance Won
2001 Young Hollywood Award New Stylemaker – Male Won
2002 MTV Movie Award Best On-Screen Team
Shared with Vin Diesel		 The Fast and the Furious Won
2002 MTV Movie Award Breakthrough Male Performance The Fast and the Furious Nominated
2003 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Chemistry
For Paul Walker and his car		 2 Fast 2 Furious Won
2009 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actor: Action Adventure Fast & Furious Nominated
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actor: Action Adventure Fast Five Nominated

References

  1. ^ "Paul Walker - Biography". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  2. ^ "Paul Walker on Christian Faith: 'Who Couldn't Believe There's a God?'". The Christian Post. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  3. ^ WGN News at Nine. November 30, 2013. 32 minutes in. WGN-TV/WGN America. {{cite episode}}: More than one of |minutes= and |time= specified (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b Hobson, Louis B. (June 17, 2001). "Paul Walker kicks it into high gear". Canoe.ca. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c Keck, William (September 27, 2005). "Fame lets Paul Walker dive in". USA Today. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  6. ^ Atkin, Hillary (June 6, 2003). "Walker's in the 'Fast' lane to film stardom". USA Today. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  7. ^ "Meet Paul Walker". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. March 29, 2006. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  8. ^ "Stars React To Paul Walker's Death, Other Crash Victim Identified". CBS Los Angeles. December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  9. ^ Gazzar, Brenda (December 1, 2013). "'Fast & Furious' star Paul Walker remembered as kind, carefree". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  10. ^ "Paul Walker Bio: Fast & Furious Actor". Tribute. Tribute Entertainment Media Group. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  11. ^ Youtube. "Showbiz Pizza Commercial". Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  12. ^ "Eight Below (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  13. ^ a b Murray, Rebecca. "Intassiew with 'Running Scared'Writer/Director Wayne Kramer". About.com. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  14. ^ "Apple – Movie Trailers – Fast and Furious". Apple. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  15. ^ Fleming, Michael (September 9, 2008). "Screen Gems digs up 'Bone' cast". Variety. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  16. ^ "Coty Prestige Announces Agreement with Paul Walker". PR Newswire. January 14, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  17. ^ "Report: Paul Walkers death forces delay of Fast and Furious 7 shoot". HitFix. December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  18. ^ Trumbore, Dave. "Paul Walker Leads HITMAN Reboot in AGENT 47". Collider. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  19. ^ Koltnow, Barry (February 18, 2006). "Just chillin'". The Orange County Register. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  20. ^ Gilbey, Ryan (December 1, 2013). "Paul Walker obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  21. ^ "Paul Walker: Daughter Meadow with ex girlfriend Rebecca McBrain left behind after actor's tragic death in car accident". Christian Today. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  22. ^ "Meadow Walker Paul Walker's Adorable Daughter[PHOTOS]". Daily Entertainment News. November 30, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  23. ^ Smith, Grady (December 1, 2013). "The sides of Paul Walker you may have missed". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  24. ^ Duane, Daniel (September 6, 2005). "Paul Walker's Adventure Sports Workout Routine". Men's Health. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  25. ^ "Paul Walker receives BJJ Black Belt at Memorial". Bjpenn.com. December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  26. ^ "Paul Walker Joins The Billfish Foundation to Kick-Off 20th Anniversary Celebration". Sport Fishing. September 25, 2006. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  27. ^ "Paul Walker Leads Shark Expedition". Starpulse.com. November 12, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  28. ^ "Actor Paul Walker Joins National Geographic Shark Expedition". DiverWire. November 13, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  29. ^ "Expedition Great White". National Geographic. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  30. ^ "REACH OUT Worldwide". REACH OUT Worldwide.
  31. ^ "AE Performance". Redline Time Attack.
  32. ^ "Paul Walker, estrella de "Rápidos y furiosos" falleció en accidente de tránsito". El Comercio.
  33. ^ "Call to Action". Merrill Lynch. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  34. ^ Smith, Perry (November 30, 2013). "Paul Walker, Santa Clarita CEO Reportedly Killed In Fatal Single-Car Crash". KHTS Radio. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  35. ^ "Tyrese Gibson Heartbroken Over Paul Walker's Death". ABC News. December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  36. ^ "Walker and Rodas, you will be missed". December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  37. ^ a b Duke, Alan; Sutton, Joe (December 1, 2013). "'Fast & Furious' star Paul Walker killed in car crash". CNN. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  38. ^ "'Fast and Furious' star Paul Walker dies in Valencia car crash, publicist says". ABC News. November 30, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  39. ^ "Officials: Paul Walker crash not part of street race". The Press Democrat. December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  40. ^ a b "Publicist: Fast & Furious Actor Paul Walker Dies in Car Crash". Time. November 30, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  41. ^ Schabner, Dean (November 30, 2013). 'Fast and Furious' Star Paul Walker Killed in Crash". ABC News.
  42. ^ Joel Landau (November 30, 2013). "Paul Walker dead at 40:'Fast and Furious' star killed in fiery car crash". Daily News. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  43. ^ "Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker dies in California car crash". BBC News US & Canada. BBC News. December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  44. ^ a b "Big questions in Walker crash probe". CNN. November 30, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  45. ^ Wood, Daniel B. (December 4, 2013). "Paul Walker crash could 'romanticize' growing street racing culture". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  46. ^ Breuer, Howard (December 4, 2013). "Paul Walker Car Reached at Least 90 MPH Before Fatal Crash, Investigator Says". People. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  47. ^ "Paul Walker death investigation: Police rule out second vehicle, focus on speed". CNN. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  48. ^ "New Theory in Paul Walker Crash". Yahoo News. December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  49. ^ Gonzalez, Maricela. "'Fast & Furious 7' production halted after Paul Walker's death". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  50. ^ "'Speechless' Vin Diesel pays tribute to Paul Walker". The New Zealand Herald. December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
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