James Caviezel: Biography
James was born on September 26, 1968. He was born in Mount Vernon, Washington, to parents Jim and Maggie. He is one of five children, he has three sisters and one brother, and his family was Catholic and deeply religious. His family name is Romansch, which comes from Switzerland.
When he was younger he dreamed of being a basketball star but sadly, those hopes were shattered by a sports injury. Therefore, he turned to his other talent, which was acting.
James's first role was won with a bit of cunning on his part. He auditioned for a small role in, "My Own Private Idaho", pretending he was an Italian immigrant. Well, he won the part and his career in acting began.
In 1993, he was accepted at the Juilliard School for the Performing Arts, but instead decided to take a small part in the movie, 'Wyatt Earp." He earned money on the side by working as a waiter and trying to move his way up the ladder at the studio.
He is currently married to Kerri Caviezel, who is a high school English teacher. James is very dedicated to his wife and follows his religious morals even during movies shoots. He believes that he should set a good example for kids and refuses to do love scenes that are too revealing.
James Caviezel: Career
After making his film debut with a bit part as an airline clerk in Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho (1991), Caviezel went on to have a similarly minor role in Diggstown the next year. Subsequently accepted at Juilliard, he declined the school's offer in favor of a supporting role in Lawrence Kasdan's 1994 Wyatt Earp. Unfortunately, the film turned out to be a fairly major flop and Caviezel remained stuck in either minor roles in large films like The Rock (1996) and G.I. Jane (1997) or more substantial roles in complete turkeys such as Ed (1996). Fortunately, Terrence Malick came calling, and, in 1998, Caviezel had his breakthrough role in The Thin Red Line. The film received a number of Oscar nominations, and its stellar ensemble cast, which included Ben Chaplin, Sean Penn, George Clooney, and Nick Nolte, earned almost unanimous acclaim. The following year, Caviezel gained further recognition with his role as one of a group of renegade Civil War soldiers in Ang Lee's Ride With the Devil and his portrayal of a football coach's embittered son in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday.
In 2000, Caviezel starred in the supernatural thriller Frequency, playing the son of a long-dead man (Any Given Sunday co-star Dennis Quaid) with whom he is able to communicate over a ham radio. Later that year, he starred in Pay It Forward, which cast him as a homeless junkie who is befriended by a young boy (Haley Joel Osment). A role opposite Jennifer Lopez in the heady romantic drama Angel Eyes (2001) did little to increase Caviezel's name recognition when the film died a quick death at the box office. The following year, he took the lead in the period adventure The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), and though the film did draw favorable reviews from critics, it didn't necessarily attract audiences. Before embarking on a blood-soaked revenge spree in Highwaymen (2004), Caviezel took a turn as a mysterious former Marine in High Crimes and a lower-key role in the Paul Feig drama I Am David.
Audiences who had followed Caviezel's career thus far had no doubt taken note of the actor's vocal religious convictions. With his role as Jesus in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004) -- not to mention the actual suffering that he endured when his shoulder was separated during the crucifixion sequence -- the actor truly followed through on bringing the story of the Christian Messiah to the masses
James Caviezel: Films
Madison (2005), I Am David (2004), Final Cut (2004), Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius (2004), The Passion of the Christ (2004), Highwaymen (2004), High Crimes (2002), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Angel Eyes (2001), Pay It Forward (2000), Frequency (2000), Any Given Sunday (1999), Ride With the Devil (1999), The Thin Red Line (1998), G.I. Jane (1997)
