Hayden Christensen

Hayden Christensen was born on April 19, 1981, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Alie, an American speechwriter, and David Christensen, a Canadian computer programmer and communications executive. His father is of Danish descent, and his mother has Swedish and Italian ancestry. Christensen is one of four children, with three actor siblings: older brother Tove, older sister Hejsa, and younger sister Kaylen. He grew up spending summers on Long Island with his maternal grandmother, Rose Schwartz, and attended Unionville High School in Markham, Ontario, where he competed in hockey and played tennis at a provincial level. He studied at the Arts York drama program during high school and later attended the Actors Studio in New York City. His entry into performing came after accompanying his older sister to her talent agent's office following her casting in a Pringles commercial, which led to Christensen booking commercial work of his own, including an appearance in a Triaminic cough syrup advertisement in 1988.

Christensen made his acting debut in September 1993 at the age of 12, taking a supporting role on the German-Canadian television series Macht Der Leidenschaft/Family Passions. The following year he appeared in a minor capacity in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness. Between 1995 and 1999 he accumulated credits across several film and television productions, among them Harrison Bergeron, Forever Knight, Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and The Virgin Suicides. He gained broader attention in 2000 starring in the Fox Family Channel series Higher Ground, in which he portrayed a teenager who had been sexually molested by his stepmother and subsequently turned to drugs.

His performance as Sam in Life as a House in 2001 brought him significant critical recognition, earning him nominations for both a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as the National Board of Review's award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year. In 2002, Christensen made his London theatre debut alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Anna Paquin in This Is Our Youth. He followed that with the 2003 film Shattered Glass, in which he portrayed journalist Stephen Glass, who was found to have fabricated stories for The New Republic and other publications. Christensen also received the Cannes Film Festival's Trophée Chopard for his work during this period.

On May 12, 2000, Christensen was announced as the actor cast to portray adult Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel films, a role that would define much of his public profile. Director George Lucas selected him from approximately 1,500 candidates, stating that he required an actor who conveyed the presence of the Dark Side. Christensen appeared as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in 2002 and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2005. During production of Revenge of the Sith, he requested that a custom Vader suit be constructed to fit his own body rather than using existing armor, and Lucas agreed, with the suit engineered to extensions that brought Christensen to Vader's on-screen height of 6 feet 6 inches. His voice in the role was dubbed by James Earl Jones. For his performance in Episode III, Christensen won the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. He was also named among People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People and Teen People's 25 Hottest Stars under 25. Christensen later reprised the role of Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2022 and Ahsoka in 2023.

Christensen's Broadway career includes participation in The 24 Hour Plays in 2004 and a Broadway appearance in 2005, when he took part in the fifth annual 24 Hour Plays benefit, which raises funds for nonprofit organizations in New York City. His role consisted of a 10-minute play as part of that event.

His additional film credits include Awake in 2007, in which he starred opposite Jessica Alba as a man who remains conscious but paralyzed during heart surgery, as well as Jumper in 2008, Takers in 2010, and Little Italy in 2018.