Josh Hartnett appeared at a premiere of his new movie, "Hollywood Homicide" last week in Edina, Minn. The Minnesota native hosted a special charity showing of the film to raise money for CornerHouse, a Minneapolis child abuse evaluation center. The event raised $75.000.
Early years: Hartnett was born July 21, 1978, in St. Paul. After a football injury prohibited sports, Hartnett's aunt persuaded him to audition for the role of Huck Finn in "Tom Sawyer." He found acting a great substitute for sports. During high school, Hartnett was caught "robbing" a Dairy Queen, but it actually was a setup for a film he was making with friends. In 1996, he moved to New York for college.
Career: Hartnett didn't like college. He moved to Los Angeles, where he got a role on the ABC drama "Cracker," but the program soon was canceled. His break came with a part in the horror film "Halloween: H2O."
Hartnett has acted in several films since then. In 2000, he appeared in "O," based on Othello, "Town and Country," and "The Virgin Suicides." Eventually he won a role in the big budget hits "Pearl Harbor" and "Black Hawk Down." Hartnett was considering Brett Ratner's Superman film, but Ratner wanted a three-film commitment, which Hartnett wouldn't do.
Personal: Hartnett moved back to Minnesota in March 2002. He was scheduled to speak at a political rally in support of Sen. Paul Wellstone the weekend the senator was killed along with seven others in a plane crash. On Oct. 26, 2002, the day after Wellstone's death, Hartnett appeared at a peace rally in St. Paul and spoke in remembrance of Wellstone.
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In his words: "If you continue to do what you have always done, you will continue to get what you have always gotten."
Web link: www.josh-hartnett.org/profile . html
Compiled by Carol Bradley Bursack
Sources: Associated Press, Allstarz.org, Us.imdb.com
