Paul Walker
Paul Walker | |
---|---|
Village Christian School | |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1975–2013 |
Children | Meadow Walker |
Relatives | Cody Walker (brother) |
Paul William Walker IV[1] (September 12, 1973[2] – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise.
Paul Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recognition in the 1990s after appearing in the television soap opera The Young and the Restless; he received praise for his performances in the teen comedy She's All That and the comedy-drama Varsity Blues (both 1999), and rose to international fame by starring in The Fast and the Furious (2001).
He also starred in the commercially successful
Walker died in a
Early life and education
Walker was born on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California.[4] His mother, Cheryl (née Crabtree), was a fashion model,[5] and his father, Paul William Walker III, was a sewer contractor and former amateur boxer, who was a two-time Golden Gloves champion.[6][7] Walker's paternal grandfather, William, had a short-lived boxing career as "Irish" Billy Walker, while another raced factory cars for Ford in the 1960s.[5]
Raised as a member of
Career
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
Walker began a modeling career as a toddler, starring in a television commercial for
Walker began his film career in 1986, appearing mainly in low budget B films. His first role was in the horror comedy Monster in the Closet, and a year later, starred in The Retaliator (retroactively subtitled Programmed to Kill), a science fiction film. In 1994, he returned to film, starring in Tammy and the T-Rex, but secured his first feature film role in the comedy Meet the Deedles in 1998; although commercially and critically unsuccessful, it allowed Walker to secure supporting roles in the films Pleasantville (1998), Varsity Blues (1999), She's All That (1999), and The Skulls (2000).[citation needed]
"[Walker] is that guy. As a director, [Walker is] completely supportive of my vision of what the film is. And even better, he's completely game for it."
—Wayne Kramer, who directed and cast Walker in Running Scared (2006).[12]
In 2001, Walker's breakthrough role was starring opposite
Walker portrayed
Despite initial reluctance, Walker reprised his role as Brian O'Conner after seven years, in
After his death in 2013, four films starring Walker were released; the thriller film
Walker was also set to play Agent 47 in the film adaptation Hitman: Agent 47 (2015), but died before production began.[23] It was later revealed Walker declined the role of Superman in Superman Returns (2006), allegedly due to the "Superman curse" and the celebrity associated with the role.[24]
Personal life
Walker was raised in a Latter-day Saint household, but later became a non-denominational Christian.[25] He lived in Santa Barbara with his dogs.[6][26] He and Rebecca Soteros, his childhood friend whom he had an on and off relationship throughout the years, had a daughter together named Meadow Rain Walker[27] Meadow lived with her mother in Hawaii for 13 years while her mother continued her education, then moved to California to live with Walker in 2011.[28] Her godfather is Vin Diesel, with whom Walker shared a close bond; Diesel gave him the nickname "Pablo",[29] while Walker's mother referred to her son as Diesel's "other half".[30] Walker was also close friends with fellow Fast & Furious co-star Tyrese Gibson.[31][32] At the time of his death, Walker was in a relationship with Jasmine Pilchard-Gosnell, who he met while she was 16.[33][34][35]
He held a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Ricardo "Franjinha" Miller at Paragon Jiu-Jitsu[36][37] and was awarded his black belt by Miller posthumously.[38] Walker founded the humanitarian aid nonprofit charity Reach Out Worldwide (ROWW) with financial adviser Roger Rodas in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[39][40] He traveled to a number of disaster-stricken areas to supply aid until his death.
Walker had an interest in
A car enthusiast, Walker competed in the
Walker also had a large car collection of about 30 cars, a portion of which he co-owned along with Rodas.[50] In January 2020, twenty-one vehicles owned by Walker were sold for a combined $2.33 million during spirited bidding at an annual car auction in Arizona.[51]
Death
On November 30, 2013, at about 3:30 p.m.
The curve where Walker and Rodas died is a popular spot for drifting cars.[55] No alcohol or other drugs were found in either man's system,[56] and neither mechanical failure nor road conditions appeared to play a role.[57] Police found no evidence of drag racing.[58] The investigation concluded that the car's speed and age of the tires were the primary reasons for the crash.[59]
With 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.[60]
Numerous friends and movie stars posted tributes to Walker on social media.[61] His body was cremated and his ashes were buried in a non-denominational ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.[62] His life was later chronicled in the documentary I Am Paul Walker, which was released on August 11, 2018.[63]
Lawsuits
In December 2014, Walker's father filed a wrongful death claim against Rodas's estate, seeking the return of or "a proportionate share" of revenue generated by a group of automobiles that were jointly owned by both Walker and Rodas.[64]
In September 2015, Walker's daughter filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche, claiming that the Porsche Carrera GT had numerous design defects including a history of instability, and that its seat belt placement can cause harm upon impact.[65] However, Porsche denied any wrongdoing and blamed Walker, stating: "The perils, risk, and danger were open and obvious and known to him, and he chose to conduct himself in a manner so as to expose himself to such perils, dangers, and risks, thus assuming all the risks involved in using the vehicle."[66]
Walker's father and daughter both reached separate out-of-court settlements with Porsche.[67]
In April 2016, U.S. District Court Judge Philip S. Gutierrez ruled in favor of Porsche in a separate lawsuit filed by Rodas's widow Kristine.[68][69]
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | MTV Movie Award
|
Best On-Screen Team
|
The Fast and the Furious | Won[a] |
2011 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor – Action | Fast Five | Nominated |
2013 | Choice Movie: Chemistry | Fast & Furious 6 | Nominated[b] | |
2014 | MTV Movie Award
|
Best On-Screen Duo | Won[a] | |
2015 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Action | Furious 7 | Won |
Choice Movie: Chemistry | Nominated[c] |
- ^ a b Shared with Vin Diesel
- ^ Shared with Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson
- ^ Shared with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne Johnson, Ludacris
References
- CST (32 minutes). WGN-TV/WGN America.
- ^ Rebecca Flint Marx (2013). "Paul Walker – Biography". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
- ^ Merry, Stephanie; Yahr, Emily (December 10, 2015). "Golden Globes nominations 2016: Complete list". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ^
- "Paul William Walker II". Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- "Meet Paul Walker". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. March 29, 2006. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ a b Hobson, Louis B. (June 17, 2001). "Paul Walker kicks it into high gear". Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c Keck, William (September 27, 2005). "Fame lets Paul Walker dive in". USA Today. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ Atkin, Hillary (June 6, 2003). "Walker's in the 'Fast' lane to film stardom". USA Today. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- CBS Los Angeles. December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ Gazzar, Brenda (December 1, 2013). "'Fast & Furious' star Paul Walker remembered as kind, carefree". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ "Paul Walker Bio: Fast & Furious Actor". Tribute. Tribute Entertainment Media Group. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ Youtube. "Showbiz Pizza Commercial". YouTube. Archived from the original on March 7, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- About.com. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
- ^ "Eight Below (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
- ^ "Apple – Movie Trailers – Fast and Furious". Apple. Archived from the original on September 9, 2008. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (September 9, 2008). "Screen Gems digs up 'Bone' cast". Variety. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ "Coty Prestige Announces Agreement with Paul Walker". PR Newswire. January 14, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (February 21, 2012). "Paul Walker inks first-look deal with Universal". Variety. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Giardina, Carolyn (December 11, 2015). "How 'Furious 7' Brought the Late Paul Walker Back to Life". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ "Paul Walker's Brothers Jumping In To Help Finish 'Fast & Furious 7' Action Scenes". Deadline Hollywood. April 15, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ Alexander, Julia (October 20, 2015). "Furious 7 used 350 CGI shots of Paul Walker". Polygon.
- ^ Warner, Sam (October 17, 2015). "How CGI saved Fast 7's Paul Walker scenes". Digital Spy.
- ^ * "Report: Paul Walkers death forces delay of Fast and Furious 7 shoot". HitFix. December 1, 2013. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ Trumbore, Dave. "Paul Walker Leads HITMAN Reboot in AGENT 47". Collider. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ "Paul Walker on Turning Down Superman". SuperHeroHype. November 10, 2003.
- ^ "Meadow Walker, Paul's daughter inspired him to continue acting; Fast and Furious star on being Christian". Christian Today. December 2, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
- ^ Koltnow, Barry (February 18, 2006). "Just chillin'". The Orange County Register. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ Gilbey, Ryan (December 1, 2013). "Paul Walker obituary". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ Smith, Grady (December 1, 2013). "The sides of Paul Walker you may have missed". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ "Vin Diesel Reacts to Paul Walker's Death: 'I Will Always Love You'". The Wrap. December 2, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ Chris Richards (December 7, 2013). "Paul Walker death: Vin Diesel's touching Facebook post about how he lost his 'other half'". Daily Mirror.
- ^ Owen Tonks (January 4, 2014). "Paul Walker best friend Tyrese Gibson still struggling after actor's death". Daily Mirror. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
- ^ "Tyrese Gibson Heartbroken Over Paul Walker's Death". ABC News. December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ Maresca, Rachel; Hutchinson, Bill (February 4, 2014). "'Fast & Furious' actor Paul Walker leaves $25 million to 15-year-old daughter". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Ehrenfreund, Max (December 3, 2013). "Paul Walker's girlfriend, daughter, fellow actors mourn his death". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
- ^ LeTrent, Sarah (April 1, 2014). "When a boyfriend dies, does the grief mean less?". CNN. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
- Men's Health. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ "Paul Walker obituary: Co-star of the 'Fast & Furious' franchise which". The Independent. December 4, 2013. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ^ "Paul Walker receives BJJ Black Belt at Memorial". Bjpenn.com. December 9, 2013. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- Merrill Lynch. Archived from the originalon December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ "REACH OUT Worldwide". REACH OUT Worldwide.
- ^ Arnold, Catherine (September 25, 2006). "Paul Walker and Marine Biology: Foundation Presents Marine Awards". Nature World News. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
- ^ "Paul Walker Leads Shark Expedition". Starpulse.com. November 12, 2009. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- ^ "Actor Paul Walker Joins National Geographic Shark Expedition". DiverWire. November 13, 2009. Archived from the original on December 3, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- National Geographic. Archived from the originalon November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- ^ "AE Performance". Redline Time Attack. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010.
- ^ "Paul Walker, estrella de "Rápidos y furiosos" falleció en accidente de tránsito". El Comercio (in Spanish).
- ^ "Rodas: Racer, manager, friend to Walker". December 3, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ^ Smith, Perry (November 30, 2013). "UPDATE: Paul Walker, Santa Clarita CEO Reportedly Killed In Car Crash". KHTS Radio. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ "Walker and Rodas, you will be missed". Motor Sport. December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ "Suit Over Paul Walker's Car Collection Settles". NBC Southern California. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ "Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker's cars go under hammer, fetch $2.33 mn". auto.hindustantimes.com. January 19, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ a b Duke, Alan; Sutton, Joe (November 30, 2013). "'Fast & Furious' star Paul Walker killed in car crash". CNN. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ a b "Autopsy blames impact and fire for actor Paul Walker's death". CNN. December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ * "Officials: Paul Walker crash not part of street race". The Press Democrat. Santa Rosa, CA. December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
- "Publicist: Fast & Furious Actor Paul Walker Dies in Car Crash". Time. New York. November 30, 2013. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- Schabner, Dean (November 30, 2013). 'Fast and Furious' Star Paul Walker Killed in Crash". ABC News.
- Joel Landau (November 30, 2013). "Paul Walker dead at 40: 'Fast and Furious' star killed in fiery car crash". Daily News. New York. Archived from the originalon December 1, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- "Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker dies in California car crash". BBC News. December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Wood, Daniel B. (December 4, 2013). "Paul Walker crash could 'romanticize' growing street racing culture". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
- ^ "Speed may have been factor in Fast and Furious star Paul Walker's crash". Sunday Morning Herald. January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ^ ""Fast & Furious"-Star : Walker-Auto war fast 100 Stundenkilometer zu schnell". Die Welt (in German). January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ^ "Paul Walker death investigation: Police rule out second vehicle, focus on speed". CNN. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ Duke, Alan (March 26, 2014). "Investigators: Speed – not drugs, racing or mechanical failure – killed Paul Walker". CNN. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- ^ Gonzalez, Maricela. "'Fast & Furious 7' production halted after Paul Walker's death". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "'Speechless' Vin Diesel pays tribute to Paul Walker". The New Zealand Herald. Auckland. December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ "Paul Walker has been Buried at The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills Today". Allvoices.com. December 4, 2013. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ Brian Lowry (August 10, 2018). "'I Am Paul Walker' brings more nostalgia than depth to actor's life". CNN. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Zuckerman, Esther. "Paul Walker's dad files claim against estate of driver in fatal car crash". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- ^ "Porsche Blames Paul Walker For His Own Death". www.yahoo.com. November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (October 25, 2017). "Paul Walker's daughter settles with Porsche in wrongful-death suit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ ANTHONY McCARTNEY, Judge: Porsche not at fault in crash that killed Paul Walker April 5, 2016
- ^ Child, Ben (April 6, 2016). "Judge rules Porsche not to blame for Paul Walker's death". The Guardian. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
External links
- Paul Walker at IMDb
- Paul Walker at AllMovie