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-Paul Walker
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| Paul Walker |
Vin Diesel wasn't the only one who profited from the popularity ofThe Fast and the Furious (2001). Paul Walker, who had previously done teen movies like She's All That (1999) andVarsity Blues (1999), came away from the high-tempo action flick with newfound fame. He continued his success with a starring role in the cult film Running Scared and the critically-acclaimed Disney film Eight Below, which grossed over $20 million at the domestic box office.
He will forever be remembered for his role as Brian O'Connor in The Fast & The Furious franchise, which has gone on to spawn a total of six films, all of which have been commercial successes. It is, in fact, one of the most lucrative action franchises in all of film.
In 2010, he appeared alongside Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba, Chris Brown, Matt Dillon and rapper T.I. in the crime drama Takers, and in 2011 he became the face of the Coty Prestige fragrance brand Davidoff Cool Water for Men. That same year, the fifth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, Fast Five, was released, grossing nearly $700 million worldwide.
Tragically, Paul Walker was killed in a car crash on November 30, 2013, after leaving a fundraising event for his charity Reach Out Worldwide, which was helping support victims of Typhoon Haiyan. He is survived by his daughter Meadow, and remembered fondly by his fans. As of right now, it is unclear how the seventh film in the Fast & Furious franchise will proceed, given that Walker's scenes were not completed.
See Paul Walker through the years.
MAGNETISM
SUCCESS
Paul Walker Biography
The eldest of four children, Paul William Walker IV was born on September 12, 1973, to a contractor father and model mother in Glendale, California. It was his mother, with her connections in the entertainment industry, who first gave the world a glimpse of the actor. Walker became a child model/actor, appearing in many commercials, including one for Pampers that will surely be fished out of the archives to embarrass him on a late-night talk show.
paul walker acts for his tuition
Keeping up the acting thanks to the encouragement of his parents (who wanted the fruits of his labor to go to a college fund), Walker appeared in three different episodes of Highway to Heaven in the mid-'80s and in a children's movie called Monster in the Closet (1987). A year-long regular role on the sitcom Throb followed, and at 14, he endured his first B-movie experience in Programmed to Kill (1987).
For Walker, acting had served its purpose: He was able to go to community college (he went to several different ones in Southern California), with the hopes of becoming a marine biologist. He continued acting on the side, however, and could be seen on the soap opera The Young and the Restless in 1993 and the film Tammy and the T-Rex in 1994. It wasn't until a call from a childhood friend suggesting that he audition for a role in Touched by an Angel that Walker put school on the backburner and concentrated solely on acting.
paul walker makes the grade
Despite having ignored acting for a couple of years, Walker landed a role on CBS's feel-good Touched by an Angel, and within a month, was cast in 1998's Pleasantville with Reese Witherspoon and Toby Maguire. Meet the Deedles was released the same year, and while it did not fare too well at the box office, Walker gained valuable experience working with the legendary Dennis Hopper. Supporting roles in 1999's Varsity Blues andShe's All That were considered a promotion for Walker, as he gained a large following among giggly teenage girls.
paul walker gets fast and furious
A secretive underground society was discovered in 2000's The Skulls, Walker's next project. Of course, it was 2001's The Fast and the Furiousthat saw Walker evolve from teenie-bopper actor to full-blown star. For the film, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel were honored with the award for Best On-Screen Duo at the 2002 MTV Movie Awards.
Joy Ride was also released in 2001, and while it did not fare as well as The Fast and the Furious, the thriller earned surprisingly positive reviews, helping to generate six sequels that have all been box office successes. Accolades for Walker's tough-guy appeal came from all over, but his thrill-seeker image was -- and still is -- balanced out by his role as devoted father to his daughter, Meadow (his child with a former flame).
paul walker in the lazarus project
Paul Walker took advantage of the "bump" he received from the success of The Fast and the Furious to headline a series of testosterone-fulled pictures, including Timeline (2003), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Into the Blue(2005), and Running Scared (2006). And though he took a break from male-friendly pictures to make the family hit Eight Below (2006), Walker continued his pursuit of complex leading roles, landing impressive parts in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers (2006), The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2007) and the disturbing psychological thriller The Lazarus Project. Walker had fans of his early work waiting with bated breath for his third turn as danger-loving Brian O'Connor in Fast & Furious (2009).
Death
On November 30th, 2013, Paul Walker was being driven home from a charity event for his Reach Out Worldwide organization when the car, a $250,000 Porsche Carrera GT, crashed into a bumper and caught on fire, killing both the driver and Paul.
Keeping up the acting thanks to the encouragement of his parents (who wanted the fruits of his labor to go to a college fund), Walker appeared in three different episodes of Highway to Heaven in the mid-'80s and in a children's movie called Monster in the Closet (1987). A year-long regular role on the sitcom Throb followed, and at 14, he endured his first B-movie experience in Programmed to Kill (1987).
For Walker, acting had served its purpose: He was able to go to community college (he went to several different ones in Southern California), with the hopes of becoming a marine biologist. He continued acting on the side, however, and could be seen on the soap opera The Young and the Restless in 1993 and the film Tammy and the T-Rex in 1994. It wasn't until a call from a childhood friend suggesting that he audition for a role in Touched by an Angel that Walker put school on the backburner and concentrated solely on acting.
paul walker makes the grade
Despite having ignored acting for a couple of years, Walker landed a role on CBS's feel-good Touched by an Angel, and within a month, was cast in 1998's Pleasantville with Reese Witherspoon and Toby Maguire. Meet the Deedles was released the same year, and while it did not fare too well at the box office, Walker gained valuable experience working with the legendary Dennis Hopper. Supporting roles in 1999's Varsity Blues andShe's All That were considered a promotion for Walker, as he gained a large following among giggly teenage girls.
paul walker gets fast and furious
A secretive underground society was discovered in 2000's The Skulls, Walker's next project. Of course, it was 2001's The Fast and the Furiousthat saw Walker evolve from teenie-bopper actor to full-blown star. For the film, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel were honored with the award for Best On-Screen Duo at the 2002 MTV Movie Awards.
Joy Ride was also released in 2001, and while it did not fare as well as The Fast and the Furious, the thriller earned surprisingly positive reviews, helping to generate six sequels that have all been box office successes. Accolades for Walker's tough-guy appeal came from all over, but his thrill-seeker image was -- and still is -- balanced out by his role as devoted father to his daughter, Meadow (his child with a former flame).
paul walker in the lazarus project
Paul Walker took advantage of the "bump" he received from the success of The Fast and the Furious to headline a series of testosterone-fulled pictures, including Timeline (2003), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Into the Blue(2005), and Running Scared (2006). And though he took a break from male-friendly pictures to make the family hit Eight Below (2006), Walker continued his pursuit of complex leading roles, landing impressive parts in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers (2006), The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2007) and the disturbing psychological thriller The Lazarus Project. Walker had fans of his early work waiting with bated breath for his third turn as danger-loving Brian O'Connor in Fast & Furious (2009).
Death
On November 30th, 2013, Paul Walker was being driven home from a charity event for his Reach Out Worldwide organization when the car, a $250,000 Porsche Carrera GT, crashed into a bumper and caught on fire, killing both the driver and Paul.
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