John Hawkes | |
|---|---|
 Hawkes in 2009 | |
| Born | (1959-09-11)September 11, 1959 (age 66) |
| Alma mater | St. Cloud State University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
John Hawkes (born September 11, 1959)[1] is an American actor. He is the recipient of twoIndependent Spirit Awards and has been nominated for anAcademy Award, twoPrimetime Emmy Awards and aGolden Globe Award.
Hawkes is known for his roles in the filmsWinter's Bone (2010) andThe Sessions (2012), for which he was nominated for aGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, respectively. Some of his other film credits includeFrom Dusk till Dawn (1996),The Perfect Storm (2000),Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005),American Gangster (2007),Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011),Lincoln (2012) andThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). He has also appeared in many television series, notablyDeadwood (2004–2006) andEastbound & Down (2009–2013), as well as the fourth season ofTrue Detective (2024).
Hawkes is the son of Patricia Jeanne (née Olson) and Peter John "Pete" Perkins, a farmer of wheat, corn, hogs and cattle.[2][3][4] He was raised inAlexandria, Minnesota, a "pastoral, small city... a midwest Scandinavian community",[5] and graduated fromJefferson High School.[2] He moved toAustin, Texas, where he was a member of the bands Meat Joy, withGretchen Phillips,[4] and King Straggler, with fellow actorsRodney Eastman and Brentley Gore.[4]
His first film role was inFuture-Kill (1985), credited as John Perkins.[6] He changed his stage name to John Hawkes because there was another actor named John Perkins.[7]
Hawkes played the role of Greg Penticoff inseason 1 of24. From 2004 to 2006, Hawkes played merchantSol Star on theHBO seriesDeadwood. He portrayed Dustin Powers, brother of protagonistKenny Powers, on all four seasons of the HBO seriesEastbound & Down, and played Lennon onABC'sLost.[8]
His other film roles includeMe and You and Everyone We Know,The Perfect Storm,American Gangster,Wristcutters: A Love Story,Martha Marcy May Marlene, andLincoln.[9]
In 2011, he was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance inWinter's Bone, as well as for a number of other awards, including theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. He won theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. Also in 2011, Hawkes was honored with a Rising Star Award by theTexas Film Hall of Fame.[10] Hawkes was offered the role of The Governor in AMC's horror-drama seriesThe Walking Dead. He turned it down feeling he was not the right fit for the role. The role eventually went toDavid Morrissey.
In 2012, the filmThe Sessions was considered one of the Sundance breakout hits of that year.[11] Hawkes received two prolonged standing ovations at the film's screening.[12] It was praised by critics at the festival as "accessible, enjoyable, and light-hearted".[13]
In 2016, it was announced that Hawkes would star in theAmazon pilotThe Legend of Master Legend, which is based on the popular real-life superhero Master Legend.[14]
Along with cast members, Hawkes expressed interest in reprising his role as Sol Star in a proposedDeadwood film.Deadwood: The Movie began production in October 2018, and premiered on May 31, 2019. Hawkes, along with virtually the entire series cast, took part in it.[15]
Hawkes had a small role as a robber in the music video for the cover version of the song "Crying in the Rain" byA-ha in 1990.[16]
In the fourth season of the television seriesTrue Detective: Night Country (2024) he played a leading role and sang the songNo Use, which he wrote, in episode 5 accompanied by an acoustic guitar.[17]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Sweet Poison | Jimmy | Television film |
| The Rape of Doctor Willis | Mateson | Television film | |
| 1992 | Mann & Machine | Tommy Chartraw | Episode: "The Dating Game" |
| Nails | Harvey Cassler | Television film | |
| Northern Exposure | Inspector Jason | Episode: "Do the Right Thing" | |
| 1993 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Montana's Assistant | Episode: "Showdown" |
| 1994 | Wings | Mark, The Waiter | 2 episodes |
| Roadracers | Nixer | Television film | |
| Cool and the Crazy | "Crazy" | Television film | |
| Dead Air | Morton | Television film | |
| 1995 | The Marshal | Elton Johnson | Episode: "The Great Train Robbery" |
| Touched by an Angel | Mason Cook | Episode: "Trust" | |
| 1996 | Dangerous Minds | Evan | Episode: "Bad Apple" |
| Promised Land | Jake | Episode: "A Leap of Faith" | |
| Millennium | Mike Bardale | Episode: "The Judge" | |
| 1997 | The Big Easy | Bill "Wild Bill" | Episode: "The Fabulous Bill Brothers" |
| Pacific Blue | Paul Brent | Episode: "Excessive Force" | |
| Nash Bridges | Vaughn Smith | Episode: "Lost and Found" | |
| ER | Production Assistant | Episode: "Ambush" | |
| Profit | Dr. Jeremy Batewell | Episode: "Chinese Box" | |
| The Naked Truth | Duane Baldwin | Episode: "He Ain't Famous, He's My Brother" | |
| 1998 | The Crow: Stairway to Heaven | Jake Thompson | Episode: "Death Wish" |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer | George | Episode: "I Only Have Eyes for You" | |
| Fantasy Island | Arnie White | Episode: "Secret Self" | |
| Brimstone | Willy Graver | Episode: "Executioner" | |
| 1999 | Martial Law | Jake Simms | Episode: "Substitutes" |
| The X-Files | Phillip Padgett | Episode: "Milagro" | |
| Nathan Dixon | Russell Keach | Pilot | |
| 2000 | The Practice | Stuart Donovan | 3 episodes |
| 2001 | Strange Frequency | Songwriter | Episode: "Cold Turkey" |
| 24 | Greg Penticoff | 2 episodes | |
| 2002 | Taken | Marty Erickson | 5 episodes |
| 2003 | Strange Frequency 2 | Jared | Television film |
| 2004–2006 | Deadwood | Sol Star | 36 episodes Nominated –Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series |
| 2007 | Without a Trace | Terry Lee Wicker | Episode: "Where and Why" |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Terry Lee Wicker | Episode: "Who & What" | |
| 2008 | Monk | Matthew Teeger | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Three Julies" |
| 2009 | Psych | Rollins | Episode: "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark" |
| 2009–2013 | Eastbound & Down | Dustin Powers | 13 episodes |
| 2010 | Lost | Lennon | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Outlaw Country | Tarzen Larkin | Television film |
| 2014 | How and Why | Goodman Hesselman | Pilot |
| 2015 | Inside Amy Schumer | Juror #8 | Episode: "12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer" |
| 2016 | Dr. Del | Del Canyon | Pilot |
| 2017 | The Legend of Master Legend | Frank Lafount/Master Legend | Pilot |
| 2019 | Deadwood: The Movie | Sol Star | Television film |
| Too Old to Die Young | Viggo Larsen | 5 episodes | |
| 2021 | Hit-Monkey | Eli (voice) | Episode: "Home Sweet Home" |
| 2024 | True Detective | Hank Prior | Season 4 main cast Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics |
| 2025 | Criminal | Sebastian Hyde |
