Jared Leto (born December 26, 1971,Bossier City,Louisiana, U.S.) is an American actor and musician who won anAcademy Award for best supporting actor for his performance inDallas Buyers Club (2013). He cofounded and led the popularalternative rock band30 Seconds to Mars.

Early life and career

Leto’s parents divorced shortly after he was born, and he was raised by his mother, who traveled around the country andinculcated in her children an appreciation for the arts. Leto studied painting at the University of the Arts inPhiladelphia and filmmaking at the School of Visual Arts inNew York City before moving (1992) toLos Angeles. He almost immediately began taking guest parts on television shows, includingCamp Wilder (1992–93). Leto’s breakthrough came when he was cast as the slacker heartthrob Jordan Catalano in the critical and later cult favorite seriesMy So-Called Life (1994–95), which also starredClaire Danes.

Leto made his big-screen debut in a small part inHow to Make an American Quilt (1995) and then starred as an Irish teenager in the coming-of-agemovieThe Last of the High Kings (1996; American titleSummer Fling). He played the title character in the well-received biopicPrefontaine (1997), about the American distance runnerSteve Prefontaine, as well as in the period romanceBasil (1998), which he followed up with the slasher movieUrban Legend (1998). He also appeared inTerrence Malick’s star-packed wardramaThe Thin Red Line (1998). Leto played club regular Angel Face in thecult classicFight Club (1999) and had major roles inGirl, Interrupted (1999) andAmerican Psycho (2000).

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Requiem for a Dream and other roles from the 2000s

With his acclaimed performance as a heroin addict inDarren Aronofsky’sRequiem for a Dream (2000), Leto gained a reputation for going to exceptional lengths in order to prepare for a role. He lost some 25 pounds (11 kg) and reportedly lived on the streets with junkies in preparation for the film. Leto appeared in the thrillersPanic Room (2002),Highway (2002),Lord of War (2005), andLonely Hearts (2006), and then he put on 60 pounds (27 kg) for his portrayal ofJohn Lennon’s killer,Mark David Chapman, in the widely panned filmChapter 27 (2007).

Dallas Buyers Club and later roles

After starring in the Belgian dramaMr. Nobody (2009), Letoceasedacting for several years to focus on hismusic career. He returned to the big screen in 2013 with a performance as the AIDS-stricken transgender woman Rayon inDallas Buyers Club, which brought him both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for best supporting actor. Leto followed that triumph with a turn asthe Joker in the critical and box-office failureSuicide Squad (2016). He then appeared inBlade Runner 2049 (2017) andThe Outsider (2018). His credits from 2021 includedThe Little Things, in which he portrayed aserial killer, andHouse of Gucci, a true-crime drama about a family and its luxury fashion brand. Leto later appeared in the limited TV seriesWeCrashed (2022), which explores the rise and fall of WeWork, a company that promoted shared office space. He then starred as a scientist who becomes a vampire inMorbius (2022), ahorror film based on aMarvel Comics character.

30 Seconds to Mars

Leto started the band 30 Seconds toMars in 1998 with his elder brother, drummer Shannon Leto. Jared Leto served as songwriter and frontman. Though the group was initially assumed to be a vanity project, its second album,A Beautiful Lie (2005), reached platinum status. Thereafter the ensemble toured frequently, playing to large and enthusiastic crowds, and its subsequent albums (This Is War [2009]),Love Lust Faith + Dreams [2013], andAmerica [2018]) cemented Leto’s status as arock star and made 30 Seconds to Mars a top draw.