Ethan Green Hawke was born on November 6, 1970, in Austin, Texas. His parents are James Steven Hawke, and Leslie Carole Green, and they separated just a few years after he was born. At age ten, he and his mother moved to New York where attended the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights. They later moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where Hawke learned about acting at the McCarter Theatre. He graduated from the Hun School of Princeton.
When Hawke was eighteen, had a major role in the film,
Dead Poets Society (1989). Parts in other films soon followed, such as
Reality Bites (1994),
Before Sunrise (1995), and
Gattaca (1997). His work in the film
Training Day (2001) won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In addition to his acting, he has also tried his hand at directing, and has written two novels.
Hawke was married to actress
Uma Thurman from 1998 – 2005. They had two children together: daughter Maya, and son Levon. He currently makes his home in Manhattan.