Paul Walker

Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise. Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recognition in the 1990s with roles in The Young and the Restless, She's All That, and Varsity Blues. He achieved international fame with his starring role in The Fast and the Furious (2001).


Walker expanded his career into action films with successes like Joy Ride (2001). Despite some box-office disappointments, such as Into the Blue (2005) and Running Scared (2006), he received praise for his performances in Eight Below and Flags of Our Fathers (both 2006). While mainly appearing in low-budget action films, he starred in the commercially successful heist film Takers (2010).


Tragically, Walker died in a single-vehicle collision on November 30, 2013, as a passenger in a speeding car. His untimely death occurred before completing the filming of Furious 7 (2015). The film was eventually released after rewrites and stand-ins, including Walker's brothers Cody and Caleb, both of whom filled in for him. The song "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth was commissioned as a tribute in the movie.


Paul Walker was born on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California. His mother, Cheryl (née Crabtree), worked as a fashion model, while his father, Paul William Walker III, was a sewer contractor and former amateur boxer, achieving the title of a two-time Golden Gloves champion. Walker's paternal grandfather, William, also had a brief boxing career as "Irish" Billy Walker, and another relative raced factory cars for Ford in the 1960s.


Raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Walker had four younger siblings: Aimee, Ashlie, Caleb, and Cody. He spent most of his early life in the Sunland neighborhood of Los Angeles and graduated from Village Christian School in 1991. Afterward, Walker attended various community colleges in Southern California, focusing on marine biology.


Paul Walker initiated his career as a model at a young age, featuring in a Pampers commercial at the age of two. He continued to be part of commercials, including one for Showbiz Pizza in 1984. In 1984, he began his acting career on television by appearing in the teen anthology series CBS Schoolbreak Special. Walker continued his work on television until 1996, exploring various genres.


He appeared in two episodes of the fantasy drama Highway to Heaven between 1984 and 1986. In 1987, he landed his first leading role in the sitcom Throb, playing the character Jeremy Beatty. Throughout the early 1990s, he guest-starred in sitcoms such as Charles in Charge, Who's the Boss?, and the short-lived What a Dummy. In 1993, he portrayed Brandon Collins on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, gaining fame and receiving nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor at the Youth in Film Awards.


Walker's film career began in 1986, primarily in low-budget B films. His debut role was in the horror comedy Monster in the Closet, followed by starring in the science fiction film The Retaliator (later subtitled Programmed to Kill) a year later. In 1994, he returned to film with a role in the comedy Tammy and the T-Rex. His breakthrough in feature films came with the comedy Meet the Deedles in 1998, despite its commercial and critical challenges. This success led him to secure supporting roles in films like Pleasantville (1998), Varsity Blues (1999), She's All That (1999), and The Skulls (2000).


In 2001, Paul Walker achieved his breakthrough role by starring alongside Vin Diesel in the action film The Fast and the Furious. The movie was not only commercially successful but also marked the beginning of a media franchise. Walker's performance in the film earned him the MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team in 2002, shared with Vin Diesel. This role catapulted Walker into the spotlight as a film star and leading man. He continued to showcase his talent in the critically successful thriller Joy Ride (2001), which also centered around car-related action. Walker reprised his role as Brian O'Conner in the 2003 sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious. However, after this period of success, he took on roles in either low-budget or commercially unsuccessful films for a time, including Timeline (2003) and Into the Blue (2005).


Paul Walker portrayed Hank Hansen in Clint Eastwood's war film Flags of Our Fathers (2006) and starred in the survival drama Eight Below, both released in 2006. Eight Below received critical acclaim and opened in first place at the box office, grossing over US$20 million during its opening weekend. Walker then starred in the independent film The Lazarus Project, released on DVD on October 21, 2008.


After seven years, Walker reprised his role as Brian O'Conner in Fast & Furious (2009), which became the highest-grossing film in the franchise up until that point. He continued to reprise his role in the fifth and sixth installments of the franchise, both commercially successful, with his performances earning praise. Walker was nominated for Choice Movie Actor – Action at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards for the former and nominated for Choice Movie: Chemistry (with Diesel and Dwayne Johnson). He won his second MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo with Diesel for the latter.


Walker also starred in the heist film Takers (2010) and returned to modeling in 2011, becoming the face of the fragrance brand Cool Water. In 2012, he founded the film production company Laguna Ridge Pictures, which signed a first-look deal with Fast & Furious distributor Universal Pictures.


Following his death in 2013, four films starring Walker were released: the thriller film Hours (2013), the action film Brick Mansions (2014), the thriller Pawn Shop Chronicles (2013), where he served as an executive producer, and Furious 7 (2015). For Furious 7, Walker's likeness was recreated using visual effects, his brothers Caleb and Cody as stand-ins, and outtakes or older footage. The film was released in 2015, and Walker posthumously won the award for Choice Movie Actor: Action at the 2015 Teen Choice Awards.


Walker was also set to play Agent 47 in the film adaptation Hitman: Agent 47 (2015), but he died before production began. It was later revealed that Walker declined the role of Superman in Superman Returns (2006), allegedly due to concerns about the "Superman curse" and the celebrity associated with the role.

References

1.  WGN News at Nine. Chicago, IL. November 30, 2013. Event occurs at 21:32 CST (32 minutes). WGN-TV/WGN America.
2. ^ Rebecca Flint Marx (2013). "Paul Walker – Biography". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
3. ^ 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.
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5. 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.