JIM CAVIEZEL Biography - Actors and Actresses

 
 

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JIM CAVIEZEL

Name: James Patrick Caviezel                                                                     
Born: 26 September 1968 Mount Vernon, Washington                                                 
                                                                                                 
James Patrick Caviezel, Jr. (born September 26, 1968) is                                         
an American film actor, sometimes credited as Jim Caviezel. He is perhaps best                   
known for playing the part of Jesus Christ in the 2004 Mel Gibson film The                       
Passion of the Christ and Private Witt in The Thin Red Line.                                     
                                                                                                 
Caviezel was born in Mount Vernon, Washington, the son of Margaret 'Maggie', a                   
housewife and a stage actress, and James Patrick Caviezel, Sr., a chiropractor.                 
He has a younger brother, Timothy, and sisters Ann, Amy, and Erin, and was                       
raised in a tight-knit Roman Catholic family in Conway (Skagit County),                         
Washington. Caviezel's surname is of Romansh origin; his father is of Slovak (maternal)         
and Swiss (paternal) descent, while his mother's ancestry is Irish. Jim attended                 
Mount Vernon High School for two years and then moved to Seattle and lived with                 
family friends in order to play basketball at the Catholic O'Dea High School.                   
The following spring, he transferred from O'Dea to another Catholic school,                     
Burien's John F. Kennedy Memorial High. There he starred on the basketball team                 
and graduated in 1987. Following high school, Jim enrolled at Bellevue Community                 
College where the 6 ft 3 in athlete also played basketball. A foot injury in his                 
second year, however, put an end to Jim's hopes of a basketball career in the                   
NBA. He later transferred to the University of Washington where he turned his                   
focus to acting and became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.                                 
                                                                                                 
After appearances in Wyatt Earp and G.I. Jane, Caviezel scored a breakthrough                   
performance in Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line. He was originally cast to                   
play Cyclops/Scott Summers in X-Men (2000) but dropped out due to a scheduling                   
conflict with his other film, Frequency.                                                         
                                                                                                 
Caviezel starred in such mainstream Hollywood films as Angel Eyes, Pay It                       
Forward and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002). In 2001, he played the lead in                     
Madison, a film that tells the story of the hydro races in Madison, Indiana.                     
Caviezel's character pilots Miss Madison to victory, recounting the 1971 event.                 
The film did not appear in theatres until 2005. In addition, his work in High                   
Crimes (2002) was highly praised by critics.                                                     
                                                                                                 
In 2002, he played a pivotal role in the film I Am David from the Danish novel                   
known by both David and North to Freedom, written by Ann Holm.                                   
                                                                                                 
Caviezel as Jesus in The Passion of the Christ (2004).                                           
                                                                                                 
In 2004, Caviezel portrayed Jesus Christ in the Mel Gibson film The Passion of                   
the Christ. During filming he was struck by lightning, accidentally whipped,                     
dislocated his shoulder and bruised his eye. After its release, Caviezel was                     
offered the role of spokesman for a fashion line called "Heavenly," which he                     
refused, citing that it would be an insult to people who felt the film had                       
something meaningful to offer.                                                                   
                                                                                                 
Also in 2004, he expressed interest in playing the role of Superman/Clark Kent                   
for the 2006 Superman Returns film, even mentioning that he would dedicate his                   
performance to Christopher Reeve. Ultimately, he was passed over by director                     
Bryan Singer, who felt that Caviezel was too well known after starring in The                   
Passion of the Christ. The part went to newcomer Brandon Routh instead.                         
                                                                                                 
Caviezel plays a lead role in Unknown, an IFC project distributed by the                         
Weinstein Company. Caviezel also has a role in Tony Scott's 2006 action film,                   
Déjà Vu opposite Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer. He plays the lead role,                     
Kainin, in the film, Outlander, which began principal photography in October                     
2006 in eastern Canada.                                                                         
                                                                                                 
Caviezel is providing the voice of Jesus on the Thomas Nelson Inc.-produced New                 
Testament audio dramatization "The Word of Promise," set to release in the                       
fall of 2007.                                                                                   
                                                                                                 
Jim is currently shooting Long Weekend co-starring Claudia Karvan as directed by                 
Jamie Blanks at Wilson's Promontory, mainland Australia's southern most tip.