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.
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.