Ethan Hawke was born in Austin, Texas, in 1970 to college-age parents. He moved with his mother to Princeton, New Jersey and landed his first role in the film Explorers when he was 14.

Before receiving an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in Training Day, Hawke starred in classics such as Dead Poets Society and Great Expectations.

The actor is a triple threat; he is also a novelist and has directed and starred in the movie version of his first novel, The Hottest State.

Hawke has two children with ex-wife and actress Uma Thurman. In 2008, the actor announced that he had another child on the way—this time, with the former nanny to his children.

In 2008, he married Ryan Shawhughes, the former nanny to his children. The couple have a daughter, Clementine, born in July 2008.