Hayden Christensen

Early Life and Career

Hayden Christensen is the third of four children born to David and Alie Christensen. David is a Canadian communications executive of Danish heritage. Alie is a speechwriter, who is originally from the United States. Hayden was born in Vancouver and raised mainly in Thornhill, Ontario. He attended Unionville High School in nearby Markham. He was involved in the school’s drama program, and also played hockey and tennis.

Hayden’s older brother Tove, older sister Hejsa and younger sister Kaylen were also child actors. Hayden started acting at the age of seven, landing gigs in commercials after being introduced to his older sister’s agent. In 1993, he appeared in the TV series Family Passions and E.N.G. The following year, he was cast in John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness (1994). He continued to work steadily in television, appearing in such series as Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? He also spent summers on Long Island, New York, with his maternal grandmother, who would drive him to New York City to take classes at the Actors Studio.

Career Highlights

After being cast in a small role in Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides (1999), Hayden Christensen landed the lead role in the short-lived Fox drama Higher Ground (2000), playing a troubled teen at a special school for at-risk youth. He then drew rave reviews for his co-starring turn opposite Kevin Kline in Life as a House (2001). Christensen’s performance won the award for breakthrough male performance from the National Board of Review. In early 2002, he co-starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Anna Paquin in a production of Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth in London’s West End.

Christensen became an international household name virtually overnight with the release of Stars Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in May 2002. He received glowing reviews for his performance as disgraced journalist Stephen Glass in the biopic Shattered Glass (2003) and won the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for his work as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2006). However, Christensen was also criticized for what some saw as wooden acting in the Star Wars movies. The Razzie Awards named him Worst Supporting Actor in 2003 and 2006.

Christensen starred in a string of forgettable thrillers before retreating from the spotlight for several years. He co-starred with Adrien Brody in American Heist (2014), with Nicolas Cage in Outcast (2014), with Bruce Willis in First Kill (2017), and opposite Emma Roberts in the romantic comedy Little Italy (2018). He returned as Anakin Skywalker in the TV series Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) and Ahsoka (2023–).

Personal Life

Hayden Christensen was in a relationship with actor Rachel Bilson (The O.C.) from 2008 until 2017. They were engaged from 2008 to 2010 and have one daughter together, Briar Rose, born in 2014. Christensen has kept a home on a farm in Uxbridge, Ontario, near Toronto, since 2007.

Other Activities

Hayden Christensen has modelled for fashion brands, such as Louis Vuitton and Lacoste. He also worked with RW&CO. apparel to design a clothing line inspired by life on his farm. He has also produced several movies with his brother, Tove.

Awards

• One to Watch – Male, Young Hollywood Awards (2001)
• Breakthrough Performance – Male (Life as a House), National Board of Review (2001)
• Trophée Chopard – Male Revelation, Cannes Film Festival (2002)
• Best Actor (Shattered Glass, shared with Peter Sarsgaard), Las Palmas Film Festival (2004)
• Male Star of Tomorrow, ShoWest Awards, ShoWest Convention (2005)
• Best Villain (Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith), MTV Movie Awards (2006)
• Best Guest Performance in a Streaming Series (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Saturn Awards (2022)