Justin Chatwin

Justin Chatwin (born October 31, 1982) is a Canadian actor.

He is the son of Suzanne (née Halsall), a freelance mixed-media artist, and Brian, an engineer who founded in 1982 Chatwin Engineering, a construction and civil engineering company based in British Columbia, where he served as President and CEO.

He was also a helper and friend of the title characters in the family-oriented comedy Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2, a sequel to the 1999 film Baby Geniuses.

The feature is considered one of the worst films of all time, receiving an approval rating of 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ellen Fox of the Chicago Tribune called Chatwin "the only bright spot" of the film.

Throughout the 2000s, Chatwin made guest appearances in several television series including Weeds and Lost.

In the early 2000s, Chatwin moved to Los Angeles, where he rented an apartment with fellow actor Noel Fisher.

Prior to this, he lived for a month in a travel trailer with a friend, stating, "We didn't have girlfriends; we were reading Kerouac and Ginsberg, driving up to the desert, walking in the dunes, and showering at 24 Hour Fitness. It was an exciting time, but would I do it again? No."

He began his career in 2001 with a brief appearance in the musical comedy Josie and the Pussycats.

Chatwin made his debut in the musical comedy Josie and the Pussycats (2001), in which he played an enthusiastic fan.

The film, based on the Archie Comics series and the Hanna-Barbera cartoon of the same name, was a commercial failure upon its initial release, but has enjoyed later success as a cult film.

Soon after, Chatwin starred as John Spencer in the two-part miniseries Christy, Choices of the Heart.

He went on to guest-star in several television series including Smallville, Mysterious Ways, Night Visions, Just Cause, Glory Days, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction and Taken, playing also a juvenile delinquent in the television film The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie (2003), directed by Paul Johansson.

One year later, Chatwin played an aspiring guitarist murdered by a serial killer who takes on the identities of his victims in D. J. Caruso's psychological thriller Taking Lives, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Pye.

In 2004, Newsweek magazine labeled Chatwin an "Actor to Watch" based on his performance as Tyler McKay in the three-part miniseries Traffic.

He also starred opposite Kate Mara in The WB pilot Prodigy, about a child prodigy.

Following his breakthrough role as Robbie Ferrier in the blockbuster War of the Worlds (2005), Chatwin headlined studio films such as The Invisible (2007) and Dragonball Evolution (2009), an action-adventure feature based on the manga series Dragon Ball.

Chatwin was chosen out of several young actors to play Tom Cruise's rebellious adolescent son in the alien invasion film War of the Worlds (2005), directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the 1898 novel by H. G. Wells.

It was a commercial success, grossing $603 million worldwide against a $132 million budget, and garnered generally favorable reviews.

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle considered the film "meticulously detailed and expertly paced and photographed", Roger Ebert however called it "just a big, clunky movie containing some sensational sights but lacking the zest and joyous energy we expect from Spielberg".

Ebert also found the human characters "one-dimensional".

Chatwin's performance in War of the Worlds earned him the 'Breakthrough of the Year' award from Hollywood Life Magazine.

In 2005, he also starred as teenage drug dealer Billy Peck in the black comedy The Chumscrubber, alongside Camilla Belle and Jamie Bell.

Arie Posin's directorial debut about a group of superficial parents and young adults living a seemingly perfect life, had the world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, and was released theatrically on August 5, earning $351,401 on a production budget of $10 million.

The film was poorly received by critics; writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers opined that it was "an appallingly clumsy and stupid take on drugs, kidnapping and suicide in suburbia".

In the 2010s, Chatwin acted in small independent films.

Chatwin's parents divorced in 2010.

His late grandfather was of French-Canadian ancestry.

Chatwin has a younger sister, Brianna, who works as a tattoo artist.

They were raised Catholic.

After graduating from high school, Chatwin followed in his father's footsteps and began to study engineering at the University of British Columbia, but after one week he switched to commerce.

A few weeks later, Chatwin was dared by a friend to audition for a TV show that was shooting in Vancouver: "I took the dare, not knowing what I was getting into. I was called back and hired..."

Chatwin eventually dropped out of university after one semester in order to pursue his acting career full time.

His first regular role was on the Showtime comedy-drama Shameless, where he portrayed Jimmy Lishman between 2011 and 2015.

He starred as rock star idol Bobby Shore in the sci-fi musical Bang Bang Baby (2014), which earned him a Canadian Screen Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and appeared in the romantic comedy Unleashed (2016), and drama Summer Night (2019).

Chatwin starred as a cartoonist in the CBS murder mystery drama American Gothic (2016), and also that year he appeared as superhero Grant Gordon / The Ghost in the Doctor Who Christmas special "The Return of Doctor Mysterio".

From 2019 to 2021, Chatwin played scientist Erik Wallace in Netflix's Another Life.

Aside from acting, he has a long-time passion for motorcycles, extreme sports and travelling.

Chatwin's journey from Vancouver to Patagonia on motorcycle was depicted in the documentary series No Good Reason (2020), which he also executive produced.

Chatwin was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia.