Oscar Isaac

Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala to a Guatemalan mother, María Eugenia Estrada, and a Cuban father, Óscar Gonzalo Hernández-Cano, a pulmonologist.[9][10][11] His sister is climate scientist Nicole Hernandez Hammer.[12] Isaac's family settled in the U.S. when he was five months old, and he was raised in Miami, Florida.[13][14][15] He has described his evangelical Protestant upbringing as "very Christian."[16] He has also said that he has French and Jewish origins, describing himself as "definitely a big mix of many things."[17]

Isaac caused trouble at his private grade school, Westminster Christian, when growing up. "I set off a fire extinguisher in the gym, defaced a mural, just stupid stuff", he said in an interview.[18] He liked to make kids laugh. At one point, his teacher had to screen off his desk from the rest of the class with a piece of cardboard. Eventually, he was expelled.[19]

Isaac's entry into professional acting began at the Area Stage Company, Miami Beach, when Artistic Director John Rodaz cast him in a play.[20] He also acted in Miami-based City Theatre's Summer Shorts short play festival in 2000–2001. While in Miami, he played lead guitar and sang vocals for ska-punk band The Blinking Underdogs.[21] Other band members included Nick Speck (bass), Bill Sommer (drums), Alan Mills (trombone), Keith Cooper (saxophone), and Matt LaPlant (guitar).[22] The band enjoyed some success, opening for Green Day[23] and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.[22] Isaac spent his musical years living a "straight edge" lifestyle.[24][25][26] Isaac put music to the side after being accepted into the acting program of New York's prestigious Juilliard School in 2001. While a student there, he worked on one of his first films, All About the Benjamins (2002). He was part of the Drama Division's Group 34 (2001–2005).[27]

Isaac made his acting debut in the 1996 crime drama Illtown, credited as "Pool Boy".[28] Next, he appeared briefly in 2002's All About the Benjamins and made an appearance on the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent four years later.[29][30] Isaac garnered recognition in his first major film role in 2006 as Joseph in the biblical epic The Nativity Story, opposite Keisha Castle-Hughes.[31] He appeared as Romeo in the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park performances of Romeo and Juliet and as Proteus in Two Gentlemen of Verona.[32]

Isaac was awarded the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actor of 2009, for his role as José Ramos-Horta in Balibo (2009).[33] He had a small role in Guerrilla, Part Two of the Che Guevara biopic Che (2008).[34] Isaac played King John in the 2010 film Robin Hood.[35] He portrayed a security guard in the Madonna-directed film W.E. and starred in the crime drama Drive, both of which were released in September 2011.[34] He had a role as a musician in 10 Years. He performed his own song "Never Had" in the film. "Never Had" and "You Ain't Goin Nowhere" were included in the movie's soundtrack.[36]

In 2013, Isaac starred in the dramatic comedy film Inside Llewyn Davis, written and directed by the Coen brothers, where he played a talented yet unsuccessful folk singer in Greenwich Village in 1961.[37] The film won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.[38] For the role of Llewyn, Isaac was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy at the 2014 Golden Globes.[39]

He co-starred with Jessica Chastain in J. C. Chandor's film A Most Violent Year (2014), replacing actor Javier Bardem.[40] In 2015, Isaac portrayed Nathan Hamlet Bateman in the science fiction film Ex Machina and starred in the 6-episode HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero, receiving universal critical acclaim and winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his performance as politician Nick Wasicsko.[41][42][43]

Isaac co-starred in the epic space opera film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, released on December 18, 2015,[44] playing Poe Dameron, an X-wing pilot. He reprised the role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, released on December 15, 2017.[45] He reprised his role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the 2019 film representing the final film in the sequel trilogy.[46]

Isaac played X-Men villain Apocalypse in the film X-Men: Apocalypse, which was released on May 27, 2016.[47] Also that year, he played the lead role in the historical drama The Promise, with co-star Christian Bale, in a story about the Armenian Genocide.[48]

In 2016, he was the narrator for the Nike ad "Unlimited You" created by Wieden+Kennedy. In November 2016, the first episode of the podcast series Homecoming was released. It is a six—episode psychological thriller from Gimlet Media, co-starring Catherine Keener and David Schwimmer; Isaac voices a soldier trying to rejoin civilian life.[49]

In July 2017, Isaac starred as Prince Hamlet in The Public Theater production of Hamlet alongside Keegan-Michael Key, Ritchie Coster, Gayle Rankin, Roberta Colindrez, and Anatol Yusef.[50] The production, directed by Sam Gold, ran until September 2017.[51] His performance received acclaim from critics and audiences alike.[8] Also that year, Isaac appeared in the black comedy Suburbicon, directed by George Clooney and written by the Coen Brothers.[52] It was his second role in a Coens-written film, after Inside Llewyn Davis.

Isaac co-starred with Natalie Portman in the film adaptation of the novel Annihilation, playing her character's husband.[53] Directed by Alex Garland, the role is Isaac's second collaboration with the director, after Ex Machina. In late-January 2019, Isaac was cast as Duke Leto Atreides in the upcoming Denis Villeneuve film Dune.[54] In 2019, Isaac was cast in the Paul Schrader film "The Card Counter".[55]

Isaac is an accomplished singer and guitar player, having played since the age of twelve.[56] He has been dubbed a sex symbol[57][58] and "the internet's boyfriend" by multiple media outlets, most notably Rolling Stone magazine, though he has expressed skepticism about the label.[13]

Isaac married Danish film director Elvira Lind in February 2017.[59] They have two sons.[60][61]

Isaac resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[62]

• Oscar Isaac on IMDb
• "Oscar-Isaac.com". Oscar Isaac Fans; Bringing fans daily news and images on all things Oscar