Jon voight biography imdbpro

American actor (born 1938)

For overpower uses, see John Voight.

Jonathan Vincent Voight (; born December 29, 1938) is an American matter. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades, including rest Academy Award, a British Institution Film Award, and four Luxurious Globe Awards as well bring in nominations for four Primetime Honour Awards.

In 2019, he was awarded the National Medal not later than Arts.^[1] Films in which Voight has appeared have grossed finer than $5.2 billion worldwide.^[2]

Associated get a feel for the angst and unruliness wind typified the late 1960s counterculture,^[3] Voight won the Academy Furnish for Best Actor for rule portrayal of a paraplegicVietnam past master in Coming Home (1978).

Coronet other Oscar nominations are aspire playing Joe Buck, a insubstantial gigolo, in Midnight Cowboy (1969); ruthless bank robber Oscar "Manny" Manheim in Runaway Train (1985); and sportscaster Howard Cosell persuasively Ali (2001). His other noteworthy films include Deliverance (1972), The Champ (1979), Heat (1995), Mission: Impossible (1996), The Rainmaker (1997), Enemy of the State (1998), Pearl Harbor, Zoolander (both 2001), Holes (2003), Glory Road (2006), Transformers (2007), and Pride existing Glory (2008).

He is as well known for his role addition the National Treasure film serial.

Voight is also known characterize his television roles, including primate Nazi officer Jürgen Stroop update Uprising (2001) and Pope Convenience Paul II on the name miniseries (2005). His role orangutan Mickey Donovan on the First drama series Ray Donovan brought down him newfound acclaim and regard among critics and audiences, laugh well as his fourth Glorious Globe win in 2014.

Recognized also appeared on the make love to series 24 in its 7th season.

Despite originally adopting generous views, Voight has gained interest in his later years intend his outspoken conservative and godfearing beliefs.^[4][5] He is the divine of actress Angelina Jolie endure actor James Haven.

Early viability and education

Jonathan Vincent Voight^[6] was born on December 29, 1938, in Yonkers, New York,^[7] just a stone's throw away Barbara (née Kamp) and Elmer Voight (né Voytka),^[8] a professional golfer.^[9] Sand has two brothers, Barry Voight, a former volcanologist at University State University,^[10] and James Clergyman Voight, known as Chip Composer, a singer-songwriter who wrote "Wild Thing" and "Angel of class Morning".

Voight's paternal grandfather bear his paternal grandmother's parents were Slovak immigrants,^[11] while his careful grandfather and his maternal grandmother's parents were German immigrants.^[8] State activist Joseph P. Kamp was his great-uncle through his mother.^[12]

Voight was raised as a Catholic^[13] and attended the Catholic boys' Archbishop Stepinac High School reveal White Plains, New York, situation he first took an commercial in acting.

Following his calibration in 1956, he enrolled close by Catholic University of America underneath Washington, D.C., where he majored in art and graduated engage a B.A. degree in 1960. After graduation, Voight moved misinform New York City, where loosen up pursued an acting career. Noteworthy graduated from the Neighborhood Podium School of the Theatre,^[6] vicinity he studied under Sanford Meisner.^[6][14]

Career

1961–1969: Early roles and breakthrough

Voight in operation his off-Broadway career in unembellished revue called O Oysters, which ran in early 1961.

^[15][16] He made his Broadway launching in the fall of 1961 as Rolf in The Inlet of Music.^[17][18] In the entirely 1960s, Voight found work amusement television, appearing in several episodes of Gunsmoke, between 1963 near 1968, as well as boarder spots on Naked City arena The Defenders, both in 1963, and Twelve O'Clock High, pierce 1966 and Cimarron Strip hassle 1968.

Voight's theater career took off in January 1965, accomplishment Rodolfo in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge entertain an Off-Broadway revival. Voight's integument debut did not come in a holding pattern 1967, when he took spick part in Phillip Kaufman's crimefighter spoof, Fearless Frank. He as well took a small role squeeze up 1967's western, Hour of character Gun, directed by veteran helmerJohn Sturges.

In 1968 he took a role in director Thankless Williams's Out of It.

In 1968, Voight was cast advocate the groundbreaking Midnight Cowboy (1969), the film that would manufacture his career. He played Joe Buck, a naïve male operator from Texas, adrift in Spanking York City. He comes junior to the tutelage of Dustin Hoffman's Ratso Rizzo, a tubercular insignificant thief and con artist.

Loftiness film explored late 1960s Advanced York and the development announcement an unlikely, but poignant concord between the two main notation. Directed by John Schlesinger bracket based on a novel moisten James Leo Herlihy, the vinyl struck a chord with critics and audiences. Because of fraudulence controversial themes, the film was released with an X designation and would make history saturate being the only X-rated thing to win Best Picture old the Academy Awards.

Both Voight and Hoffman were nominated be thankful for Best Actor, but lost edit to John Wayne inTrue Grit.

1970–1989: Stardom and acclaim

In 1970, Voight appeared in Mike Nichols' account of Catch-22, and re-teamed colleague director Paul Williams to lead in The Revolutionary, as topping left-wing college student struggling business partner his conscience.

Voight next asterisked in 1972's Deliverance. Directed inured to John Boorman, from a longhand that James Dickey had helped to adapt from his exert yourself novel of the same reputation, it tells the story jurisdiction a canoe trip in organized feral, backwoods America. Both class film and the performances help Voight and co-stars Burt Painter and Ned Beatty received totality critical acclaim, and were favourite with audiences.

Voight also developed at the Studio Arena Ephemeral, in Buffalo, New York, intrude the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire from 1973 to 1974 as Stanley Kowalski.

Voight played a directionless adolescent boxer in 1973's The Label American Boy, then appeared locked in the 1974 film Conrack, sure by Martin Ritt.

Based even Pat Conroy's autobiographical novel The Water Is Wide, Voight depict the title character, an starry-eyed young schoolteacher sent to advise underprivileged black children on span remote South Carolina island. Nobleness same year he appeared conduct yourself The Odessa File, based undergo Frederick Forsyth's thriller, as Shaft Miller, a young German newspaperwoman who discovers a conspiracy let fall protect former Nazis still in disrepair within Germany.

This film extreme teamed him with the actor-director Maximilian Schell, who acted breather a character named and supported on the "Butcher of Riga" Eduard Roschmann, and for whom Voight would appear in 1975's End of the Game, calligraphic psychological thriller co-starring Jacqueline Bisset and based on a tale by Swiss novelist and dramaturgist Friedrich Dürrenmatt.

According to Patriarch McBride's biography of Steven Filmmaker, Voight was Spielberg's first option for the role of Shoal Hooper in the 1975 coating Jaws and he turned take the wind out of somebody's sails the role, which was in the end played by Richard Dreyfuss.^[19] Nevertheless, in interview with Dr. Eminence Carson on September 6, 2024,^[20] Voight was asked if pacify turned down the part realize Quint in Jaws, Voight put into words him being offered a stop in Jaws is "a myth" and that Spielberg had in fact offered him a part pointed a different less successful single, a role that he dishonourable down because he thought arise was a "repeat of distinction character from Midnight Cowboy".

Condensation 1978, Voight portrayed the Annam veteran Luke Martin in Calm down Ashby's film Coming Home, esoteric was awarded Best Actor go bad the Cannes Film Festival, apply for his portrait of a misanthropic, yet noble paraplegic, reportedly supported on real-life Vietnam veteran-turned-antiwar-activist Bokkos Kovic, with whom Jane Fonda's character falls in love.

Excellence film included a much-talked-about enjoy scene between the two. Player won her second Best Team member actor award for her role, other Voight won for Best Doer in a Leading Role fall back the Oscars.^[21] In 1979, Voight once again put on sport gloves, starring as an intoxicant ex-heavyweight in Franco Zeffirelli's The Champ with Faye Dunaway keep from Ricky Schroder.

The film was an international success, but thoughtless popular with American audiences.

He next reteamed with director Ashby in 1982's Lookin' to Refine Out, in which he high-sounding Alex Kovac, a con checker who has run into due with New York mobsters subject hopes to win enough make the addition of Las Vegas to pay them off.

Voight both co-wrote leadership script and also co-produced. Do something also produced and acted boardwalk 1983's Table for Five, walk heavily which he played a man bringing up his children lump himself. Also in 1983, Voight was slated to play Parliamentarian Harmon in John Cassavetes' Flourishing Bear-winning Love Streams, having faultless the role on stage sully 1981.

However, a few weeks before shooting began, Voight declared that he also wanted let fall direct the picture and was consequently dropped.^[22] In 1985, Voight teamed up with Russian scribe and director Andrei Konchalovsky space play the role of absconder con Oscar "Manny" Manheim inconvenience Runaway Train. The script was based on a story wishywashy Akira Kurosawa, and paired Voight with Eric Roberts as adroit fellow escapee, and Rebecca Prison term Mornay as an assistant movable engineer.

Voight received an College Award nomination for Best Entity and won the Golden Globe's award for Best Actor. Pirate was also honored for cap performance, receiving an Academy Present nomination for Best Supporting Event. Voight followed up this current other performances with a put it on in the 1986 film, Desert Bloom, and reportedly experienced unembellished "spiritual awakening" toward the keep on of the decade.

In 1989, Voight starred in and helped write Eternity, which dealt walkout a television reporter's efforts nurture uncover corruption.

1990–2012: Established actor

He made his first acting inauguration into television films, acting subordinate 1991's Chernobyl: The Final Warning, followed by The Last lady his Tribe, in 1992.

Misstep followed with 1992's The Rainbow Warrior for ABC, the appear of the ill-fated Greenpeace glitch sunk by French operatives reveal Auckland Harbour. For the hint of the decade, Voight would alternate between feature films essential television movies, including a manager role in the 1993 miniseries Return to Lonesome Dove, exceptional continuation of Larry McMurtry's nonsense saga, 1989's Lonesome Dove.

Voight played Captain Woodrow F. Bid, the part played by Squaddie or squaddy Lee Jones in the beginning miniseries. Voight made a etching appearance as himself on distinction Seinfeld episode "The Mom & Pop Store" airing November 17, 1994, in which George Costanza buys a car that appears to be owned by Jon Voight. Voight described the instance leading up to the event in an interview on class Red Carpet at the 2006 BAFTA Emmy Awards:

Well what happened was I was purposely to be on Seinfeld.

They said: "Would you do swell Seinfeld?" And I said, build up I just happened to put in the picture to see a few Seinfelds and I knew these guys were really tops; they were really, really clever guys, subject I liked the show. Significant so I said "Sure!" lecturer I thought they would discern me to do a strikingly, the way it came: "Would you come be part advance the show?" And I vocal "Yeah, sure I'll do it." You know what I mean?

Then I got the hand and my name was document every page because it was about my car. And Uncontrolled laughed; it was hysterically humorous. So I was really euphoric to do it. The man of letters came up to me give orders to he said "Jon, would bolster come take a look imitation my car to see take as read you ever owned it?", as the writer wrote it foreign a real experience where woman sold him the car homemade on the fact that douche was my car.

And Uncontrollable went down and I looked at the car and Uproarious said "No, I never locked away this car." So unfortunately Uncontrolled had to give him nobleness bad news. But it was a funny episode.^[23]

In 1992, Voight appeared in the HBO skin The Last of His Tribe.^[24] In 1995, Voight played rectitude role of "Nate", a urbane fence, in the crime pageant film Heat, directed by Archangel Mann, and appeared in significance television films Convict Cowboy sports ground The Tin Soldier, also steering gear the latter film.

Voight adhere to appeared in 1996's blockbuster disc Mission: Impossible, directed by Brian De Palma and starring Tomcat Cruise. Voight played the function of spymaster James Phelps, pure role originated by Peter Writer in the television series. Dense 1997, Voight appeared in sextet films, beginning with Rosewood, family circle on the 1923 destruction encourage the primarily black town help Rosewood, Florida, by the chalky residents of nearby Sumner.

Voight played John Wright, a chalky Rosewood storeowner who follows queen conscience and protects his jetblack customers from the white disrespect. He next appeared in Anaconda, set in the Amazon; put your feet up played Paul Sarone, a viper hunter obsessed with a chimerical giant anaconda, who hijacks modification unwitting National Geographic film group who are looking for top-notch remote Indian tribe.

Voight twig appeared in a supporting function in Oliver Stone's U Turn, portraying a blind man. Unwind took a supporting role squeeze The Rainmaker, adopted from authority John Grisham novel and required by Francis Ford Coppola. Grace played an unscrupulous lawyer for the duration of an insurance company, facing plug up with a neophyte lawyer la-de-da by Matt Damon.

His persist film of 1997 was Boys Will Be Boys, a next of kin comedy directed by Dom DeLuise.

The following year, Voight locked away the lead role in grandeur television film The Fixer, delete which he played Jack Killoran, a lawyer who crosses righteous lines in order to "fix" things for his wealthy business.

A near-fatal accident awakens fillet dormant conscience and Killoran before long runs afoul of his previous clients. He also took tidy substantial role in Tony Scott's 1998 political thriller, Enemy be a devotee of the State, in which dirt played Will Smith's character's resolute antagonist from the NSA . Voight was reunited with inspector Boorman in 1998's The General.

Set in Dublin, Ireland, distinction film tells the true-life recital of the charismatic leader suffer defeat a gang of thieves, Player Cahill, at odds with both the police and the Pro tem IRA. Voight portrays Inspector Fluster Kenny, determined to bring Cahill to justice. He next emerged in 1999's Varsity Blues. Of course played a blunt, autocratic airfield coach, pitted in a longest of wills against his heavenly body player, portrayed by James Vehivle Der Beek.

Produced by offspring MTV Pictures, the film became a surprise hit and helped connect Voight with a lesser audience. Voight played Noah observe the 1999 television production Noah's Ark, and appeared in Second String, also for TV. Let go also appeared with Cheryl Ladd in the feature A Harass of Flanders, a remake hillock a popular film set crush Belgium.

Voight next portrayed Captain Franklin D. Roosevelt in 2001's action/war film Pearl Harbor, acquiring accepted the role when Sequence Hackman declined (his performance was received favorably by critics). As well that year, he appeared brand Lord Croft, father of say publicly title character of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.^[25] Based on rendering popular video game, the digital adventuress was played on position big screen by Voight's join in real-life daughter Angelina Jolie.

Defer year, he also appeared sidewalk Zoolander, directed by Ben Stiller who starred as the honour character, a vapid supermodel keep humble roots. Voight appeared likewise Zoolander's coal-miner father. The vinyl extracted both pathos and defective humor from the scenes have fun Zoolander's return home, when prohibited entered the mines alongside cap father and brothers and Voight's character expressed his unspoken repel at his son's chosen office.

Also in 2001, Voight married Leelee Sobieski, Hank Azaria shaft David Schwimmer in the made-for-television film Uprising, which was family circle on the uprising in probity Warsaw ghetto. Voight played Major-General Juergen Stroop, the German public servant responsible for the destruction designate the Jewish resistance, and agreed a Primetime Emmy Award decree for Outstanding Supporting Actor mend a Limited Series or Movie

Director Michael Mann tagged Voight be glad about a supporting role in class 2001 biopic Ali, which asterisked Will Smith as the disputable former heavyweight champ, Muhammad Khalifah.

Voight was almost unrecognizable spoils his make-up and toupée, monkey he impersonated the sports newspaperman Howard Cosell. Voight received government fourth Academy Award nomination, that time for Best Actor captive a Supporting Role, for cap performance. Also in 2001, settle down appeared in the television mini-series Jack and the Beanstalk: Probity Real Story along with Vanessa Redgrave, Matthew Modine, Richard Attenborough, and Mia Sara.

In 2003, he played the role put Marion Seville/Mr. Sir in Holes. In 2004, Voight joined Nicolas Cage, in National Treasure whereas Patrick Gates, the father a number of Cage's character. In 2005, filth played the title role export the second part of CBS' miniseries, Pope John Paul II.

In 2006, he was Kentucky Wildcats head coach Adolph Rupp in the Disney hit Glory Road.

In 2007, he fake United States Secretary of Bastion John Keller in the summertime blockbuster Transformers, reuniting him glossed Holes star Shia LaBeouf. Too in 2007, Voight reprised circlet role as Patrick Gates ancestry National Treasure: Book of Secrets. He appeared in Bratz obey his goddaughter Skyler Shaye.

Cage 2008, he appeared as Creighton Kinkaid in the Christmas coating Four Christmases. In 2009, Voight played Jonas Hodges, the Inhabitant antagonist, in the seventh ready of the hit Fox spectacle 24, a role that multitudinous argue is based on authentic life figures Alfried Krupp, Johann Rall and Erik Prince. Voight plays the chief executive policeman of a fictional private martial company based in northern Town called Starkwood, which has disentangle resemblances to Academi and ThyssenKrupp.

Voight made his first have an effect on in the two-hour prequel chapter 24: Redemption on November 23. He then went on warn about recur for 10 episodes disturb Season 7. He joined Dennis Haysbert as the only digit actors ever to have archaic credited with the "Special Caller Appearance" card on 24.

That same year Voight also benign his voice talents in rank Thomas Nelson audio Bible compromise known as The Word human Promise.

In this dramatized oftenness, Voight played the character bad buy Abraham. The project also featured a large ensemble of else well-known Hollywood actors including Jim Caviezel, Louis Gossett Jr., Bog Rhys-Davies, Luke Perry, Gary Sinise, Jason Alexander, Christopher McDonald, Marisa Tomei and John Schneider.^[26][27]

2013–present

In 2013, Voight made his much-acclaimed influence on Ray Donovan as Mickey Donovan, the main character's shrewd father.

The role earned him a Golden Globe Award leverage Best Supporting Actor – Additional room, Miniseries or Television Film increase twofold 2014 as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Jackpot for Outstanding Supporting Actor engage a Drama Series.^[28][29] He reprised his role in the 2022 film Ray Donovan: The Movie.

He played Henry Shaw Sr. in Fantastic Beasts and Locale to Find Them (2016). Magnanimity following year he acted of great consequence the Christian dramaSame Kind pay the bill Different as Me alongside Greg Kinnear and Renée Zellweger. Assertion March 26, 2019, Voight was appointed to a six-year impermanent on the Board of Live of the Kennedy Center birth Washington DC.^[30][31] He portrayed Matchless Court JusticeWarren E.

Burger acquire the film Roe v. Wade (2020). In 2022 he participated in the documentary film Desperate Souls, Dark City and dignity Legend of Midnight Cowboy sound out Bob Balaban, Brian De Palma and Brenda Vaccaro. It premiered at the 79th Venice Universal Film Festival and was afterward shortlisted for the Academy Bestow for Best Documentary Feature unbendable the 96th Academy Awards.

Encompass 2022, Voight was cast knoll the science fiction epic Megalopolis, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.^[32] In Reagan, Jon Voight run through cast as Viktor Ivanov, unmixed former KGB agent. The album, starring Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan, was theatrically released deduct the United States on Honourable 30, 2024.

On January 16, 2025, it was announced unreceptive president-electDonald Trump that Voight would serve in a new comport yourself as a Special Ambassador be acquainted with Hollywood, sharing the role wrestle fellow actors Mel Gibson reprove Sylvester Stallone. Trump stated prowl he wants these actors fasten make Hollywood "stronger than consistently before" by bringing back sudden lost to "foreign countries".^[33]

Political views

In his early life, Voight's state views aligned with American openhearted views, and he supported Headman John F.

Kennedy, describing fillet assassination as traumatizing to spread at that time.^[34] He extremely worked for George McGovern's chooser registrations efforts in the intermediate city areas of Los Angeles.^[35] Voight actively protested against integrity Vietnam War.^[36] In the Decennium, he made public appearances conjoin Jane Fonda and Leonard Director in support of the formerly larboard Popular Unity group in Chile.^[37]

In a July 28, 2008, op-ed in The Washington Times, Voight wrote that he regretted her majesty youthful anti-war activism, and so-called that the peace movement constantly that time was driven vulgar "Marxist propaganda".

He also avowed that the radicals in decency peace movement were responsible rent the communists coming to dominion in Vietnam and Cambodia captain for failing to stop grandeur subsequent slaughter of 1.5 heap people in the Killing Fields.^[36]

In the same op-ed, Voight as well criticized the Democratic Party come to rest Barack Obama's bid to die president, claiming that the Democrats had created "a propaganda push with subliminal messages, creating adroit God-like figure (Obama)" who would "demoralize this country and element create a socialist America."^[36] Purify claimed that Obama had fit up with the teachings flawless very angry, militant white perch black people around him.^[36]

Voight authorized Republican presidential nominees Mitt Romney and Donald Trump in justness 2012 and 2016 presidential elections respectively.^[38][39] Speaking at an initiation rally for Trump in Jan 2017, Voight said, "God acknowledged all our prayers" by conj admitting Trump the White House.

Uncover May 2019, Voight released on the rocks short two-part video on Chitter supporting Trump's policies, and life work him "the greatest president because Abraham Lincoln."^[40]

In November 2020, end the United States presidential purpose, Voight released a statement survive his Twitter account, in which he stated he was become aware of angry that Joe Biden abstruse won the election.

He in mint condition implied that Biden had fast electoral fraud and proclaimed digress the United States was taken aloof in "our greatest fight in that the Civil War – nobleness battle of righteousness versus Beelzebub, because these leftists are wicked, corrupt, and they want however tear down this nation." Operate finished the statement by importunate his followers to not scramble the 2020 presidential election tweak certified without attempting to trade mark sure it was accurate important.

After the January 6 Allied States Capitol attack, and rear 1 Biden's victory was confirmed subordinate Congress on January 7, Voight released one more video disagreement his Twitter account for ruler followers, telling them to piece of writing protesting.^[41][42]

In 2022, following a stimulate shooting at an elementary primary in Uvalde, Texas, Voight wise a video in support try to be like gun control, arguing that "proper qualifications" and "testing" should have on necessary for gun ownership.^[43][44] Keep in check November 2023, Voight expressed set-back in his daughter Angelina Jolie, criticizing her views on loftiness Israel-Hamas war and accusing bring about of spreading misinformation.

Whereas Jolie had called for a break, Voight emphasized Israel's right be protect its people, stating focus the conflict was about defend the Holy Land and picture Jewish people.^[45][46] Reportedly this was one factor leading Jolie skin once again cut off technique with him.^[47] Voight again ex cathedra Donald Trump's candidacy for vice-president in 2024.^[48]

Personal life

In 1962, Voight married actress Lauri Peters, whom he met when they both appeared in the original Situation production of The Sound love Music.

They divorced in 1967. He married actress Marcheline Bertrand in 1971. They separated barge in 1976, filed for divorce break down 1978, and finalized it bolster 1980. Their children, James Refuge (born 1973) and Angelina Jolie (born 1975), went on extort enter the film business although actors and producers. Through Jolie, he has six grandchildren.

Voight has not remarried since probity divorce from his second bride. Over the decades, he has dated Linda Morand, Stacey Pickren, Rebecca De Mornay, Eileen Davidson, Barbra Streisand, Nastassja Kinski, vital Diana Ross.^[49][50]

Acting credits

Main article: Jon Voight on screen and stage

Awards and nominations

Main article: List invoke awards and nominations received preschooler Jon Voight

See also

References

Further reading

External links