Jared Joseph Leto (born December 26, 1971) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director. After starting his career with television appearances in the early 1990s, Leto achieved recognition for his role as Jordan Catalano on the television series
My So-Called Life (1994). He made his film debut in
How to Make an American Quilt (1995) and received critical praise for his performance in
Prefontaine (1997). Leto played supporting roles in
The Thin Red Line (1998),
Fight Club (1999) and
American Psycho (2000), as well as the lead role in
Urban Legend (1998), and earned critical acclaim after portraying heroin addict Harry Goldfarb in
Requiem for a Dream (2000). He later began focusing increasingly on his music career, returning to acting with
Panic Room (2002),
Alexander (2004),
Lord of War (2005),
Lonely Hearts (2006),
Chapter 27 (2007), and
Mr. Nobody (2009). He made his directorial debut in 2012 with the documentary film
Artifact.
