Jeremy Renner Bio: Star of The Hurt Locker and The Bourne Legacy
Jeremy Lee Renner was born January 7th, 1971 in Modesto, California. Bitten by the acting bug early on, he relocated to Los Angeles in 1993. Taking on various odd-jobs on movie sets, he soon found himself in front of a film camera as an underachieving student in the cult hit “National Lampoon's Senior Trip.” Today, he is best known for his dramatic and action oriented roles in "The Hurt Locker", "The Avengers" and "The Bourne Legacy." Join WatchMojo.com as we learn more about the life and career of Jeremy Renner.
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Jeremy Renner Bio: Star of The Hurt Locker and The Bourne Legacy
He has transcended independent films to become a major Hollywood action star. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be learning more about the life and career of Jeremy Renner.
Jeremy Lee Renner was born January 7th, 1971 in Modesto, California. In college, he drifted from major to major, and studied psychology, criminology and computer science. He was eventually bitten by the acting bug, and used his background to land his first acting gig as a fake perp for police training exercises.
By then, he was living in San Francisco and studying at the American Conservatory Theatre. However, he wanted to pursue acting work more vigilantly, so he relocated to Los Angeles in 1993.
While there, he took various odd-jobs on movie sets, but his most impressive acting work came when he co-directed and starred in the play “Search and Destroy.”
He began working more frequently, and in 1995 Renner finally found himself in front of a film camera as an underachieving student in the cult hit “National Lampoon's Senior Trip.” He then won work on several television shows, including a recurring role on the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” spinoff “Angel” in 1999. Despite his newfound success, he was still supplementing his income by renovating houses.
Renner made his breakthrough in 2002 by landing a starring role as the infamous, real-life serial killer “Dahmer.” His multifaceted and humanizing performance captivated critics, and earned him a nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Male Lead.
Renner then changed gears and appeared as a sexy sheriff in Pink” music video “Trouble.” But he made a splash as a police officer opposite Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson in “S.W.A.T.,” and as the boyfriend of a drug addict in “The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things.”
Renner got top billing in 2004's “Neo Ned,” where he played a white supremacist who is sent to a mental hospital, and then falls in love with a black girl he believes to be the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. Outrageous premise aside, the film was a captivating character study and it won Renner a Best Actor award at the Palm Beach Best International Film Festival.
The budding star then landed several supporting roles in 2005: he played a grief stricken patient in “12 and Holding,” a mysterious character in “A Little Trip to Heaven,” and an abusive iron mine supervisor in “North Country,” where he briefly showcased his musical talent.
In 2006, Renner sang a rendition of “American Pie” in the film “Love Comes to the Executioner,” before he took home another Best Actor award at California's Independent Film Festival for his outing as a gambling addict in 2007's “Take.”
Renner then appeared in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” and became a soldier with a conscience in the zombie outbreak horror sequel “28 Weeks Later.”
Though his career was already on the rise, it was his role as a bomb specialist in Katheryn Bigelow's 2008 hit “The Hurt Locker” that propelled Renner to instant fame. The part also garnered him several prestigious honors, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Following this, he starred in the short-lived TV police comedy-drama “The Unusuals,” before he played a loyal yet unnerving criminal in Ben Affleck's heist thriller “The Town.”
Renner then set himself up for Marvel-sized adventures as the superhero Hawkeye in 2011's “Thor.” His status as an action star gained more momentum when he played a secret agent in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” opposite Tom Cruise.
He then returned to sling arrows in 2012's box office juggernaut “The Avengers,” and continued to dominate action as Aaron Cross, Matt Damon's successor in “The Bourne Legacy.”
Not only has Renner showcased his acting talents, he has also proven his affinity for music as a singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and drummer. He remains deeply focused on his other passions, including his long-running home renovation business and his involvement with the United Nations as a Goodwill Peace Ambassador.
Jeremy Renner's star shines brighter with each new project, and if he continues to woo audiences with his expressive eyes and ability to embody multifaceted characters, there's no doubt he'll be on the A-list for years.
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