Hayden Christensen
Hayden Christensen was a child actor who eventually landed a role that made him famous. At age 20, he played Sam in the 2001 film, Life as a House. The portrayal earned him a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. It also helped him land a part in the Star Wars franchise.
Christen played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. He beat out 400 actors including Colin Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio to get the role.
This Leafs fan didn’t always have the ambition to make acting his profession. He was an athlete while in high school. He played competitive hockey, but tennis was his forte. In fact, Christensen was ranked provincially at the sport.
Christensen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1981. He moved to the Greater Toronto Area and went to school in Markham, Ontario. He attended Unionville High School, which offered specialized arts programs.
Christensen is a self-proclaimed “massive Maple Leafs fan”. He has been in attendance at many of their games and is often wearing some sort of team paraphernalia out on the street. Such was the case when he was profiled by GQ. In that write-up, it is suggested that Christensen wanted to one day captain the Leafs.
Christensen has explained that he is a fan of all Toronto sports. Though his first love is hockey and the Leafs, he cheers for the Raptors, and Toronto FC as well.