Jared Leto

Actor / Rock Musician

Born: 26 December 1971
Birthplace: Bossier City, Louisiana
Best known as:

Star of Prefontaine and singer for 30 Seconds to Mars

Jared Leto played Jordan on TV's My So-Called Life (1994-95, starring Claire Danes), then appeared in several high-profile movies, then carved out a second career as the frontman for rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. A native of Louisiana, Jared Leto began working in television in the early 1990s. The critical success of the short-lived series My So-Called Life helped push him into the spotlight, and he seemed to make a career of playing small roles in talked-about movies: The Thin Red Line (1998, with Jim Caviezel); Fight Club (1999, with Brad Pitt); Girl, Interrupted (1999, with Winona Ryder); American Psycho (2000, starring Christian Bale); Panic Room (2002, starring Jodie Foster); Alexander (2004, with Colin Farrell; and Lord of War (2005, with Nicolas Cage). Leto has also been an occasional lead player and was the star of 1997's Prefontaine and 1998's Urban Legend (with Alicia Witt). He famously lost several pounds to play a drug addict in Requiem for a Dream (2000, with Ellen Burstyn), and famously gained nearly 60 pounds to play killer Mark David Chapman in the movie Chapter 27 (2007). Since 1998 he has also been the guitarist and singer for the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, whose second album featured the MTV hit "The Kill," released in 2005 and promoted through all of 2007 with concert dates and international releases.

Extra credit:

His brother Shannon Leto is the drummer for 30 Seconds to Mars.

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