Josh Hutcherson
Birthdate: Oct 12, 1992
Birthplace: Union, Kentucky, USA
Josh Hutcherson has enjoyed one of the most successful transitions from a robust child acting career to adult roles with manly leading and co-starring characters, starting with a small role in the outstanding Harvey Pekar adaptation, American Splendor (2003), starring Paul Giamatti.
Hutcherson landed his first significant role only two years into his movie career as a young teen in the sports comedy, Kicking & Screaming (2005), starring Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, Kate Walsh, and Mike Ditka. In a busy breakout year for Hutcherson, he scored one of the top roles in the English-language voice cast of Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle (2005), with Emily Mortimer, Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, and Jena Malone, and which premiered at the Venice film festival before grossing an astounding $236 million globally.
Josh Hutcherson had his first starring role in a studio release in the Mark Levin-directed rom-com, Little Manhattan (2005), with Bradley Whitford, Cynthia Nixon, and Charlie Ray. Hutcherson was cast by director Jon Favreau as co-star of the sci-fi Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), with Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart, and Tim Robbins, and released by Sony Pictures Releasing. Hutcherson had a supporting role under Barry Sonenfeld’s direction in the road comedy, RV (2006), starring Robin Williams, Jeff Daniels, Cheryl Hines, Kristin Chenoweth, and Will Arnett, and grossing a weak $87.5 million against $50 million costs.
Josh Hutcherson starred in the Gábor Csupó-directed fantasy drama, Bridge to Terabitha (2007), co-starring AnnaSophia Robb, Robert Patrick, and Zooey Deschanel, and earning strong reviews and box office returns ($137.6 million globally) for Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. Hutcherson continued his string of starring roles with the family movie directed by Todd Holland, Firehouse Dog (2007), with Bruce Greenwood, Dash Mihok, Steven Culp, and Bill Nunn, and released by 20th Century Fox for over $17 million returns.
After Hutcherson appeared in the little-seen drama, Winged Creatures (2008), he co-starred with Brendan Fraser in the 3D sci-fi adventure, Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008), directed by Eric Brevig, with Seth Meyers, and earned a powerful $244 million global gross for Warner Bros. Josh Hutcherson then co-starred with Chris Massoglia, John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Ray Stevenson, Patrick Fugit, Willem Dafoe, and Salma Hayek in the money-losing Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (2009).
Hutcherson co-starred with Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, and Mia Wasikowska in director/co-writer Lisa Chodolenko’s comedy-drama, The Kids Are All Right (2010), which turned a tidy profit ($34.7 million gross) for Focus Features and earned four Oscar nominations, including best picture. Hutcherson was a co-star and executive producer on Detention (2011), writer-director Joseph Kahn’s slasher comedy with Shanley Caswell, Spencer Locke, and Dane Cook, which premiered at the South by Southwest film festival.
Josh Hutcherson co-starred opposite Dwayne Johnson in his biggest-grossing movie to date with the New Line/Warners adventure sequel, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012), based partly on Jules Verne’s 1875 classic, The Mysterious Island, and with Michael Caine, Vanessa Hudgens, Luis Guzmán, and Kristen Davis, and grossing a stunning $335 million.
Hutcherson was cast in the plum recurring role of Peeta Mellark opposite Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss in the mega-hit The Hunger Games (2012), and then progressed through The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 (2014), and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 (2015). Hutcherson starred in the segment directed by Benicio del Toro in the seven-part anthology set in Havana, Cuba, 7 Days in Havana (2012), with other segments directed by Elia Suleiman, Gaspar Noé, Julio Medem, Pablo Trapero, Laurent Cantet, and Juan Carlos Tabío.
Josh Hutcherson starred and executive-produced The Forger (2012), with Lauren Bacall, Alfred Molina, and Dina Eastwood, and then co-starred in the commercially failed $65 million remake, Red Dawn (2012), co-starring Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Adrianne Palicki, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Hutcherson was cast in his first voice role in a Hollywood studio-produced animated feature, Epic (2013), from Blue Sky Studios/20th Century Fox Animation, and with the voices of Colin Farrell, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Aziz Ansari, Chris O’Dowd, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, and Beyoncé, and grossing $268 million on a $93 million costs.
Hutcherson again co-starred and served as an executive producer in director-writer Andrea Di Stefano’s crime thriller, Escobar: Paradise Lost (2015), with Del Toro and Brady Corbet, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Josh Hutcherson was cast by director/producer/star James Franco in the John Steinbeck adaptation, In Dubious Battle (2017).
He joined the ensemble of Nat Wolff, Vincent D’Onofrio, Selena Gomez, Robert Duvall, Bryan Cranston, Ed Harris, Sam Shepard, and Zach Braff, with the movie premiering at the Venice film festival to tepid reviews and poorer box office via distributor Momentum Pictures. Franco tapped Hutcherson again for a supporting role in his far more successful dark comedy, The Disaster Artist (2017), with brothers Franco (James and Dave), Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, and Jacki Weaver, earning a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination while grossing $30 million, three times costs.
Hutcherson co-starred opposite Alexandra Shipp and Brianna Hildebrand in co-writer/director Tyler MacIntyre’s slasher comedy, Tragedy Girls (2017), with Craig Robinson, Kevin Durand, and Jack Quaid, which premiered at the South by Southwest film festival. Josh Hutcherson played the title voice in the animated family movie, Elliot the Littlest Reindeer (2018), with Samantha Bee, Martin Short, Morena Baccarin, and John Cleese, followed by Hutcherson playing support in writer-director Mike Gan’s little-seen horror movie, Burn (2019), with Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Suki Waterhouse, Harry Shum Jr., and Shiloh Fernandez.
After co-starring with filmmaker-star Franco (for a third time) in The Long Home (reportedly released in 2021), alongside cast members Zoe Levin, Tim Blake Nelson, Courtney Love, Timothy Hutton, Giancarlo Esposito, Ashton Kutcher, Josh Hartnett, and Beth Grant, Hutcherson starred opposite Morgan Freeman in co-writer/director Rusty Cundieff’s sci-fi thriller, 57 Seconds (2023), but which was released by The Avenue to poor reviews.
Hutcherson starred in the Universal/Blumhouse horror movie directed by Emma Tammi, Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023), with Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard, grossing a knockout $295 million (Blumhouse’s biggest-grossing movie through 2023). Hutcherson then faced off against Jason Statham in producer-director David Ayer’s brawny revenge actioner, The Beekeeper (2024), released by Amazon MGM Studios.
Josh Hutcherson joined the cast of Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Matilda De Angelis, and Laura Morante in the much-delayed film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s 1950 novel, Across the River and into the Trees (shot in 2020, premiered in 2022, and finally released in the U.S. in 2024), written by Peter Flannery and directed by Paula Ortiz. Hutcherson co-starred with Isabelle Fuhrman, David Thewlis, Dennis Quaid, and Kiera Allen in the Candian-produced sci-fi drama, Littlemouth (date to be announced), written and directed by Jonathan Sobol.
Josh Hutcherson took on another starring role in co-writer/director John Swab’s drama, Land of Grace (date to be announced), with Frank Grillo, Andy Garcia, Melissa Leo, and Mekhi Phifer. Writer-director Santiago Manes Moreno cast Hutcherson as the lead in his crime-revenge thriller, Last Ticket (date to be announced). Hutcherson once again joined Garcia (as his real estate mogul father) for writer-director Raymond De Felitta’s Manhattan-set drama, Artist in Residence (date to be announced), in which Hutcherson contends with an eccentric, stubborn Diane Keaton.
Personal Details
Josh Hutcherson was born in Union, Kentucky, and was raised by parents Michelle Fightmaster (former Delta Air Lines employee, then film producer) and Chris Hutcherson (analyst for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Hutcherson has a younger brother, fellow actor Connor Hutcherson. Determined to be an actor from age four, Hutcherson managed to convince his mother—despite his parents’ belief that his enthusiasm was just a phase–to move to the Los Angeles area five years later to advance his acting career. Hutcherson was generally home-schooled during his childhood acting pursuits but did attend Ryle High School in Union, Ky., where he was active in sports. Hutcherson’s height is 5’ 5”.
Awards
Winner, Breakthrough Performer of the Year, CinemaCon (2012); Winner, Vanguard Award, GLAAD Media Awards (2012); Nominee, Best Ensemble Performance, Gotham Awards (2010); Three-time Winner, Best Fight/Best Male Performance, MTV Movie + TV Awards (2012, 2014); Nominee, Best Motion Picture Cast, Screen Actors Guild Awards (2011).
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Filmography
actor
Previous (35)
- 2024 | Across the River and Into the TreesasJackson
Across the River and Into the Trees
Set in post-World War II Italian Venice, war-torn U.S. Army Colonel Richard Cantwell is a true hero who faces the news of his illness with indifference.
- 2024 | The BeekeeperasDerek Danforth
The Beekeeper
One man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as "Beekeepers."
- 2023 | 57 Secondsas Franklin Fausti
- 2023 | Five Nights at Freddy’sasMike Schmidt
Five Nights at Freddy’s
A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. During his first night on the job, he realizes that the night shift won't be so easy to get through. Pretty soon he will unveil what actually happened at Freddy's.
- 2022 | The ForgerasJoshua
The Forger
Cioma Schönhaus, a 21-year-old Jewish man, escapes the Gestapo and saves lives thanks to his ability to forge passports. His other talent is forging his own identity.
- 2022 | Across the River and Into the Treesas Jackson
- 2021 | The Long Homeas Nathan Winer
- 2019 | Burnas Billy
- 2019 | Last Ticketas Ronny
- 2018 | Artist in Residenceas Max Rhinelander
- 2018 | Elliot the Littlest ReindeerasElliot
Elliot the Littlest Reindeer
When Blitzen announces his retirement on December 21st, a miniature horse has 3 days to fulfill his lifelong dream of earning a spot on Santa's team at the North Pole try-outs.
- 2017 | The King of Counterfeitas Self - Host
- 2017 | The Disaster ArtistasPhilip
The Disaster Artist
When aspiring actor Greg Sestero meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.
- 2015 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2as Peeta Mellark
- 2015 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2asPeeta Mellark
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
Katniss and a team of rebels from District 13 prepare for the final battle that will decide the fate of Panem.
- 2014 | Escobar: Paradise Lostas Nick
- 2014 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1as Peeta Mellark
- 2014 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1asPeeta Mellark
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Katniss Everdeen is in District 13 after she shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.
- 2013 | Surviving the Game - Making the Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- 2013 | The Hunger Games: Catching FireasPeeta Mellark
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.
- 2013 |
- 2012 |
- 2012 | The Hunger GamesasPeeta Mellark
The Hunger Games
Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.
- 2012 | Journey 2: The Mysterious IslandasSean
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Sean Anderson partners with his mom's husband on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.
- 2011 | 7 Days in Havanaas Teddy (segment "El Yuma")
- 2011 | Detentionas Clapton Davis
- 2009 | Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistantas Steve
- 2009 | Littlemouthas Self
- 2008 | Journey to the Center of the Earthas Sean Anderson
- 2007 | Bridge to Terabithiaas Jess Aarons
- 2007 | Firehouse Dogas Shane Fahey
- 2005 | Kicking & Screamingas Bucky Weston
- 2005 | Little Manhattanas Gabe
- 2005 | Zathura: A Space Adventureas Walter
- 2005 | Howl’s Moving CastleasMarkl
Howl’s Moving Castle
When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.
Some Facts About Josh Hutcherson
Determined: Josh Hutcherson was so determined to develop his acting career that he researched a Yellow Pages and contacted talent agents and acting coaches at age eight. He found acting coach Bob Luke, who advised him and his parents to move to Los Angeles—which Hutcherson and his mom did a year later.
Causes: Hutcherson, who has described himself as “mostly straight” and had two uncles who died from HIV-AIDS, has long been an active supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, especially through the “Straight But Not Narrow” gay-straight alliance campaign.
Inspirations: Josh Hutcherson has cited the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as an acting inspiration, and Jake Gyllenhaal as an acting professional inspiration, especially for the way he’s managed his career.
