Hayden Christensen - Definition and Overview

Hayden Christensen (born April 19, 1981) is an actor most widely known for playing Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. He was born in Vancouver, Canada, and was raised in Toronto. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s.

Filmography

• Life as a House (2001)
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Shattered Glass (2003)
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, DVD edition (2004)(original release was 1983)
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Trivia

George Lucas chose Christensen over hundreds of other actors to play the coveted role of Anakin Skywalker based on the young actor's exceptional talent for scenes of anger, pivotal for the role of Skywalker.

One change in the 2004 re-release of the Star Wars trilogy made Christensen one of the few actors who appears in both trilogies of the Star Wars saga. He replaced actor Sebastian Shaw in the final scene of the series as Anakin's Jedi spirit, alongside Yoda and Obi-Wan. The explanation from Lucas is that only the light Jedi get to exist after death; Anakin appeared to Luke like in Revenge of the Sith, before he definitely turned to the Dark side of the Force. Christensen's role in Return of the Jedi was uncredited. In January 2005, Christensen was signed to play the lead in Uli Edel's adaptation of The Physician, based on Noah Gordon's European bestseller.

External links

• IMDb entry for Hayden Christensen (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159789/)