Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (born February 17, 1981) is an American actor, director, producer, and writer. As a child star, he appeared in the films Angels in the Outfield, Beethoven, and 10 Things I Hate About You, and as Tommy Solomon in the TV series 3rd Rock from the Sun.

He took a break from acting to study at Columbia University, but dropped out in 2004 to pursue acting again. He has since starred in (500) Days of Summer, Inception, 50/50, Premium Rush, The Dark Knight Rises, Brick, and Looper, and also appeared in The Lookout, Manic, Lincoln, Mysterious Skin, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2013, he starred in the comedy film he also wrote and directed Don Jon, and will appear in the sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For as Johnny. He founded the online production company hitRECord in 2004.

Early Life
Gordon-Levitt was born in Los Angeles, California, and was raised in its Sherman Oaks neighborhood. He is Jewish, though his family is "not strictly religious"; his parents were among the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance. His father, Dennis Levitt, was once the news director for the Pacifica Radio station, KPFK-FM. His mother, Jane Gordon, ran for the United States Congress in California during the 1970s for the Peace and Freedom Party; she met Dennis Levitt while she was working as the program guide editor for KPFK-FM. Gordon-Levitt's maternal grandfather, Michael Gordon, was a Hollywood film director between the 1940s and 1970s, who directed the 1959 Doris Day/Rock Hudson film Pillow Talk. Gordon-Levitt had an older brother, Dan (1974–2010), a photographer and fire spinner