50 facts about Joseph Gordon-Levitt: made a conscious decision to "be in good movies" after returning to acting

At age six, he starred in several made-for-television films. Learn 50 facts about actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

1. Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt as a child star, he appeared in the films A River Runs Through It, Angels in the Outfield and 10 Things I Hate About You, and as Tommy Solomon in the TV series 3rd Rock from the Sun.

2. He took a break from acting to study at Columbia University.

3. He dropped study at Columbia University in 2004 to pursue acting again.

4. He has since starred in 500 Days of Summer, Inception, Hesher, 50/50, Premium Rush, The Dark Knight Rises, Brick, Looper, The Lookout, Manic, Lincoln, Mysterious Skin and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

5. He also founded the online production company hitRECord in 2004.

6. Has hosted his own TV series, HitRecord on TV, since January 2014.

7. In 2013, Gordon-Levitt made his feature film directing and screenwriting debut with Don Jon, a comedy film in which he also stars.

8. He previously directed and edited two short films, both of which were released in 2010: Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny and Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo.

9. He starred as Philippe Petit in the Robert Zemeckis-directed film The Walk.

10. Will star as Edward Snowden in the Oliver Stone film Snowden, set for release in 2016.

11. Gordon-Levitt was born in Los Angeles, California.

12. Was raised in its Sherman Oaks neighborhood.

13. He is Jewish.

14. His family that is "not strictly religious".

15. His parents were among the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance.

16. His father, Dennis Levitt, was once the news director for the Pacifica Radio station, KPFK-FM.

17. His mother, Jane Gordon, ran for the United States Congress in California during the 1970s for the Peace and Freedom Party.

18. His mother met his father while she was working as the program guide editor for KPFK-FM.

19. Gordon-Levitt's maternal grandfather, Michael Gordon, was a Hollywood film director between the 1940s and 1970s, and directed the 1959 Doris Day/Rock Hudson film Pillow Talk.

20. Gordon-Levitt joined a musical theater group at the age of four.

21. He played the Scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz.

22. Was approached by an agent and began appearing on television and in commercials for Sunny Jim peanut butter, Cocoa Puffs, Pop-Tarts, and Kinney Shoes.

23. At age six, he starred in several made-for-television films.

24. In 1991, he played both David Collins and Daniel Collins in the Dark Shadows television series, and appeared in the movie A River Runs Through It.

25. During 1992-93, he played in The Powers That Be, a sitcom starring John Forsythe, as a clever young boy named Pierce Van Horne.

26. Also in 1992, he portrayed Gregory Kingsley in the made-for-TV film Switching Parents, based on Kingsley's real life case of "divorcing" his parents.

27. In 1994, he starred in the Disney film Angels in the Outfield as an orphan who sees angels.

28. In 1996, he began playing Tommy Solomon on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. The series ran for six seasons.

29. Gordon-Levitt was attending Van Nuys High School while acting on the show and graduated with honors in 1999.

30. During the 1990s, he was frequently featured in teenage magazines, something he resented.

31. He has also said that during this time period, he did not enjoy being recognized in public, saying that he "hates being a celebrity".

32. He studied history, literature, and French poetry. He became an avid Francophile and a French speaker.

33. He said that moving to New York City from his hometown forced him to grow as a person.

34. Gordon-Levitt's first film as director, the 24 minute-long Sparks, an adaptation of a short story by Elmore Leonard starring Carla Gugino and Eric Stoltz, was selected for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival as part of a new program for short films.

35. In 2010, he directed another short film, Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo. It premiered at two houses during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

36. He was one of the many producers of the Broadway show Slava's Snowshow.

37. In 2013, Gordon-Levitt wrote, directed and starred in his screenwriting and directorial debut, Don Jon. The film also stars Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, and Tony Danza, and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013.

38. In December 2013, Gordon-Levitt announced his involvement as a producer on a film adaptation of the critically acclaimed graphic novel series The Sandman. He will produce for the Warner Bros. studio, alongside David S. Goyer and Neil Gaiman, the creator of the series. Gordon-Levitt may also direct and star in the film.

39. In October 2013, Gordon-Levitt identified himself as a feminist, giving credit to his mother: "My mom brought me up to be a feminist. She was active in the movement in the '60s and '70s. The Hollywood movie industry has come a long way since its past. It certainly has a bad history of sexism, but it ain't all the way yet."

40. HitRecord is an online collaborative production company founded and owned by Gordon-Levitt.

41. Gordon-Levitt has said that he made a conscious decision to "be in good movies" after returning to acting.

42. On November 21, 2009, he hosted Saturday Night Live.

43. In 2010, he replaced James Franco to star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Christopher Nolan's science fiction thriller Inception, which received favorable reviews.

44. In 2011, Gordon-Levitt began filming Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, in which he played John Blake, a police officer who emerges as a key ally of Batman.

45. In 2015, Gordon-Levitt will also star as Philippe Petit in the biographical drama The Walk, directed by Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis.

46. His favorite actors are Daniel Day-Lewis, Warren Oates, Gary Oldman, and Gena Rowlands.

47. Was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 for Best Special Theatrical Event with his fellow producers of the Broadway show "Slava's Snowshow".

48. He can play drums and the guitar.

49. In December 2014, Gordon-Levitt married Tasha McCauley.

50. They welcomed a son in August 2015.

Source: Wikipedia.org