Jared Leto was born on December 26, 1971, in Louisiana. His parents divorced when he was young so their mother, Constance, raised Jared and his older brother, Shannon. His father remarried which produced two more half-siblings for Jared. Leto attended a couple Preparatory schools including Flint Hill in Virginia and Emerson in Washington D.C., and graduated high school from Newton North.
Following high school, Leto attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where he majored in painting. This was followed by his enrollment at the School of Visual Arts in New York where he majored in filmmaking. While at the school Leto starred in his own movie, Crying Joy.
Jared received his first acting credits on the MTV television show, My So-Called Life in 1994. He played opposite a young Claire Danes, whose character was infatuated with his. The show only lasted for a single season after it was surprisingly not picked up for a second. Since then, it has amassed a cult following with people noting that it was ahead of its time. The show was a big departure from the comedic teen sitcoms that were on the air at the time, like Saved by the Bell.
Jared’s first major film was How to Make an American Quilt in 1995. The film co-starred Claire Danes and Winona Ryder. People took note of Jared’s role in the film and it quickly led to others. The following year, Leto was also voted as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by People magazine. The honor was repeated again the following year in 1997.
The years of 1998, 1999, and 2000 proved to be busy years professionally for Leto; he starred in three films a year in that time frame. His notable film for 1998 was The Thin Red Line, which co-starred George Clooney, John Cusack, and Sean Penn among others. The war film was a huge success and was nominated for several awards. In 1999, Jared starred in Fight Club, co-starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton.
In 2000, Leto most notably starred in Requiem for a Dream, which co-starred Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans. To prepare for his role in the film, Leto decided to refrain from having sex with his then fiancé, Cameron Diaz, for two months prior to shooting. He also starved himself for months, losing twenty-eight pounds to realistically play his heroine addict character.
Jared’s latest role is in the film Chapter 27, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2007. In the film, Leto plays Mark David Chapman, the man who assassinated John Lennon, and Lindsay Lohan plays a friend of Chapman. Lohan and Leto have reportedly dated in the past. For his role in his upcoming film Leto gained sixty-two pounds. After they wrapped from shooting, Leto quickly went on an all-liquid diet. His daily concoction was comprised of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water. Following this strict regime, Leto lost twenty pounds in ten days.
Besides acting, Jared is also a guitarist and singer in the band, 30 Seconds to Mars, with his brother Shannon. The band released their debut album in 2002 and a follow-up in 2005. After several years of opening for acts like Audioslave, 30 Seconds to Mars started their first headlining tour in March of 2006.
When not working, Leto is like anyone else. He enjoys snowboarding, hiking, painting, and skateboarding. He also has a dog he named Judas. There are many rumors circulating around his love life. In recent years he has been linked with Scarlett Johansson, Krisit McDaniel, and Jessica Simpson. Although if you ask him about his love life, he may tell you that he’s gay, which he has done in interviews before.
YUDDY
