Elliot Page
Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987[1]) is a Canadian actor and producer. He[a] has received various accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Elliot Page
Prior to his public identification as a trans man, Page came to recognition for his starring role in the television franchise Pit Pony (1997–2000) and his recurring roles in the series Trailer Park Boys (2002) and ReGenesis (2004). His breakthrough came with leading roles in the film Hard Candy (2005) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). He received critical acclaim for portraying the title character in the film Juno (2007), and became the fourth-youngest nominee for the Academy Award Best Actress at the time.[3][4] His film roles since include Whip It (2009), Super (2010), Inception (2010), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Tallulah (2016) and Close to You (2023). He produced and starred in the film Freeheld (2015), hosted the Viceland documentary series Gaycation (2016–2017), and directed There's Something in the Water (2019). He also played the player character Jodie Holmes in the video game Beyond: Two Souls (2013) and Vanya/Viktor Hargreeves in the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy (2019–present).
Page is an outspoken activist. Describing himself as a pro-choice feminist, he has spoken out in favor of the Me Too movement, advocated for abortion rights, has called for the end of military dictatorship in Myanmar, and also practices as a vegan. In 2014, Page was included in The Advocate's annual "40 Under 40" list. In 2015, he received the Human Rights Campaign Vanguard Award.[5] Page has strongly spoken out against discriminatory legislation towards the trans community and has become a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights.[6] In March 2021, he became the first openly trans man to appear on the cover of Time.[7]
Early life
Page was born on February 21, 1987, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Martha Philpotts, a teacher, and Dennis Page, a graphic designer.[8] He was assigned female at birth and used the birth name of Ellen prior to transitioning in 2020.[9] Page attended the Halifax Grammar School until grade 10, and spent some time at Queen Elizabeth High School.[10][11] After graduating from the Shambhala School in 2005, Page spent two years in Toronto, studying in the Interact Program at Vaughan Road Academy, along with close friend and fellow Canadian actor Mark Rendall.[10]
Career
Early work
Page first acted on camera in 1997 at the age of ten, starring as Maggie Maclean in the CBC Television movie Pit Pony,[12] which later spun off into a television series of the same name that ran from 1999 to 2000.[13] For the television series role, he was nominated for a Gemini Award[b] and Young Artist Award.[c][14] In 2002, Page starred as Joanie in the film Marion Bridge, which is noted for being his first feature-film role.[15] In the same year, he was cast in the television series Trailer Park Boys in the recurring role of Treena Lahey, which he played for five episodes.[16]
Page had roles in the films Touch & Go and Love That Boy in 2003,[17] and he also starred in the television films Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story and Ghost Cat in the same year. For Ghost Cat, he won the Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series.[18] In 2004, Page starred in the drama Wilby Wonderful, for which he won an award at the Atlantic Film Festival and was nominated for a Genie Award. Also in 2004, he had a recurring role in season 1 of the series ReGenesis as Lilith Sandström, daughter of the show's protagonist.[19]
Personal life
Sexuality and gender
On February 14, 2014, Page, who at that time presented as female, came out as gay (Page being attracted to women),[120][121] during a speech at the Human Rights Campaign's "Time to Thrive" conference in Las Vegas.[122][123][124] In November 2017, Page claimed to have been outed at age 18 by filmmaker Brett Ratner while on the set of X-Men: The Last Stand.[125] This was corroborated by co-star Anna Paquin, who said that she was present when Ratner made the comment. In a lengthy Facebook post, Page expressed gratitude towards people who spoke out against abuse, and expressed frustration at the pattern of those who continued to remain silent on such matters.[126] In 2014, Page was included in The Advocate's annual "40 Under 40" list.[127][128]