Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV[1] (September 12, 1973[2] – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise.
This article is about the American actor. For other people named Paul Walker, see Paul Walker (disambiguation).
Paul Walker
Paul Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recognition in the 1990s after appearing in the television soap opera The Young and the Restless; he received praise for his performances in the teen comedy She's All That and the comedy-drama Varsity Blues (both 1999), and rose to international fame by starring in The Fast and the Furious (2001).
He also starred in the commercially successful road thriller Joy Ride (2001), becoming an action star. He followed this with the box-office disappointments Into the Blue (2005) and Running Scared (2006), although he earned praise for his performance in the survival drama Eight Below, and for his portrayal of Hank Hansen in Flags of Our Fathers (both 2006). Outside of these, Walker largely appeared in low budget action films, but starred in the commercially successful heist film Takers (2010).
Walker died in a single-vehicle collision on November 30, 2013, as a passenger in a speeding car. His father and daughter filed separate wrongful death lawsuits against Porsche, which resulted in settlements. At the time of his death, Walker had not completed filming Furious 7 (2015); it was released after rewrites and stand-ins, including his brothers Cody and Caleb, both of whom filled in for Walker, while the song "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth was commissioned as a tribute.[3]
Early life and education
Walker was born on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California.[4] His mother, Cheryl (née Crabtree), was a fashion model,[5] and his father, Paul William Walker III, was a sewer contractor and former amateur boxer, who was a two-time Golden Gloves champion.[6][7] Walker's paternal grandfather, William, had a short-lived boxing career as "Irish" Billy Walker, while another raced factory cars for Ford in the 1960s.[5]
Raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[6] Walker had four younger siblings: Aimee, Ashlie, Caleb, and Cody. He spent the majority of his early life in the Sunland neighborhood of Los Angeles, and graduated from Village Christian School in 1991.[8][9] Walker subsequently attended several community colleges in Southern California, majoring in marine biology.[10]