Biography
After graduating from Juilliard in 2005, Oscar Isaac embarked on a whirlwind acting career, working with some of the industry's biggest stars and directors. In 2011 alone, Isaac starred alongside Channing Tatum in "10 Years" and Ryan Gosling in "Drive," and worked with Madonna on the historical drama "W.E." Soon, he became a leading man in critically-acclaimed films like "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013) and "A Most Violent Year" (2014) before leaping into the commercial mainstream via his performance as cocky pilot Poe Dameron in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015) and a key role in "X-Men: Apocalypse" (2016). A versatile actor in his own right, Isaac was known for immersing himself in each performance, whether it be an ex-con, musician or historical figure, and quickly rose to become one of Hollywood's hottest young character actors. Born in Guatemala, Oscar Isaac moved with his family to the United States when he was four months old. His family moved often in his youth, briefly residing in Baltimore and St. Louis, before finally settling in Miami, FL. It was there that Isaac first discovered his love of acting. He acted in several local plays throughout the city, before making his way to New York. While staying in New York, Isaac applied to the prestigious Juilliard School of Drama. Although he had limited experience at the time of his application, Isaac was accepted into the school, thus beginning his professional training as an actor. After graduation, Isaac landed a part as a Russian mobster in director Scott Z. Burns' 2006 drama, "Pu-239." Isaac's performance caught the attention of Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh, who cast Isaac as an interpreter in his next film, the underseen biopic "Che" (2008). Although his part in Soderbergh's epic two-part historical drama was small, Isaac soon began landing larger roles in major Hollywood movies. He played Prince John in 2010's "Robin Hood," a star musician that returns home for his high school reunion in "10 Years," and a troubled ex-convict in the critically acclaimed crime drama "Drive." In 2012, Isaac appeared alongside Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter in the school drama "Won't Back Down." However, despite an all-star cast that also included Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal, the film received generally poor reviews upon its release. That year, Isaac was also featured as a secret operative in "The Bourne Legacy," starring Jeremy Renner. Isaac's major breakthrough arrived in 2013, when he portrayed the folk-singing title character in Joel and Ethan Coen's 1960s-set film "Inside Llewyn Davis." The movie featured an impressive supporting cast, including fellow "Drive" actor Carey Mulligan, and pop star Justin Timberlake. Isaac opted for another ensemble production with "Therese" (2013) (also known as "In Secret"), a moody literary adaptation co-starring Elizabeth Olsen and Jessica Lange. After co-starring opposite Viggo Mortensen in the Patricia Highsmith adaptation "The Two Faces of January" (2014), Isaac starred in J.C. Chandor's crime drama "A Most Violent Year" (2014), garnering widespread praise for his portrayal of a compromised businessman in early '80s New York. The science fiction love story "Ex Machina" (2015) and indie thriller "Mojave" (2015) followed, along with David Simon and Paul Haggis' miniseries "Show Me A Hero" (HBO 2015), for which Isaac won a Golden Globe for his starring role as a city council member running for mayor of Yonkers during a 1980s public housing crisis. Isaac reached an even broader audience with his crowd-pleasing turn as cocky pilot Poe Dameron in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015), which he reprised in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (2017). In between, he starred in the villainous title role of "X-Men: Apocalypse" (2016) and co-starred in a historical romance set against the Armenian genocide in "The Promise" (2016). Isaac next appeared in the crime comedy "Suburbicon" (2017), written by Joel and Ethan Coen and directed by George Clooney before reteaming with "Ex Machina" director Alex Garland for "Annihilation" (2018), which also starred Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
