Christensen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia to Alie, an American speechwriter, and David Christensen, a Canadian computer programmer and communications executive.[1][2] His father is of Danish descent, and his mother has Swedish and Italian ancestry.[2] Christensen is one of four children, with three actor siblings: older brother Tove, older sister Hejsa, and younger sister Kaylen.[1][3] He spent summers on Long Island with his maternal grandmother, Rose Schwartz.[4]
Christensen attended Unionville High School in Markham, Ontario.[5] He was an athlete in high school, playing hockey competitively and tennis on a provincial level.[4] He attended the Actors Studio in New York City; he studied as well at the Arts York drama program in high school.[6] After accompanying his older sister to her agent's office after she landed a role in a Pringles commercial, he began being cast in commercials as well, including for Triaminic cough syrup in 1988.[6]
He went on to receive positive reviews for 2003's Shattered Glass, which tells the true story of journalist Stephen Glass, who was discovered to be fabricating stories as a writer for The New Republic and other publications.[13][14]Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "Hayden Christensen is sensational as Glass, finding the wonder boy and the weasel in a disturbed kid flying high on a fame he hasn't earned."[15] In 2005, Christensen made his Broadway debut when he appeared briefly in a 10-minute play.
In 2005, he took part in the fifth annual "24 Hour Plays" benefit, which raises cash for nonprofit groups in the Big Apple.[16]
During the production of Revenge of the Sith, Christensen asked Lucas if a special Vader suit could be constructed to fit his own body, rather than have a different actor don one of the original sets of Vader armour worn by David Prowse.[18] Lucas agreed, and a suit was engineered to fit Christensen's frame, even including extensions to allow for the actor to attain Vader's 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) height. His voice as the "robotic" Vader, however, was dubbed over by James Earl Jones, who first made the voice famous in the original trilogy.[19]
In one of the most controversial changes made to the Star Warsoriginal trilogy,[20] Christensen was inserted into the 2004 DVD release of Return of the Jedi, where he replaced Sebastian Shaw as the force ghost of the redeemed Anakin Skywalker.[21][22] Lucas wanted Anakin's inner person to return to who he was before he turned to the dark side.[23] Christensen insisted this was done without his knowledge, an act that was confirmed by Lucasfilm itself in the featurette "Return of the Jedi: What has changed?" as seen on the official website to commemorate the 2006 DVDs.[24]
Christensen's performance in both Episode II and III received generally mixed reviews from critics,[25][26][27][28] although contemporary reviews note that his performance was mostly affected by Lucas' directing and the dialogue, and has since seen positive reappraisal in retrospect.[29]
In 2010, Christensen sued USA Network over allegations that they stole his idea for the TV show Royal Pains. The suit alleges that Christensen met with USA to pitch a similar series entitled Housecalls. During the meeting, Christensen alleges, he was never informed that a similar program was in development.[42][43] Although a federal judge at first dismissed Christensen's lawsuit in 2011, in June 2012, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed this decision and remanded the case back to the district court for further proceedings, in what was considered a legal victory for Christensen.[44][45]
In 2019, Christensen returned to the role of Anakin Skywalker, providing a voice cameo of the character's voice in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.[51] Christensen also received a voice credit as Anakin Skywalker jointly alongside Matt Lanter for the penultimate episode of the final season of the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars entitled "Shattered" despite the fact the dialogue used for the episode spoken by Christensen was reused archival audio from Revenge of the Sith.[52] On October 22, 2021, it was reported that Christensen would also reprise the role for the Disney+ series Ahsoka.[53]
In May 2022, Christensen reprised his role of Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader for the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series on Disney+.[54][55] His portrayal earned positive reviews from critics, noting a huge improvement from his performance in the prequel trilogy.[56] He appeared in the documentary special Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return which premiered on September 8, 2022, Disney+ Day.[57] In 2023, Christensen appeared in four episodes of Ahsoka and was digitally de-aged.[58] He was first seen wearing his outfit from Revenge of the Sith and later another outfit similar to the one Anakin wore in the early series of The Clone Wars. His portrayal earned more positive reviews.
In 2007, Christensen began dating actress Rachel Bilson, with whom he starred in the movie Jumper. They became engaged on December 25, 2008.[61][62] In mid-2010, they broke up, but began dating again a few months later.[63][64][65][66] On October 29, 2014, Bilson gave birth to their daughter.[67] Christensen and Bilson separated in September 2017.[68]
In 2007, Christensen bought a farm near Uxbridge, Ontario.[69][70] He noted in 2008 that he had been renovating the property himself and devoting time to learning about "livestock, crops, and agricultural machinery".[69] In November 2013, Christensen collaborated with Canadian fashion chain RW&Co to release a men's clothing line inspired by his farm.[71]
^Johnson, Derek. "Star Wars fans, DVD, and cultural ownership: an interview with Will Brooker; Interview", Velvet Light Trap, September 22, 2005, pg. 36–44.
^Star Wars Trilogy: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 2004.
^Westbrook, Bruce (December 15, 2015). "Revenge of the Sith review". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 22, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2005.
^"Hello There: Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return Documentary Coming on Disney+ Day". starwars.com. August 22, 2022. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022. The revealing chronicle from Lucasfilm and Supper Club features never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes footage, new interviews with Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker)
Hiscock, John (May 13, 2005). "Skywalker comes down to earth". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
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