Chris Pratt

Christopher Michael Pratt (born June 21, 1979) is an American actor.

Christopher Michael Pratt was born on June 21, 1979, in Virginia, Minnesota.

His mother worked at a Safeway supermarket, and his father worked in mining and later remodeling houses.

I'd done nothing proactive." He graduated from Lake Stevens High School in 1997.

Pratt dropped out of community college halfway through the first semester and, after working as a discount ticket salesman and daytime stripper, he ended up homeless in Maui, Hawaii, sleeping in a van and a tent on the beach.

He told The Independent, "It's a pretty awesome place to be homeless. We just drank and smoked weed and worked minimal hours, just enough to cover gas, food, and fishing supplies."

He recalled listening to the Dr. Dre album 2001 daily, to the point where he knew every lyric; years later, he rapped Eminem's verses from the song "Forgot About Dre" extemporaneously during an interview.

During his time in Maui, he worked for Christian missionary organization Jews for Jesus.

When Pratt was age 19, he waited tables at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant in Maui when he was discovered by actress and director Rae Dawn Chong.

She cast him in her directorial debut, the short horror film Cursed Part 3, which was filmed in Los Angeles.

Pratt's first regular television role was as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott on the series Everwood.

After Everwood cancellation, he joined the cast of The O.C. for its fourth season, playing activist Winchester "Ché" Cook.

He also appeared in The WB drama series Everwood (2002–2006) and had supporting roles in the films Wanted (2008), Jennifer's Body (2009), Moneyball (2011), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), and Her (2013).

Pratt established himself by starring in two top-grossing film series.

He also had an appearance in the 2008 action film Wanted, where James McAvoy hits him with a keyboard.

He rose to prominence for playing Andy Dwyer in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015).

In 2009, Pratt began playing Andy Dwyer on the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation.

Originally meant to be a temporary character, producers liked Pratt so much they asked him to become a series regular.

This proved to be his breakthrough role.

Pratt portrayed Oakland Athletics first baseman/catcher Scott Hatteberg in the 2011 film Moneyball.

He was initially told that he was too fat to play Hatteberg, as he had gained 40 lbs, which Pratt attributed to the cooking of his then-girlfriend, actress Anna Faris.

Deciding to lose weight, he worked out continuously, regularly checking to see if the part was cast, losing a total of 30 lbs.

When he felt he had lost enough, he sent a photo of himself to the casting director and won the part.

Before the release of Moneyball, Pratt was typecast as youthful and somewhat immature characters.

In Moneyball, he played a dramatic role as a father and dejected baseball player who once feared his career was over and who had the difficult task of learning a new defensive position.

He gained back the weight he had lost to appear in the film 10 Years (2011), then lost it again to portray a Navy SEAL in the film Zero Dark Thirty (2012).

He played the co-worker of Joaquin Phoenix character in Spike Jonze's sci-fi romance Her in December 2013.

He played Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and portrayed Owen Grady in the Jurassic World trilogy (2015–2022).

He has also voiced the lead roles in the animated films The Lego Movie (2014) and its sequel The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), Onward (2020), The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), and The Garfield Movie (2024).

His films as a leading actor have grossed over $13 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.

Pratt's father died in 2014 from multiple sclerosis.

His mother is of Norwegian descent.

When Pratt was seven years old, the family moved to Lake Stevens, Washington.

Pratt placed fifth in a high school state wrestling tournament.

He also was a shot putter for his high school's track team.

He later recalled that when his wrestling coach asked him what he wished to do with his life, he said, I don't know, but I know I'll be famous and I know I'll make a shit ton of money.' I had no idea how.

While Pratt had been known to this point for playing supporting characters and he was best known for his portly character on Parks and Recreation, 2014 marked a turning point in his career when he headlined two major studio films: Emmet Brickowski in The Lego Movie, which grossed $469.1 million; and Peter Quill / Star-Lord in Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy, which grossed $773.3 million.

Pratt had initially turned down the role of Peter Quill, explaining he did not "want another Captain Kirk or Avatar moment" (after humbling auditions for both).

In 2015, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Pratt's other starring roles include The Magnificent Seven (2016), Passengers (2016), and The Tomorrow War (2021), and the action thriller television series The Terminal List (2022).