Oscar Isaac is an actor and musician of Guatemalan-American descent. He gained recognition for his role in the film ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’ which earned him a nomination at the ‘Golden Globe Awards.’ His performances in movies like ‘A Most Violent Year,’ ‘Ex Machina,’ and ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ were also highly praised. Born in Guatemala, he began his acting journey with the ‘Area Stage Company’ in Miami Beach. He made his entry into Hollywood with the film ‘Illtown’ and shortly after had a small role in ‘All About the Benjamins,’ while attending the ‘Juilliard School’ in New York City. Oscar Isaac won his first award at the ‘MovieGuide Awards’ for his role in ‘The Nativity Story.’ He has also featured in several television series, including ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ and ‘Show Me a Hero.’ Despite his film career, he continued to engage in theatre, performing in productions at ‘Shakespeare in the Park,’ ‘Manhattan Theatre Club,’ and ‘The Public Theater.’ He now lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in an apartment that he has personally renovated.
Childhood & Early Life
Oscar Isaac Hernández Estrada was born on March 9, 1979, in Guatemala. His mother, Maria Eugenia Estrada Nicolle, is from Guatemala, while his father, Oscar Gonzalo Hernandez-Cano, is a pulmonologist from Cuba.
He spent his childhood in Miami, Florida, where he attended the private school ‘Westminster Christian.’ He was known for being quite mischievous and often caused disruptions at school.
Isaac began his acting journey with the ‘Area Stage Company’ in Miami Beach and also performed at City Theatre’s ‘Summer Shorts’ festival in 2000–2001. In addition to acting, he played guitar and sang with the band ‘The Blinking Underdogs’ while in Miami. He completed his education at the ‘Juilliard School’ in New York City, being part of Drama Division’s ‘Group 34’ from 2001 to 2005.
Career of Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac made his debut in films with ‘Illtown’ in 1998 and appeared in ‘All About the Benjamins’ in 2002. He took on the role of ‘Detective Fartman’ in the 2004 film ‘Lenny the Wonder Dog.’
In 2005, he performed in the play ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona,’ which was produced by ‘Shakespeare in the Park.’ Isaac also guest-starred in an episode of ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ in 2006 and acted in the film ‘Pu-239’ during the same year.
His first significant role came in the biblical drama ‘The Nativity Story’ in 2006, where he garnered critical acclaim for his performance. That year, he acted in ‘Beauty of the Father,’ which was held at the ‘Manhattan Theatre Club.’ The following year, he was involved in ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ which was also staged by ‘Shakespeare in the Park.’
Isaac starred in ‘The Life Before Her Eyes’ (2007), ‘Che: Part One’ (2008), ‘Body of Lies’ (2008), and was part of ‘Grace’ at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 2008. He appeared in the film ‘Agora’ in 2009.
He received recognition for his portrayal of ‘José Ramos-Horta’ in ‘Balibo’ (2009) and played ‘Prince John’ in the historical movie ‘Robin Hood’ (2010).
In 2011, he worked on ‘Sucker Punch,’ ‘W.E.,’ ‘10 Years,’ ‘Drive,’ and starred in Manhattan Theatre Club’s ‘We Live Here.’
He delivered a powerful performance in ‘For Greater Glory’ and also had roles in ‘Revenge for Jolly!,’ ‘The Bourne Legacy,’ and ‘Won’t Back Down’ in 2012.
The most significant role of his career came in 2013 when he was cast in the lead of the drama comedy ‘Inside Llewyn Davis.’ He subsequently acted in ‘In Secret’ (2013), ‘The Two Faces of January’ (2014), ‘Ticky Tacky’ (2014), and ‘A Most Violent Year’ (2014).
Isaac played ‘Nathan Bateman’ in ‘Ex Machina’ and was featured in six episodes of ‘Show Me a Hero’ in 2015. He co-starred in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ during the same year.
In addition to acting, Oscar Isaac has also lent his voice to projects. He voiced a character in the video game ‘Disney Infinity 3.0’ in 2015 and also contributed his voice to ‘Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ in 2016.
Isaac portrayed the ‘X-Men’ villain ‘Apocalypse’ in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ in 2016. That year, he also appeared in ‘Lightningface’ and ‘The Promise.’ The first episode of the podcast series ‘Homecoming’ was released in November 2016.
In 2017, he took on the role of ‘Prince Hamlet’ in ‘Hamlet,’ which was performed at ‘The Public Theater.’ His films ‘Suburbicon’ and ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ were also released in 2017.
The year 2018 was particularly busy for the actor, with five films premiering back-to-back: ‘Annihilation,’ ‘Operation Finale,’ ‘Life Itself,’ ‘At Eternity’s Gate,’ and ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’
His action-adventure film ‘Triple Frontier’ was released in 2019, and he was also set to reprise his role as ‘Poe Dameron’ in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ Directed by J. J. Abrams, this film features Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Lupita Nyong’o in key roles.
Major Works of Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac is most recognized for his role in the movie ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ (2013). His portrayal garnered him numerous awards and marked his first nomination at the ‘Golden Globe Awards.’ His work in films like ‘A Most Violent Year’ (2014) and ‘Ex Machina’ (2015) was also very well-received. He received various awards and nominations for both of these films.
Awards & Achievements
Oscar Isaac was honored with the ‘MovieGuide Award’ for his role in ‘The Nativity Story’ in 2006. In 2009, he earned the ‘AACTA Award’ for ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role’ and was nominated for the ‘Film Critics Circle of Australia Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his performance in ‘Balibo.’
In 2013, his role in ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ won him several awards, including the ‘Best Actor’ accolade at the ‘National Society of Film Critics Award,’ the ‘San Diego Film Critics Society Award,’ and the ‘International Cinephile Society.’ This film also earned him several nominations, including one for a ‘Golden Globe Award.’ Oscar Isaac won the ‘National Board of Review Award’ for ‘Best Actor’ for his performance in ‘A Most Violent Year’ in 2014. In 2015, he received the ‘Florida Film Critics Circle Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor,’ the ‘Online Film Critics Society Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor,’ and the ‘San Diego Film Critics Society Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for the film ‘Ex Machina.’ He won the ‘Golden Globe Award’ for ‘Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film’ for ‘Show Me a Hero’ in 2015 and also received nominations for the ‘Satellite Award’ and ‘Critics’ Choice Television Award.’
Personal Life & Legacy
Oscar Isaac renovated an apartment for himself in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he now lives. He is a talented guitar player and singer, having started playing the guitar at the age of 12. In February 2017, he wed Danish film director Elvira Lind. The couple welcomed their son Eugene in April 2017. Isaac was recognized as one of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ by ‘Time’ magazine in 2016.
Net worth of Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac, an actor and singer of Guatemalan-American descent, has a net worth estimated at $12 million. He is recognized for his ability to take on a variety of roles in independent films, major franchises, and high-quality television. After earning his degree from the Juilliard School in 2005, Isaac started his career with minor parts in movies such as “All About the Benjamins” and “The Nativity Story.” His major breakthrough occurred in 2013 with the Coen brothers’ film “Inside Llewyn Davis,” where he portrayed a struggling folk musician from the 1960s. This performance garnered him significant praise, including a Golden Globe nomination, and solidified his reputation as one of the most skilled character actors in Hollywood.
Trivia
To earn some money, Oscar Isaac worked as an orderly in the hospital where his father was employed. As a child, he was an avid fan and collector of ‘X-Men’ comics.