After his portrayal of Joseph, the father of Jesus, in New Line Cinema's holiday release The Nativity Story (2006), Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac also appeared in Scott Z. Burns' made-for-HBO crime thriller The Half Life of Timofey Berezin (2007). His career would kick into high gear after taking a small role as an interpreter in Guerilla (2008), a biopic of Che Guevara. In 2009, Isaac's role as José Ramos-Horta in the drama Balibo earned in an award for Best Supporting Actor from the Australian Film Institute. He co-starred with Rachel Weisz in award-winning director Alejandro Amenábar's Agora (2009), a historical drama in which the actor played the student of a female mathematician in the late 4th century. Isaac portrayed King John in director Ridley Scott's 2010 retelling of Robin Hood, and went on to co-star with Albert Brooks and Ryan Gosling in the thriller Drive (2011).
Oscar Isaac
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- Started putting on plays with his sister in their family's backyard when he was just 4 years old.
- Dropped his last name, Hernandez, to avoid being typecast as Hispanic characters.
- Is the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the punk band the Blinking Underdogs, which has played on the Vans Warped Tour and opened for Green Day.
- Cowrote and performed the music in the Juilliard School production of American Occupation.
- Made his feature-film debut in the 2002 Ice Cube action comedy All About the Benjamins.
- Was the recipient of the Grace LeVine Theater Award at the 2004 Princess Grace Awards, which honor young talents in theater, film and dance.
- Starred as Joseph in the 2006 Biblical film The Nativity Story; as a child, he once played a shepherd in a church nativity play.