Tobey Maguire

Summary

Tobias Vincent Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for playing the title character in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), and later reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

Tobey Maguire
Born
Tobias Vincent Maguire

(1975-06-27) June 27, 1975 (age 48)[1]
Occupations
  • Actor
  • film producer
Years active1989–present
WorksFull list
Spouse
(m. 2007; sep. 2016)
Children2

Maguire started his career in supporting roles in the films This Boy's Life (1993), The Ice Storm, Deconstructing Harry (both 1997), and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998). His leading roles include Pleasantville (1998), Ride with the Devil (1999), The Cider House Rules (1999), Wonder Boys (2000), Seabiscuit (2003), The Good German (2006), Brothers (2009), The Great Gatsby (2013), and Pawn Sacrifice (2014).

Maguire received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for Brothers (2009). He established his own production company in 2012 called Material Pictures, and co-produced Good People (2012), Pawn Sacrifice (2014), and Babylon (2022).[2][3]

Early life and family edit

Tobias Vincent Maguire was born on June 27, 1975, in Santa Monica, California, to Wendy Brown and Vincent Maguire.[1][4][5] His parents (who are both of Scottish ancestry)[6] married shortly after his birth[1] but separated when he was two years old, and Maguire spent much of his childhood living with various family members.[7]

During his childhood, Maguire entertained the idea of becoming a chef and wanted to enroll in a home economics class as a sixth grader. His mother offered him $100 to take a drama class instead, and he agreed.[8] The transient nature of his school years began to take a toll on Maguire emotionally, and after another relocation for his freshman year, he dropped out of high school and did not return. Instead, he pursued an acting career.[9] By 2000, he had obtained his General Educational Development, noting that during his school days, "I was not doing school; I was showing up, but... not really giving myself."[10]

Career edit

1989–1995: Early career edit

 
Maguire at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con

Maguire's first appearance in a feature film was in 1989's The Wizard.[11] He plays one of Lucas Barton's goons (one of three competitors at a video game competition) and had no lines. He worked as a child actor in the early 1990s, often playing roles much younger than his chronological age, and as late as 2002 he was still playing teenagers while in his mid-20s. He appeared in a variety of commercials and TV and movie roles, working opposite such actors as Chuck Norris (Walker, Texas Ranger), Roseanne Barr (Roseanne), and Tracey Ullman (Tracey Takes On...). Eventually, he was cast as the lead in the FOX TV series Great Scott!, which was canceled nine weeks later.[12]

During many of his auditions, Maguire found himself auditioning for roles opposite another rising actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. The pair quickly became friends and made an informal pact to help each other get parts in their movies/TV shows/other projects. For example, both auditioned for the same part in the 1990 TV series based on the 1989 comedy Parenthood. DiCaprio was cast, and Maguire later got a guest role at least partly on DiCaprio's recommendation. The same scenario played itself out during casting for the 1993 movie This Boy's Life (featuring Robert De Niro as the lead); DiCaprio got the main teen role of character Tobias "Toby" Wolff and Maguire got a part as one of his friends.[13]

1995–2002: Acclaim edit

By the mid-1990s, he was working steadily but was also becoming involved in the hard-partying lifestyle of some of his fellow young actors. In 1995, he requested director Allan Moyle to release him from his part in the movie Empire Records. Moyle agreed, and all of Maguire's scenes were deleted from the final film.[14] Maguire then sought help for a drinking problem from Alcoholics Anonymous; he has been sober ever since.[15]

As part of his recovery from alcoholism and learning to deal with his self-described "addictive and compulsive nature",[15] Maguire changed his career path slightly to obtain roles where he and DiCaprio would not always be in competition for the same part, and the move paid off when given the role of Paul Hood, a teenage boarding school student whose narration anchors the action, in Ang Lee's 1997 film, The Ice Storm.[16] This led to a variety of lead roles in films such as Pleasantville, The Cider House Rules, and Wonder Boys.[17]

In the 1998 film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas he portrayed a hitchhiker who meets Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo during their drive to Las Vegas.[18]

In Ride with the Devil (1999), Maguire portrayed Jakob Roedel, opposite Jewel Kilcher. Here he played the son of a unionist German immigrant who joins his southern friends in the Missouri riders, avenging the atrocities committed against Missourians by Kansas Jayhawkers and redleggers.[19]

In 2001, Maguire took a role that featured his youthful-sounding voice, a beagle puppy named Lou, in the family movie Cats & Dogs.[20]

2002–2013: Stardom edit

 
Maguire greets fans at a Spider-Man 3 premiere

In 2002, Maguire starred in Spider-Man, based on the popular Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The film was a major success and made him a star. He reprised the role in the sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007), and also voiced Spider-Man for the video game adaptations of the films.

His performance as Spider-Man earned him glowing reviews. Mark Caro of the Chicago Tribune wrote that "with his big, round, soulful eyes, Maguire always has been able to convey a sense of wonder, and his instinct for understatement also serves him well here."[21] Due to script and production complications, a proposed fourth Spider-Man movie did not materialize. Sony's Columbia Pictures decided to reboot the franchise.[22] The film, titled The Amazing Spider-Man, was released on July 3, 2012, with a different actor, Andrew Garfield, playing the lead.[23]

Maguire had a lead role as the jockey John M. "Red" Pollard in Seabiscuit, about the famous racehorse Seabiscuit.[24] In 2006, he starred in his first villainous role as Corporal Patrick Tully opposite George Clooney and Cate Blanchett in Steven Soderbergh's The Good German, based on the Joseph Kanon novel of the same name.[25] He is also a producer whose production credits include 25th Hour (2002), Whatever We Do (2003), and Seabiscuit (2003), for which he served as executive producer.[26]

In 2008, he made a cameo appearance in the action comedy film Tropic Thunder as a gay 18th century[27] monk with his eye on Father O'Malley (Kirk Lazarus, the character played by Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder) in the faux trailer for Satan's Alley. He was a last-minute replacement in the role, and due to previously-scheduled commitments was only available to be on set for two hours to film his scenes.[28] Near the end of Tropic Thunder, it is revealed that Maguire's character has been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for Satan's Alley, which he loses to Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) for his role in Tropic Blunder, presented by Kirk Lazarus.[29]

 
Maguire at the premiere of The Great Gatsby, 2013

In 2009, he starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman in the Jim Sheridan-directed war drama Brothers as Sam Cahill, a prisoner of war who returns from Afghanistan and starts believing that his wife has become romantically involved with his brother. He received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the film. Of the nomination, Maguire said, "I had no expectation about getting a nomination, but I was watching nonetheless. My wife and my son got really excited. I was sort of surprised – I was like, 'Oh, wow.' And I couldn't hear the latter part of my name."[30] Maguire lost to Jeff Bridges for his role in Crazy Heart.[31] Gyllenhaal himself has said that Maguire's acting in Brothers had influenced him.[32] Maguire was also initially set to star as The Writer in Life of Pi (2012), directed by Ang Lee but was cut from the film during production for being "too recogniseable" and was replaced by Rafe Spall, with Lee deciding to reshoot the scenes he had shot with Maguire.[33]

2013–present: Resurgence edit

In 2012, Maguire was a co-producer of Good People. That same year, he also established his own production company, Material Pictures, which secured independent financing in 2013 to help it produce more feature films.[34] Maguire and DiCaprio once again performed together, in Baz Luhrmann's remake of The Great Gatsby (2013); DiCaprio played the title role, while Maguire played the story's narrator, Nick Carraway.[35][36]

His next film, Pawn Sacrifice (2014), was also co-produced by Material Pictures. It was a Cold War thriller based on the true story of American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer, played by Maguire. The film details the events leading up to and including the world chess championship in 1972, when Fischer challenges Soviet chess grandmaster and world champion, Boris Spassky, acted by Liev Schreiber.[37] It received mostly positive reviews.[38] Maguire reunited with Alec Baldwin after Cats & Dogs (2001) in the animated movie The Boss Baby (2017), where he voiced the adult version of Tim Templeton.[39]

Maguire reprised his role as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), alongside successors Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield.[40] He appeared in Damien Chazelle's ensemble film Babylon, where he was also an executive producer.[41]

Personal life edit

Maguire has been a vegetarian since 1992; in 2009, he became a vegan.[42][43][44] He has made changes in his diet to either gain or lose weight for film roles: he dramatically decreased his calorie intake for Seabiscuit, followed by a rapid increase to regain weight for Spider-Man 2.[45] Maguire has been sober since age 19, having experienced "some difficulty" with alcohol in his late teens.[46]

Maguire met jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer in 2003 while he was shooting Seabiscuit at Universal Studios, and they became engaged in April 2006. Their daughter was born in November that year.[47][48] Meyer's father, Universal studios head Ronald Meyer, reportedly helped Maguire regain his job after being fired from Spider-Man 2 in 2003.[49] Maguire and Meyer married on September 3, 2007, in Kailua Kona, Hawaii.[50] Their second child, a son, was born in May 2009.[51] On October 18, 2016, the couple announced their separation after nine years of marriage.[52] In 2020, Meyer filed for divorce after four years of separation.[53]

Tournament poker controversy edit

In 2004, Maguire took up tournament poker. He has finished in the money in several events and has been tutored by poker professional Daniel Negreanu. Maguire was seen on ESPN's coverage of the 2005, 2006, and 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event Championship.[54][55] He was one of many celebrities, along with Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck, who participated in Molly Bloom's high-stake poker games at The Viper Room in the mid-2000s,[56] and received negative press coverage for allegedly demanding Bloom "bark like a seal" for a $1,000 poker chip after a tournament he won.[57] Maguire's actions at the game, as well as those of other celebrities, are portrayed by Michael Cera in the film Molly's Game through the composite character "Player X".[58]

Awards and nominations edit

Association Year Category Nominated Work Result
Black Reel Awards 2003 Best Film 25th Hour Nominated
CinEuphoria Awards 2011 Best Actor – International Competition Brothers Won
Empire Awards 2005 Best Actor Spider-Man 2 Nominated
Golden Globe Awards 2010 Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Brothers Nominated
Golden Schmoes Awards 2002 Favorite Celebrity of the Year Nominated
Kid's Choice Awards 2003 Favorite Male Butt Kicker Spider-Man Nominated
2005 Favorite Movie Actor Spider-Man 2 Nominated
MTV Movie & TV Awards 2003 Best Male Performance Spider-Man Nominated
Best Kiss Won[a]
2005 Best Hero Spider-Man 2 Nominated
2008 Best Fight Spider-Man 3 Nominated[b]
2022 Best Team Spider-Man: No Way Home Nominated[c]
National Movie Awards 2007 Best Performance by a Male Spider-Man 3 Nominated
Online Film & Television Association Awards 2001 Best Supporting Actor Wonder Boys Nominated
People's Choice Awards 2005 Favorite Male Action Movie Star Spider-Man 2 Nominated
Favorite On-Screen Chemistry Nominated[a]
2008 Favorite On-Screen Match-Up Spider-Man 3 Nominated[a]
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards 2001 Best Actor in a Supporting Role Wonder Boys Nominated
Prism Awards 2010 Performance in a Feature Film Brothers Nominated
Saturn Awards 1999 Best Younger Actor/Actress Pleasantville Won
2003 Best Actor Spider-Man Nominated
2005 Best Actor Spider-Man 2 Won
2010 Best Actor Brothers Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2000 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture The Cider House Rules Nominated
2004 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Seabiscuit Nominated
2023 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Babylon Nominated
SFX Awards 2003 Best SF or Fantasy Film Actor Spider-Man Nominated
Spike Video Game Awards 2004 Best Performance by a Male Spider-Man 2 Nominated
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2019 Best Youth Film Get Duked! Won
Teen Choice Awards 2000 Choice Movie Actor The Cider House Rules Nominated
Choice Movie: Liar Wonder Boys Nominated
2002 Choice Movie Actor: Drama/Action-Adventure Spider-Man Won
Choice Movie: Chemistry Nominated[a]
Choice Movie: Liplock Won[a]
2007 Choice Movie Actor: Action/Adventure Spider-Man 3 Nominated
Choice Movie: Liplock Nominated[a]
Choice Movie: Dance Nominated
Choice Movie: Rumble Nominated[d]
2010 Choice Movie Actor: Drama Brothers Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2000 Best Supporting Performance – Male Wonder Boys Won
Young Artist Awards 1993 Best Young Actor in a New Television Series Great Scott! Nominated
  1. ^ a b c d e f Shared with Kirsten Dunst
  2. ^ Shared with James Franco
  3. ^ Shared with Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield
  4. ^ Shared with James Franco, Topher Grace & Thomas Haden Church

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Tobey Maguire Biography (1975–)". Biography.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  2. ^ "Tobey Maguire's Material Pictures Expands with New Backer Onboard". The Hollywood Reporter. March 28, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  3. ^ "'Pawn Sacrifice' Review: Tobey Maguire Makes All The Right Moves In Gripping Bobby Fischer Story". Deadline Hollywood. September 14, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "Tobey Maguire: The boy behind the mask". The Independent. UK. October 24, 2003. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. In 1993, his father, Vincent, was convicted of robbing a bank in his home town of Reseda, California
  5. ^ Elle. Elle Publishing Company. 2007. p. 68.
  6. ^ "Tobey Maguire – Biographical Summaries of Notable People". MyHeritage. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Jones, Alice (April 29, 2007). "Tobey Maguire: A tired superhero". The Independent. UK. Archived from the original on April 29, 2007. ...his mother, Wendy, and father, Vincent, split when he was two years old, and he spent the next nine years being shifted around various relatives
  8. ^ Clinton, Paul (May 2, 2002). "Tobey Maguire: A Thoughtful Spider-Man". CNN.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2007.
  9. ^ Williams, Kam (May 4, 2007). "Interview: Tobey Maguire". Black Star News. Archived from the original on August 16, 2007. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
  10. ^ Tobey Maguire – bold in sticking to the subtle, low-key roles[dead link], published March 10, 2000; retrieved May 14, 2007.
  11. ^ Mackie, Drew (December 18, 2014). "25 Years Later, Revel in the Nostalgia of The Wizard". People. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  12. ^ "Tobey Maguire comes of age". Entertainment Weekly. March 3, 2000. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
  13. ^ Conversations with Leonardo di Caprio September 23, 2014, SAG Foundation
  14. ^ "Men of the Week in Entertainment". AskMen.com. October 7, 2008. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
  15. ^ a b "Tobey Maguire Reveals AA Meetings". AddictionInfo.org. April 12, 2007. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
  16. ^ Hochman, David (May 3, 2002). "THE AMAZING TOBEY MAGUIRE". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
  17. ^ Persall, Steve (September 26, 2005). "How Tobey Maguire cooked up a new career". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
  18. ^ Blair, Andrew. "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas". Archived from the original on January 4, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  19. ^ Ebert, Roger (December 17, 1999). "Ride with the Devil". Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  20. ^ Vice, Jeff (July 4, 2001). "'Cats & Dogs' a good-natured, goofy spoof". Deseret News. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  21. ^ Caro, Mark (April 25, 2002). "Movie review, 'Spider-Man'". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014.
  22. ^ "Raimi, Maguire Out of 'Spider-Man 4'". MSN.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011.
  23. ^ McCrank, John (June 10, 2012). "Spider-Man role "terrified" star Andrew Garfield". Reuters. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  24. ^ "Tobey Maguire Talks About "Seabiscuit"". About.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  25. ^ "Tobey Maguire to star in The Good German". Movie Web. April 21, 2005. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  26. ^ "Tobey Maguire- Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  27. ^ "Tobey Maguire". Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  28. ^ Tropic Thunder-(Filmmaker Commentary by Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux, Stuart Cornfeld, Jeff Man, John Toll, and Greg Hayden) (Blu-ray Disc). DreamWorks. March 3, 2013. Event occurs at 2:45.
  29. ^ "Maguire cameos in Tropic Thunder". Digital Spy. April 14, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  30. ^ "Stars React to Golden Globe Nominations". CBS News. February 23, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  31. ^ "Winners & Nominees 2010". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  32. ^ Northrup, Ryan (February 18, 2022). "How Tobey Maguire Influenced Jake Gyllenhaal while Filming Brothers". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  33. ^ Wales, George (September 6, 2012). "Tobey Maguire cut from Ang Lee's Life of Pi". Total Film. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  34. ^ "Tobey Maguire's Material Pictures Expands with New Backer Onboard". The Hollywood Reporter. March 28, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  35. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (May 6, 2013). "A Very Thoughtful Tobey Maguire on The Great Gatsby, Mental Health, and On-Set Injuries". vulture.com. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  36. ^ Mendelson, Scott (May 12, 2013). "Weekend Box Office: 'The Great Gatsby' Opens To $51 Million, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Debuts Overseas To $31 Million". Forbes. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  37. ^ Movieclips Trailers (May 27, 2015). "Pawn Sacrifice Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber Movie HD". Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via YouTube.
  38. ^ Roman, Julian (September 25, 2015). "Pawn Sacrifice Review: A Riveting Cold War Thriller". MovieWeb. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  39. ^ Alexander, Bryan (October 16, 2016). "Sneak peek: Alec Baldwin is 'The Boss Baby'". USA Today. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  40. ^ Schager, Nick (December 14, 2021). "'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Is the MCU's Best Spidey Movie by a Mile". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  41. ^ Kit, Borys (June 24, 2021). "Olivia Wilde, Spike Jonze, Phoebe Tonkin, Tobey Maguire Join Damien Chazelle's 'Babylon' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  42. ^ Stein, Ruthe (November 29, 2009). "Jim Sheridan directs 'Brothers'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  43. ^ "Australians yet to thank Tobey Maguire for their vegetarian butcher". MSNBC.com. January 30, 2013. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  44. ^ "Tobey Maguire rejects Mercedes with leather seats". Mother Nature Network. October 12, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  45. ^ "Tobey Maguire Interview". cinemas-online.co.uk. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2007.
  46. ^ "Tobey sober unlike Gatsby character". Belfasttelegraph – via www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
  47. ^ "Tobey Maguire Welcomes First Child". TheCelebrityCafe. November 13, 2006. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  48. ^ Thomas, Karen (January 3, 2007). "Maguire unveils infant Ruby". USA Today. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  49. ^ Masters, Kim (May 11, 2003). "Oh, what a tangled web he wove". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  50. ^ Ramerez, Ariel (September 4, 2007). "Tobey Maguire Marries Jennifer Meyer in Hawaii". People. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  51. ^ Fleeman, Mike; Julie Jordan (July 3, 2009). "Tobey Maguire Reveals Baby Son's Name". People. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  52. ^ Loinaz, Alexis L. "Tobey Maguire and Wife Jennifer Meyer Split After 9 Years of Marriage". People magazine. Time Inc. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  53. ^ Shepherd, Elena (October 31, 2020). "Jennifer Meyer files for divorce after 4-year split from Tobey Maguire". Yahoo.
  54. ^ "Maguire isn't acting the part when he's playing". ESPN. May 5, 2005. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  55. ^ "The PokerNews Top 10: Celebrity Performances in Poker". pokernews.com/. July 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  56. ^ Lewi, Hilary (December 25, 2017). "'Molly's Game' Team Talks Making Timely Tale of Female Empowerment". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  57. ^ Viper Room Hollywood Poker Game Vanity Fair, July 2014
  58. ^ Surrey, Miles (December 27, 2017). "The Real Celebrity Stories Behind 'Molly's Game'". The Ringer. Retrieved July 10, 2018.

External links edit

  • Tobey Maguire at IMDb