Patrick Fugit

Patrick Fugit was an American actor whose eternally boyish looks and willingness to take on any part, no matter how strange, made him a recognizable face in film and television throughout the 21st century. Born in Salt Lake City, UT, Fugit began acting professionally when he was still a teenager, making his screen debut with a small arc on the religious drama series "Touched By an Angel" (CBS, 1994-2003). However, his film debut would be the role that ended up defining his career: Fugit was only seventeen when he was cast in the lead role of Cameron Crowe's autobiographical comedic drama "Almost Famous" (2000). In the film, Fugit played William Miller, an aspiring rock journalist in the early 70s who ditches his senior year of high school to go on tour with the (fictional) hard rock band Stillwater and write about the experience for Rolling Stone magazine, much to the consternation of his overprotective academic mother (Frances McDormand). "Almost Famous" was a modest hit at the box office, but was praised by critics, earned Crowe an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and made Fugit one of the most in-demand young actors in Hollywood practically overnight. For his next role, Fugit stepped outside of his comfort zone, playing a naive speed addict named Frisbee in the stylish, kinetic indie drama "Spun" (2002). After a small featured role on "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009), Fugit returned to the indie film world, taking on the role of a skateboarding son of a pastor in the Catholic school satire "Saved!" (2004), and a young man who commits suicide only to find himself in a strange purgatory that's just slightly worse than real life in the bizarre black comedy "Wristcutters: A Love Story" (2006). Fugit largely focused on TV for a while, most notably making an appearance on "House" (FOX, 2004-2012), before landing his biggest movie role in years, playing a somewhat dimwitted detective in David Fincher's adaptation of "Gone Girl" (2014). For his next project, Fugit returned to TV, playing a man struggling with a bad case of demonic possession in small town West Virginia, in Robert Kirkman and Paul Azteca's supernatural horror series "Outsider" (Cinemax, 2016-). Fugit next landed a supporting role in "First Man" (2018), director Damien Chazelle's biopic of astronaut Neil Armstrong, starring Ryan Gosling.