Christian Slater Biography

Christian Slater was born on August 18, 1969 in New York City to Michael Hawkins (né Thomas Knight Slater) and Mary Jo Slater (née Lawton). While his father was an actor, his mother was as an acting agent turned casting executive and producer.

Slater gained his education from Dalton School and the Professional Children's School before enrolling at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

Born into a family that had a strong film background, it was only natural for Christian Slater to follow suit. Following in the footsteps of his father, Slater found his first acting role in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. He was just eight years old then.

He then made his Broadway debut as the lisping Winthrop Paroo opposite Dick Van Dyke in the 1980 revival of The Music Man. The debut was soon followed by other Broadway stage shows including Copperfield, Merlin, Macbeth, Side Man, and The Glass Menagerie. In addition, he performed in London's West End in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Swimming With Sharks.

In 1985, Slater’s big breakthrough came in with the film The Legend of Billie Jean. In it, he played the character of Billie Jean’s brother Binx. Though the film was assumed to be a grand hit, it fell short of expectations. Nevertheless, it gained a cult following.

It was in the 1986 film The Name of the Rose that Slater established his status as an actor. Starring alongside Sean Connery, he played the role of Connery's apprentice monk while they investigate a series of murders at Benedictine abbey. Next, he was seen in a few films including Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Beyond the Stars, and Gleaming the Cube, the last one being his first film as a lead actor.

Though Slater was a few films old by the late 1980s, a major hit eluded him until 1989 when he starred in the dark comedy Heathers. In the film, he donned the dark character of JD, a rebellious teen, who alongside the character played by Winona Ryder, undermines their high school’s social hierarchy, dominated by several girls named Heather. Heathers gained phenomenal success as a cult film and was billed as the top teen film of the 1980s.

Christian Slater’s performance in Heathers was a standout from the others early in his career. He was noted for his brilliant performance both by the audience and the critics alike, thus giving him a strong foothold in the film industry. Some critics even compared him to the likes of Jack Nicholson. Following Heathers, Slater did similar roles of a troubled youth in a couple of films such as Pump Up the Volume and Young Guns II.

In 1991, he scored his biggest box office hit till then with the Hollywood big budget production Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Starring alongside Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Rickman, Slater played the character of Will Scarlet. The film was a commercial success, grossing US$ 390 million worldwide. The superlative success of the film had a major impact on Slater’s career as an actor as well, as he became enlisted as one of the major A-list stars of the 1990s.

His career continued to be on a roll as he starred in several hit films in the following years including Mobsters and Kuffs. Being a big Star Trek fan, Slater jumped at the opportunity to play a minor role in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Fearing being typecast as an actor playing dark roles, Slater expanded his film genre and took a lead role in the romantic drama film Untamed Heart in 1993 where he was cast opposite Marisa Tomei. Later the same year, he essayed the role of Clarence Worley in the Quentin Tarantino-penned cult classic True Romance.

Towards the end of the 1990s, he played versatile roles – as an interviewer in Interview with the Vampire, as Lewis in the romantic film Bed of Roses and as Riley Hale in the big budget movie Broken Arrow. Other films that he was a part of include Hard Rain and Very Bad Things.

Since 2000, Slater has worked mainly in low budget films as a lead actor, though he has also starred as a supporting actor in mainstream productions such as Bobby and 3000 Miles to Graceland.

In the 2000s he did television roles regularly, starring in the successful TV series The West Wing and Alias. Other television shows that he was a part of include The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, My Own Worst Enemy, and The Forgotten.

Beginning from 2011, Christian Slater has been a part of several hit projects including The River Murders, Soldiers of Fortune, Bullet to the Head, The Power of Few, Nymphomaniac, Ask Me Anything, and The Adderall Diaries. In January 2017, he was seen in a film titled King Cobra.

From 2015 to 2019, he played a computer hacker in the highly acclaimed television series Mr. Robot. For his solid performance in his role as the titular character, the leader of an underground hacktivist group, Slater received the first Golden Globe nomination of his career and won the award in 2016.

Slater has also given his voice to three television shows including Jake and the Never Land Pirates as the Grim Buccaneer, The Lion Guard as Ushari, and Milo Murphy's Law as Elliot Decker.

The magnum opus of Christian Slater’s career came in the late 1980s with the dark comedy Heathers. The film gained phenomenal success as a cult hit and was billed as the best teen film of the 1980s. Slater’s reputation as a popular actor was built with this role.

Though films gained him immense fame and recognition, it was the television series Mr. Robot that made Slater a household name. Slater delivered a solid performance in the highly acclaimed television series. He brilliantly performed his titular character as the leader of an underground hacktivist group. For his excellent role portrayal, he received his first Golden Globe Award.

In 1993, Christian Slater won the MTV Movie Award in the categories Most Desirable Male and Best Kiss (with Marisa Tomei) for Untamed Heart.

In 2000, he won the Slate Award for Best Male Performance for Very Bad Things.

Slater’s first Golden Globe Award came in 2016—almost three decades since his debut—in the category Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for Mr. Robot. His stellar performance in the show also earned him the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

Christian Slater has had romantic relationships with numerous personalities including actresses Winona Ryder and Samantha Mathis, and model Christy Turlington. He finally tied the nuptial knot with Ryan Haddon in 2000. The couple was blessed with two children, Jaden Christopher and Eliana Sophia. However, things deteriorated between the two as they headed for a split in 2005. Two years later, Slater and Haddon officially divorced.

In December 2013, Slater married Brittany Lopez. The two had dated for three years before getting married. They were blessed with a daughter named Lena on August 16, 2019.

Christian Slater has been arrested and held on several occasions for various reasons including drunk driving, trying to carry a gun on a commercial plane, sexually assaulting women, and drug addiction.