Childhood & Early Life
Noah Hathaway was born on November 13, 1971, in Los Angeles, California, to Robert and Judy Hathaway. He was the second child in the family. He grew up with his older sister, Beth.
His father, Robert, was a writer and an acting instructor in Hollywood. Robert’s contacts helped Noah start his on-screen career quite early. By the time he was 3 years old, he had already started appearing in commercial films.
Soon, he made his acting debut. Simultaneously, Noah continued with his studies. He worked as a lifeguard at a Los Angeles beach when he was a teenager, after taking a hiatus from films. He also worked as a bartender in Los Angeles for a while.
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Career
By the time he was 6 years old, he started auditioning for TV and film roles. In 1978, he made his acting debut with a supporting role in the science-fiction series ‘Battlestar Galactica.’ The series featured him as ‘Boxey,’ a warrior.
His role in ‘Ballestar Galactica’ was hugely appreciated, and Noah received a nomination in the category of ‘Best Juvenile Actor in a Series or Special’ at the first ‘Young Artist Awards.’ However, the series was soon canceled by the makers. It was revived in 1980, after a campaign was run to revive the show.
Making his acting debut with such a massive series helped Noah earn some more roles. In 1979, he appeared as ‘Timmy’ in the TV film ‘High Midnight.’ The same year, he appeared in a guest role in the series ‘Supertrain’ and then made a small appearance in the miniseries ‘The Last Convertible.’
In 1980, he appeared in a single episode of the series ‘Mork & Mindy’ and then appeared in a two-episode role in the series ‘Eight is Enough.’
The same year, he made his full-fledged film debut, with a role in a romantic comedy film titled ‘It’s My Turn.’ The film received low ratings and was not a significant box-office success. In 1981, he appeared in the film ‘Separate Ways,’ playing the supporting role of ‘Jason Colby. ‘
In 1982, he played ‘Lyle Ballou,’ a significant role, in a romantic comedy titled ‘Best Friends.’ The film was a critical and commercial success. The same year, he made two small single-episode appearances, in the series ‘Laverne & Shirley’ and ‘CHiPs.’
In 1984, which turned out to be the best year of Noah’s career so far, he was offered the role of ‘Atreyu’ in the fantasy–drama film ‘The NeverEnding Story.’ ‘Atreyu’ was the lead character in the book on which the film was based, and Noah played the role of the young warrior with green skin to absolute perfection.
As the film ‘The NeverEnding Story’ became a major critical and commercial success, Noah’s performance also found admirers in the jury of many film awards. His portrayal of ‘Atreyu’ won Noah the ‘Saturn Award’ for the ‘Best Performance by a Younger Actor.’ He was also nominated for a ‘Young Artist Award’ for the same role.
The same year, Noah played a key role in the short film ‘Quest’ and a guest role in the series ‘Simon & Simon.’
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He took to voice acting in 1985 and lent his voice to a key character in the series ‘CBS Storybreak.’ His voice role earned him another ‘Young Artist Award’ nomination.
In 1986, Noah earned a leading role in the comedy–horror film ‘Troll,’ which featured him as ‘Harry Potter Jr.’ Although the film was received negatively by critics, it was a box-office success and resulted in two sequels. Noah, however, was not part of the sequels.
The same year, he appeared as ‘Jamie’ in the TV film ‘Casebusters.’ It was a key role. ‘Casebusters’ was his last film before he took a hiatus from acting.
He experimented with various professions. He once taught jazz and street dance in Los Angeles, but he soon injured himself. Following this, he stopped dancing. By then, he was 18 years old.
In 1990, he appeared in ‘The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter’ and reprised his character of ‘Atreyu.’ However, apparently, he did not shoot for the sequel. A few scenes of him horse-riding from the previous film were used.
Noah’s hiatus from acting continued until 1994, the year he appeared in the film ‘To Die, To Sleep.’ The film featured him as ‘Phil,’ a central character.
This was his last film before he practically disappeared from Hollywood. Noah’s eccentric personality had him trying different career options once he took a break from acting. He began learning martial arts and earned black belts in ‘Tang Soo Do’ and ‘Shotokan Karate.’ He also competed in ‘Muay Thai Boxing’ and learned ‘American Kenpo.’
He was also seen on racetracks, riding chopper bikes and supersport motorcycles. He also opened a tattoo business named ‘Wild Child Tattoos’ in the late 2000s, with his then-wife, Sameerah Hoddison. He still manages the tattoo business.
After a hiatus of almost 2 decades, Noah returned to acting in 2012, with the film ‘Sushi Girl.’ The film featured him as ‘Fish,’ a freshly released prisoner. His role was one of the key roles in the film. It received mixed reviews from critics.
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In 2013, Noah appeared in the film ‘Blue Dream,’ which featured him in the supporting role of ‘Roper Karlsson.’
