Just so you know, I didn't write that biography, I took it from another web page... (I don't remember the link though...)... I'm too damn lazy to write one myself... ^_^



Not everyone can be a star, and many actors settle for small supporting roles and languish there for their entire careers. Still, others take what they have and turn it to gold. They are the character actors - and they have become some of the most respected actors in the field. One up and coming character actor is Tobey Maguire.


After a short stint on the television series Great Scott!, Tobey Maguire made his move to the big screen in the critically acclaimed, This Boy's Life. The film launched the career of another prominent young actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, while Tobey settled for a smaller role. Still, he and DiCaprio became fast friends and remain so today. Maguire continued to add up more small roles in youth oriented films, without ever breaking out. His nondescript and offbeat appearances didn't have any lasting impact on the young audience, who were too busy staring at the stars. Then, finally, Tobey Maguire hit upon something. He landed some roles which allowed him to be his awkward self, and it worked. He grabbed everyone's attention in The Ice Storm, as the shy and oddball youth growing up in the sexual revolution of the 1970s. He and co-stars Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood all came away from the film with much broader fan bases. A role in a Woody Allen film, Deconstructing Harry, also helped Tobey Maguire stretch his acting chops. His role in Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, one of the most anticipated movies of 1998, increased his appeal to audiences and gave him much better name recognition. Maguire seems to finally be on a roll. A bit of bad publicity can sometimes help a career. In 1998, he and friend Leo sued filmmaker and former friend, R.D. Robb, when the director attempted to release Don's Plum . The two young stars claimed that they had helped Robb out with a short film that was never meant to be released at feature length. Apparently, Don's Plum featured a group of young actors hanging out at the title bar, just talking. Much of it was ad-lib and spontaneous chatter about sexuality, women, drugs and a lot of other "uncomfortable" topics. Apparently, Leo and Tobey were being themselves in the film and said some things which might tarnish their public images. Some critics charged that Maguire, who had initially launched the suit, brought in Leo (in post-Titanic popularity) in order to help the case - and it's worked so far. The scandal served to put Tobey Maguire in the headlines, and it also linked him with DiCaprio for his multitude of fans. Maguire appeared in his first starring role opposite Reese Witherspoon, in Pleasantville, a comedy about two modern day youths who get trapped in a 1950s family sitcom. It will be interesting to see if Maguire now chooses to go after more starring roles or whether he will go back to his character actor days. He will next be seen in the civil war epic, Ride With the Devil.



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