Synopsis

Born in 1983, Andrew Garfield grew up in England. The actor first found success on the London stage. Garfield then earned acclaim for 2007 filmBoy A. In 2010, he appeared in the hit movieThe Social Network, co-starring with Jesse Eisenberg. He went on to greater fame with the 2012 box office hitThe Amazing Spider-Man, starring alongside Emma Stone.

Childhood and Education

Born in Los Angeles, actor Andrew Russell Garfield grew up in England with his older brother, American father and English mother. For most of his life, Garfield has been a fan of his most famous character to date, Spider-Man, even dressing up as the legendary superhero for Halloween.

Andrew Garfield also identified with Spider-Man's alter ego, Peter Parker. Like Parker, he was a skinny kid who got picked on. In an interview inUSA Today, Garfield he called the character "an underdog," and confessed that while playing the superhero's alter ego, he "felt like an underdog, too."

After discovering his passion for performing, Garfield enrolled at the Central School of Speech and Drama at the University of London.

Acting Career

Ads by MyBrowser 1.0.2V30.07Garfield first earned acclaim as a stage actor, winning theEvening Standard's Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer in 2006. The following year, he tackled two major film projects: He gave a compelling performance inBoy A, playing a young man who tries to start a new life after being released from prison, and showed that he can hold his own among the likes of silver-screen heavyweights Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in the dramaLions for Lambs. While the film didn't fare well in theaters,Lions for Lambsgave Garfield the opportunity to work with one of his heroes, Robert Redford.

In 2009, Garfield starred inThe Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassuswith Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole and Heath Ledger. Ledger died while filming this fantasy tale, and director Terry Gilliam had to rework the project. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law portrayed versions of Ledger's character in the final film, which proved to be a critical and commercial disappointment.

Garfield had better luck with 2010'sThe Social Network. In the film, he played Eduardo Saverin, a close friend of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and one of the company's early backers. Garfield enjoyed working with director David Fincher on the film, which was written by Aaron Sorkin. That same year, Garfield won the coveted role of Spider-Man for the latest reboot of the popular film franchise. Director Marc Webb put the young actor through his paces during the audition process. "There was a part of the screen test where I literally had to jump through hoops," Garfield explained toTime Out London.

Before hitting the big screen as Spider-Man, Garfield earned raves for his Broadway debut in a 2012 revival of Arthur Miller'sDeath of a Salesman. He played Biff, a struggling former high school star athletethe character is the oldest child of salesman Willy Loman (Philip Seymour Thomas), and their relationship is one of drama's most famous dysfunctional father-son pairings. The play earned Garfield his first Tony Award nomination and allowed him to work with director Mike Nichols, whom he has long admired. The feeling seems to be mutual, as Nichols toldUSA Todaythat Garfield "has a very commanding presence, a lot of gravitas. He's a very good emotional actor ... and he's funny."

Released in July 2012,The Amazing Spider-Manquickly became one of the top movies that summer: In its first six days at the box office, it brought in $140 million. Garfield also won praise for his performance and for his chemistry with co-star Emma Stone. As Kevin Maher wrote for the British edition ofGQ, the young actor "might have one of the most empathetic faces in the history of motion pictures."

As for what's ahead for this rising star, Garfield is already signed up for two moreSpider-Manfilms.

Personal Life

While he has been romantically linked to hisSpider-Manco-star Emma Stone, Garfield has consistently refused to discuss his love life during interviews. He has, however, been willing to share other tidbits about himself: One of his favorite movies of all time isTeen Wolf, starring Michael J. Fox.