Paul Walker

Net Worth

$25,000,000

Born in (City)

California

Born in (Country)

Date of Birth

12th December, 1973

Date of Death

30th December, 2013

Mother

Cheryl Walker

Father

Paul William Walker III

Children

Meadow Rain Walker

About

Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973– November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise. Walker began his career as a child actor during the 1970s and 1980s, gaining recognition in the early 1990s after appearing in the television soap opera The Young and the Restless; he received praise for his performances in the teen film She's All That and the coming-of-age film Varsity Blues (both 1999), before gaining international fame after starring in The Fast and the Furious (2001). Walker then starred in the commercially successful road thriller Joy Ride (2001), which led to a reputation as an action star. He then continued with his performances in box-office disappointments Into the Blue (2005) and Running Scared (2006). Walker also earned praise in other genres, like in the survival drama Eight Below, and for his portrayal of Hank Hansen the war film Flags of Our Fathers (both 2006). Outside of these, Walker then largely appeared in low budget action films, but starred in the commercially successful heist film Takers (2010).

Early Life

Walker was born on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California, to American parents with mostly English, as well as German, Swiss, and Irish ancestry. His mother, Cheryl (née Crabtree), was a fashion model, and his father, Paul William Walker III, was a sewer contractor and former amateur boxer, who was a two-time Golden Gloves champion. Walker's paternal grandfather, William, had a short-lived boxing career as "Irish" Billy Walker, while another raced factory cars for Ford in the 1960s. Raised a Mormon, Walker had four younger siblings: Aimee, Ashlie, Caleb, and Cody. He spent the majority of his early life in the Sunland neighborhood of Los Angeles, and graduated from Village Christian School in 1991. Walker subsequently attended several community colleges in Southern California, majoring in marine biology.

Road to Success

Paramount Network has unveiled I Am Paul Walker, a one-hour exploration into the life and career of the late Fast and Furious actor. The documentary, which aired Saturday, featured interviews with his family and colleagues such as Fast and the Furious star Tyrese Gibson and director Rob Cohen. It painted the portrait of a star who wished to distance himself from Hollywood when possible. “When Paul wasn’t in L.A. making movies, he wasn’t even in the country. He would be in the Amazon. He would be diving with sharks,” Wayne Kramer, director of Walker's 2006’s film Running Scared, says in the doc. At a young age, the Glendale, California, native began acting in commercials. I Am Paul Walker shows his appearance as a little boy on a dog food commercial for Puppy Formula. After his early acting years, Walker stepped away for a while and took up a fascination in cars (his maternal grandfather father was a racer) and began a relationship with Rebecca Soteros, who would later become the mother of his daughter Meadow in 1998. The documentary details how fatherhood was initially difficult for Walker.

Challenges

Paul Walker, of the Fast and the Furious, has been regarded by some movie critics as a mediocre actor, but with looks that could kill. While girls swoon in his hunky presence, most men dismiss Walker as just another pretty boy trying to make it big in the acting world.All that may change with the release of his latest movie, Running Scared. In a recent interview with The Temple News, Paul Walker and director of Running Scared, Wayne Kramer, talked about the making of the movie and Walker’s evolving image.”Guys always called me a pretty boy,” Walker said. “I’m glad for it (good looks) because it got my foot in the door. But I always felt like I had something to prove.”Kramer agreed that this role could possibly be the turning point for Walker’s career.”There was another actor I was thinking about for the role,” Kramer said.

Failures

Paul Walker was a refreshing enigma in Hollywood. Though he starred in one of the most successful movie franchises of all time, he never seemed to revel in fame. He wouldn’t go out of his way to drum up press. Walker, the man, remained somewhat of a mystery throughout his career. Perhaps that’s why people wrote him off as a dumb lug. With messy blond hair, a surfer’s accent, and chiseled features, Walker was easy to stereotype as a lucky, pretty face that didn’t have much going on upstairs. But I never understood that characterization of the star. Walker was always candid and articulate in interviews and, in fact, he lived a remarkably interesting life — one more deserving of attention than the brazen celebrity exploits that so often steal our focus. He was a globe-trekking adventurer, and he made his mark as an athlete, an outdoorsman, a public servant, and most recently, as a devoted father.

Achievements

He won the 2014 MTV Movie Award for best on-screen duo, with Vin Diesel for the movie ‘Fast & Furious 6’ (2013).

Quotes

Remember that no matter how cool you think you may be, you’re not cool enough to look down on anyone…ever.
My philosophy is: If you can’t have fun, there’s no sense in doing it.
There’s a time and place for everything, but as I get older, I like finding those human moments and really connecting.
Sometimes the hurdles aren’t really hurdles at all. They’re welcome challenges, tests.