Lucas' film career began by accident in 1979 when a small Canadian film production shot on the tiny coastal South Carolina Island, Sullivan's Island, where Lucas and his family lived. Unbeknownst to the filmmakers, 8 year old Lucas was hiding in the sand dunes watching filming during the climatic scene where teenage lovers engage in a lovesick fight. It was during this experience that Lucas decided to pursue a career in film which he has now done for nearly 3 decades. Born to young radical politically active parents in Arkansas in 1971, Lucas spent his early childhood nomadically moving around the southern U.S. The family finally settled in Gig Harbor, Washington, where Lucas attended high school. The school had an award winning drama/debate program and Lucas won the State Championship in Dramatic Interpretation and competed at the 1989 National Championship. Brief stints in professional theater in Seattle followed before Lucas moved to Los Angeles. After receiving breaks playing a young George Armstrong Custer in the Steven Spielberg produced Tiempos de guerra (1993) and Frank Marshall's film ¡Viven!(1993), Lucas' career toiled in minor TV appearances. Frustrated, he decided to start over and relocated to New York City.
In NYC, Lucas studied acting for years under Suzanne Shepherd and worked in smaller theater productions like Shakespeare in the Parking Lot before receiving another break in 1997 when he was cast as Judas in Terrence McNally's controversial off-Broadway production Corpus Christi. The play led to his being cast in the films Puedes contar conmigo (2000) and American Psycho (2000). These films were followed by interesting performances in the Oscar-winning Una mente maravillosa (2001) and the box office hit Sweet Home Alabama (2002).
Lucas has since worked with many of the film community's greatest talents. He starred alongside Jon Voight in Jerry Bruckheimer's Camino a la gloria (2006), for which Lucas added 40 pounds to transform himself into legendary basketball coach Don Haskins. Lucas also starred with Kurt Russell and Richard Dreyfuss in Wolfgang Petersen's Poseidón(2006). He starred with Morgan Freeman and Robert Redford in Lasse Hallström's Una vida por delante (2005). He also starred opposite Jamie Bell in David Gordon Green's Undertow (2004), which was also produced by Terrence Malick. Additionally, Lucas worked alongside Christopher Walken in A la vuelta de la esquina (2004).
He performed with Jennifer Connelly and Eric Bana in Ang Lee's Hulk (2003). Other credits include Wonderland (2003), En lo más profundo (2001), American Psycho (2000), Session 9 (2001) and Puedes contar conmigo (2000).
Lucas' theater credits include the off-Broadway run of "Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell"; Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie", which appeared on Broadway in 2005; Terrence McNally's "Corpus Christi" at the Manhattan Theater Club; Christopher Shinn's "What Didn't Happen"; and "The Picture of Dorian Gray".
Lucas has always been fascinated by documentaries and performed voice work with film legend Ken Burns on the documentary The War (2007), and also provided voice-over work for Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience (2007), Trumbo y la lista negra (2007) and Resolved (2007). Lucas' first venture into production was Vidas robadas(2009), in which he played the single father of a mentally challenged boy. The film was the first project to be produced through Lucas' production company, "Two Bridges".
In the past few years, Lucas' films include El inocente (2011), Daydream Nation (2010), _Peacock_, as Charles Lindbergh in Clint Eastwood's film _J. Edgar_, and the massive Australian box office and critical success _Red Dog_, for which Lucas won Australia's best actor award (The I.F. Award). He also played Beat generation legend Neal Cassady in Big Sur (2013). He can be seen in Kevin Connolly's Dear Eleanor (2015), the upcoming Sundance festival film Little Accidents and the NY indie film The Mend. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Josh Lucas
Trivia
Decided not to go to college in order to pursue his acting career.
Filmed his part in Wonderland (2003) in seven days.
His parents organized campaigns against nuclear power plants and, for his safety, moved 30 times before he was 13 years old.
Graduated from Gig Harbor High School in Gig Harbor, Washington, in 1989.
Older brother of Devin Maurer.
Born in Arkansas in 1971 and christened Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer. His parents lived on an Native American reservation, and they named him based on things that happened there. His birth was so easy that the doctor hit his head on the bedpost and injured himself.
Parents were hippie activists who moved more than 30 times before he was 13.
Was injured severely enough to be hospitalized twice during the filming of Poseidón(2006). First, co-star Kurt Russell accidentally hit him with a flashlight in the right eye during an underwater swimming sequence and the resulting cut required 16 stitches and several days off. The second and more serious injury occurred on the next-to-last day of filming when Josh fell 15-20 feet and tore ligaments and muscles in his left thumb, which required a 5-hour surgery to reattach the muscle and 6-8 weeks in a cast. He is still undergoing physical therapy and rehab to get more movement back in his thumb.
Also has two sisters. One of whom, along with Josh, is in the research and planning stages of starting up Mighty's Fast Food, a restaurant that will promote healthier fare and use of organic, local produce.
Parents are Don and Michelle (LeFevre) Maurer. Father is an emergency room doctor; mother is a nurse and midwife. Michelle attended Emerson College with Jay Leno.
Announced the formation of his own production company, "2 Bridges Productions", with his brother, Devin Maurer, as a co-producer and creative partner.
Was considered for the role of Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek (2009). However, Bruce Greenwood was cast instead.
Studied acting with Michael Howard in New York City.
He and his wife Jessica are expecting their first child, due in late 2012.
Son, Noah Rev Maurer, was born on June 29, 2012 in New York City, weighing in at 9 lbs. 4 oz.
Appeared in 2 unrelated movies both called "Stolen". One film was released in 2009 and the other in 2012.
Attended Kopachuck Middle School in Gig Harbor, Washington.
Appearing off-Broadway in "Fault Lines" alongside Noah Emmerich and Dominic Fumusa at the Cherry Lane Theater. [October 2008]
Appearing as "The Gentleman Caller" in "The Glass Menagerie" on Broadway with 'Jessica Lange', Sarah Paulson and Christian Slater. [January 2005]
He is the voice on the Home Depot commercials.
Personal Quotes
[regarding moving so many times as a child] I would lie in bed the night before a new school and decide who I was going to be. It would usually be based on someone I admired from the school before.
"I just feel like I really want to be someone who literally disappears in the role. I want to be so strong as an actor that people wouldn't say [for example] 'Oh, that's Ben Affleck.' To me, that's just boring. It doesn't interest me. My goal is to always have the ability at hand where I can be really good, as opposed to, eh, that's Josh Lucas." Interview with Steve Head, September 24, 2002.
