# Haley Joel Osment

Haley Joel Osment (born April 10, 1988) is an American actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, Osment's role in the comedy-drama film Forrest Gump (1994) won him a Young Artist Award. His breakthrough came with the psychological thriller film The Sixth Sense (1999), for which he won a Saturn Award and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He achieved further success with the drama film Pay It Forward (2000), the science fiction film A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), which won him a second Saturn Award, the comedy film Secondhand Lions (2003), which won him a Critics Choice Award, and the animated film The Jungle Book 2 (2003). He is also known as the voice of Sora and Vanitas in the Kingdom Hearts series.
Osment made his Broadway debut in a short-lived revival of David Mamet's play American Buffalo (2008) and executive produced the independent film Montana Amazon (2012), which he also starred in. His further on-screen work includes the body horror film Tusk (2014), the comedy films Sex Ed (2014), Entourage (2015), Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town (2017), and Clara's Ghost (2018), and the drama films Almost Friends (2016), Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019), and Somebody I Used to Know (2023). In animation, he has voiced Kash D. Langford on the Netflix series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2021), Leonard "Buzzsaw" Burne on the DreamWorks Animation Television series DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021–2023), Casey Jones in the animated film Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (2022), and Collector in the animated film LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red (2023).

## Early life

Haley Joel Osment was born on April 10, 1988, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Theresa (née Seifert), a teacher, and Michael Eugene Osment, a theater and film actor, both natives of Birmingham, Alabama. Osment was raised Roman Catholic. He has a younger sister, Emily, who is also an actress. Osment's parents have described his childhood as a "good old-fashioned Southern upbringing". His father said that when Osment was learning to speak, he deliberately avoided using baby talk when communicating with his son. As a child, he wrestled and played basketball, football, and golf.
Osment was a student at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada Flintridge, California. He graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2011.

## Career

While visiting a store at age four, Osment signed up with a talent scout. After being called back for an audition, he was asked to describe the biggest thing he had ever seen; his description of an IMAX theater screen helped win him a part in a Pizza Hut TV commercial. The commercial launched his career, and later that year he starred in the ABC TV sitcom Thunder Alley, his first role in a television series. His first feature film role was as Forrest Gump's son in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, also having a minor role in another 1994 film, Mixed Nuts. Throughout the rest of the 1990s, Osment played regular or recurring roles in various television series, including The Jeff Foxworthy Show and the final season of Murphy Brown, where he replaced Dyllan Christopher as Murphy's son, Avery.
He also made several guest appearances on shows, including The Larry Sanders Show, Walker, Texas Ranger, Touched by an Angel, Chicago Hope, The Pretender, and Ally McBeal. He appeared in the 1996 film Bogus, alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Gérard Depardieu, and the 1998 television film The Lake, as well as I'll Remember April (1999) with future The Sixth Sense co-star Trevor Morgan.
Osment first achieved stardom in 1999, when he appeared in The Sixth Sense, co-starring Bruce Willis. For his portrayal of Cole Sear, a psychic child, Osment won the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, becoming the second-youngest performer ever to receive an Academy nomination for a supporting role, but lost the final Oscar vote to Michael Caine, with whom he would later work, appearing together in Secondhand Lions. Sear's line "I see dead people," became a popular catchphrase and is often parodied in media, being #44 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Movie Quotes. He made minor appearances on the animated series Family Guy in 2000 and 2001.
In 2000, Osment had a leading role as Trevor McKinney in Pay It Forward; the following year, he appeared in Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence, cementing his stature as one of the leading young actors in Hollywood. This role earned him his second Saturn Award for Best Younger Actor, and further critical acclaim. In reviewing the film, critic Roger Ebert stated that "Osment, who is onscreen in almost every scene, is one of the best actors now working". In 2001, Osment starred in the Polish film, Edges of the Lord, as Romek. Between 2002 and 2003, Osment had voice roles in Walt Disney Pictures films The Country Bears, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, and The Jungle Book 2, with Jake Thomas auditioning for the role of Mowgli prior to Osment's casting. He returned to live action with the 2003 film Secondhand Lions.
In 2002, Osment starred in Kingdom Hearts, the first installment of the video game series Kingdom Hearts, providing the voice of protagonist Sora and later Vanitas. In 2003, Osment voiced Takeshi Jin in the English version of the Immortal Grand Prix anime television series.
He appeared in Home of the Giants, playing a high school journalist opposite Ryan Merriman and Danielle Panabaker. He subsequently worked on Montana Amazon as both an actor and executive producer. The film starred Olympia Dukakis and debuted at the Orlando and Big Apple Film Festivals in November 2010, winning Best Feature Film at the latter.
Osment made his Broadway debut at the Belasco Theatre in November 2008 playing the role of Bobby, a young heroin addict, in a revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo; co-starring with John Leguizamo and Cedric the Entertainer. The show opened to mixed reviews, and a provisional statement was made on November 20, 2008 that it would close after the first week.
In 2010, Osment signed for a leading role in the comedy film Sex Ed from MPCA, to play a college graduate who wants to teach geometry, but ends up as a sex education teacher despite his inexperience. In January 2011, Entertainment Weekly reported that Osment had joined the cast of Sassy Pants, a comedy about a homeschooler with an overbearing mother.
Variety reported on June 27, 2011, that Osment would star in Wake the Dead, a modern-day retelling of the Frankenstein story, with production to begin the last quarter of 2011.
In 2013, he appeared in Amazon's Alpha House. He also co-starred in the Will Ferrell and Adam McKay-produced comedy melodrama miniseries The Spoils of Babylon and The Spoils Before Dying for IFC. He also had roles in the first two films of Kevin Smith's True North trilogy, as well as Teddy Craft in Tusk and as a fictionalized version of Canadian journalist Adrien Arcand in Yoga Hosers.
In 2015, Osment appeared in Entourage, the film adaptation of the television series. The following year, he appeared in the drama film Almost Friends.
In 2017, Osment held a recurring role in season 4 of HBO's Silicon Valley as VR expert and tech financier Keenan Feldspar. Also in 2017, Osment made an appearance on BBC America's Top Gear America as one of the guests in the fourth episode of season 1. He then appeared in the comedy films Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town (2017) and Clara's Ghost (2018).
In 2019, Osment had a supporting role in the Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, starring alongside Lily Collins as Liz, who follows the prosecution of Ted Bundy, played by Zac Efron. In 2023, he was in the Amazon Prime film Somebody I Used to Know. He also had roles in two series that have Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg as executive producers: Osment plays Mesmer in the Amazon series The Boys and Dr. Stu Camillo in the Hulu series Future Man.
His voice roles include Kash D. Langford on the Netflix series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2021), Leonard "Buzzsaw" Burne on the DreamWorks Animation Television series DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021–2023), Casey Jones in the animated film Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (2022), and Collector in the animated film LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red (2023).

## Personal life

Osment plays the guitar and piano. He is an avid golfer who began playing at the age of seven, playing for the U.S. team in the All-Star Cup 2005 under team leader Mark O'Meara, and has participated in the annual Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament.
In 2006, Osment suffered a broken rib and fractured shoulder blade in an auto accident. He pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of alcohol and misdemeanor drug possession and was sentenced to three years' probation, 60 hours in an alcohol rehabilitation and education program, a fine of $1,500, and attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous.
In 2007, Osment began attending New York University. He graduated in 2011.
In 2025, his Altadena home was destroyed during the Eaton Fire in the series of January 2025 Southern California wildfires.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | Forrest Gump | Forrest Gump, Jr. | |
| 1994 | Mixed Nuts | Little Boy | |
| 1995 | For Better or Worse | Danny | |
| 1996 | Bogus | Albert Franklin | |
| 1997 | Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas | Chip | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 1999 | The Sixth Sense | Cole Sear | |
| 1999 | I'll Remember April | Peewee Clayton | |
| 2000 | Pay It Forward | Trevor McKinney | |
| 2000 | Spot the Dog | Spot the Dog | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2001 | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | David | |
| 2001 | Edges of the Lord | Romek | |
| 2002 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame II | Zephyr | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2002 | The Country Bears | Beary Barrington | Voice |
| 2003 | Secondhand Lions | Walter Caldwell | |
| 2003 | The Jungle Book 2 | Mowgli | Voice |
| 2007 | Home of the Giants | Robert "Gar" Gartland | |
| 2010 | Montana Amazon | Womple Dunderhead | Also executive producer |
| 2012 | Sassy Pants | Chip Hardy | |
| 2013 | I'll Follow You Down | Erol | Released as Continuum outside North America |
| 2014 | Tusk | Teddy Craft | |
| 2014 | Sex Ed | Ed Cole | |
| 2015 | Wrestling Isn't Wrestling | Theater Audience Member | Short film |
| 2015 | The World Made Straight | Shank | |
| 2015 | Entourage | Travis McCredle | |
| 2015 | Me Him Her | Haley | |
| 2016 | Yoga Hosers | Adrien Arcand | |
| 2016 | Almost Friends | Ben | |
| 2017 | Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town | Walt | |
| 2017 | Sleepwalker | Warren | |
| 2017 | CarGo | Danny | Voice |
| 2018 | Clara's Ghost | Joe | |
| 2019 | Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile | Jerry Thompson | |
| 2019 | The Devil Has a Name | Alex Gardner | |
| 2020 | Bad Therapy | Reed | |
| 2020 | Death of a Telemarketer | Jim/Dean | |
| 2020 | Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics | Gabe | |
| 2022 | Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie | Casey Jones, Foot Soldiers | Voice |
| 2023 | Somebody I Used to Know | Jeremy | |
| 2023 | Lego Marvel Avengers: Code Red | Collector | Voice, Disney+ special |
| 2024 | Drugstore June | Davey | |
| 2024 | Blink Twice | Tom | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | The Larry Sanders Show | Little Boy | Episode: "The Fourteenth Floor" |
| 1994 | Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg | Kyle | Television film |
| 1994–1995 | Thunder Alley | Harry Turner | Starring role |
| 1995–1997 | The Jeff Foxworthy Show | Matt Foxworthy | Starring role |
| 1997 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Lucas Simms | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Last Stand at Saber River | Davis Cable | Television film |
| 1997–1998 | Murphy Brown | Avery Brown #2 | 6 episodes |
| 1998 | Chicago Hope | Nathan Cacaci | Episode: "Memento Mori" |
| 1998 | Touched by an Angel | John Henry | Episode: "Flights of Angels" |
| 1998 | The Pretender | Davey Simpkins | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | The Lake | Dylan Hydecker | Television film |
| 1998 | The Ransom of Red Chief | Andy Dorset | Television film |
| 1998 | Cab to Canada | Bobby | Television film |
| 1999 | Ally McBeal | Eric Stall | Episode: "Angels and Blimps" S2.13 |
| 1999 | Hey Arnold! | Curly Gammelthorpe | Voice, episode: "Deconstructing Arnold" |
| 2000 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Myka | Voice, episode: "Lone Wolf" |
| 2000–2022 | Family Guy | Various characters | Voice, 4 episodes |
| 2005–2006 | Immortal Grand Prix | Takeshi Jin | Voice, English dub |
| 2013–2014 | Alpha House | Shelby Mellman | 12 episodes |
| 2013, 2022 | American Dad! | Stan's Informant, Clubber | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 2014 | The Spoils of Babylon | Winston Morehouse | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | The Spoils Before Dying | Alistair St. Barnaby-Bixby-Jones | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | Drunk History | Kid Blink | Episode: "Journalism" |
| 2015–2016 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Slow Joey | 10 episodes |
| 2016 | The Eric Andre Show | Guest | Episode: "Dennis Rodman; Haley Joel Osment" |
| 2017 | Oasis | Sy | Amazon Video pilot episode |
| 2017 | Silicon Valley | Keenan Feldspar | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Top Gear America | Himself | Episode: "Drive Your Life" |
| 2017–2019 | Teachers | Damien | 4 episodes |
| 2017–2019 | Future Man | Dr. Stu Camillo | 14 episodes |
| 2018 | Swedish Dicks | Dave | Episode: "Floyd Cal Who" |
| 2018 | The X-Files | Davey James / Young John James | Episode: "Kitten" |
| 2018 | Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy | Gaston Lebone | Episode: "R.I.G.G.L.E. Day" |
| 2019 | The Boys | Mesmer | 2 episodes |
| 2019–2021 | The Kominsky Method | Robby | 7 episodes |
| 2020 | Robot Chicken | Kevin Jonas, Tim Murphy | Voice, episode: "Petless M in: Cars Are Couches On The Road" |
| 2020 | Star Trek: Lower Decks | O'Connor | Voice, episode: "Moist Vessel" |
| 2020 | The George Lucas Talk Show | Himself | Episode: "Yoda Hosers" |
| 2020–2023 | What We Do In the Shadows | Topher Delmonico | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Goliath | Dylan Zax | Recurring role |
| 2021 | Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens | Amos | Episode: "Home" |
| 2021–2022 | Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous | Kash D. Langford | Voice, seasons 4–5 |
| 2021–2022 | Dogs in Space | Garbage | Voice, main role |
| 2022 | We Baby Bears | Teddi, Bear 3 | Voice, episode: "Teddi Bear" |
| 2022 | Dead End: Paranormal Park | Danny | Voice, episode: "Going Up" |
| 2022 | The Mysterious Benedict Society | One Two | Episode: "A Two-Way Street" |
| 2022–2023 | DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms | Buzzsaw | Voice, seasons 2–6 |
| 2023 | Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures | Raxlo | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 2024 | Batman: Caped Crusader | Anton Night | Voice, episode: "Nocturne" |
| 2024 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | JD Vance | guest role |
| 2025 | Wednesday | TBA | Season 2; guest role |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
| 2002 | Kingdom Hearts | Sora | |
| 2006 | Kingdom Hearts II | Sora | |
| 2008 | Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories | Sora | |
| 2009 | Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days | Sora | |
| 2010 | Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep | Sora, Vanitas | |
| 2011 | Kingdom Hearts Re:coded | Sora | |
| 2012 | Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance | Sora, Vanitas | |
| 2013 | Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix | Sora | Archive audio |
| 2014 | Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix | Sora, Vanitas | Archive audio for Vanitas |
| 2017 | Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue | Sora, Vanitas | Archive audio for Vanitas |
| 2018 | NBA 2K19 | Zack Coleman | Also facial capture |
| 2019 | Kingdom Hearts III | Sora, Vanitas | Also in Re:Mind (2020) DLC |
| 2020 | Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory | Sora | Archive audio |
| 2021 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Sora | As part of DLC Fighter Pack #11 Archive audio |

### Theater

| Year | Title | Role | Theater | Source |
| 2024 | Midnight Coleslaw's Tales from Beyond the Closet!!! | | The Tank | |

## Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1994 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance by an Actor Under Ten in a Motion Picture | Forrest Gump | Won |
| 1996 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Actor Age Ten or Under | Bogus | Nominated |
| 1996 | Young Artist Award | Best performance in a television comedy or drama by a supporting young actor age ten or under | The Jeff Foxworthy Show | Nominated |
| 1997 | Young Artist Award | Best performance in a television comedy or drama by a supporting young actor age ten or under | The Jeff Foxworthy Show | Nominated |
| 1997 | YoungStar Award | Best performance by a young actor in a made–for–television movie | Last Stand at Saber River | Nominated |
| 1998 | Young Artist Award | Best performance in a television comedy series by a young actor age ten or under | Murphy Brown | Nominated |
| 1998 | Young Artist Award | Best performance in a television drama series by a guest starring young actor | Walker, Texas Ranger | Nominated |
| 1999 | YoungStar Award | Best performance by a young actor in a miniseries or made–for–television movie | Cab to Canada | Nominated |
| 1999 | Academy Award | Best Supporting Actor | The Sixth Sense | Nominated |
| 1999 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Favorite Actor – Newcomer (Internet Only) | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Supporting Actor | The Sixth Sense | Nominated |
| 1999 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | The Sixth Sense | Nominated |
| 1999 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Most Promising Actor | The Sixth Sense | Nominated |
| 1999 | Critics Choice Association | Best Young Performer | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Florida Film Critics Circle | Best Supporting Actor | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | The Sixth Sense | Nominated |
| 1999 | Kansas City Film Critics Circle | Best Supporting Actor | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society | Best Supporting Actor | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society | Youth in Film | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society | Most Promising Actor | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Male Breakthrough Performance | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | MTV Movie Awards | Best On-Screen Duo (With Bruce Willis) | The Sixth Sense | Nominated |
| 1999 | National Society of Film Critics | Best Supporting Actor | The Sixth Sense | Nominated |
| 1999 | Online Film Critics Society | Best Supporting Actor | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Online Film Critics Society | Best Debut | The Sixth Sense | Nominated |
| 1999 | Satellite Award | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role | The Sixth Sense | Nominated |
| 1999 | Southeastern Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout Performance | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | Young Artist Award | Leading Young Actor | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 1999 | YoungStar Award | Best Young Actor Performance in a Motion Picture Drama | The Sixth Sense | Won |
| 2000 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama/Romance | Pay It Forward | Won |
| 2000 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor | Pay It Forward | Nominated |
| 2001 | Broadcast Film Critics Association | Best Young Performer | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | Nominated |
| 2001 | Empire Awards | Best Actor | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | Nominated |
| 2001 | Phoenix Film Critics Society | Best Youth Performance | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | Nominated |
| 2001 | Saturn Award | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | Won |
| 2001 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | Nominated |
| 2001 | ShoWest | Supporting actor of the year | — | Won |
| 2002 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role | The Hunchback of Notre Dame II | Nominated |
| 2003 | Critics Choice Award | Best Young Actor in Drama | Secondhand Lions | Won |
| 2003 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor | Secondhand Lions | Nominated |
| 2003 | World Soundtrack Awards | Best Original Song Written for a Film (Shared with Paul Grabowsky, Lorraine Feather, Mae Whitman, and Connor Funk) | The Jungle Book 2 | Nominated |
| 2003 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role – Young Actor | The Jungle Book 2 | Nominated |
| 2022 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | The Kominsky Method | Nominated |