Christian Slater

***Christian Michael Leonard Slater*** (August 18, 1969, New York City, USA) is an American actor and producer. He made his film debut with a leading role in The Legend of Billie Jean (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakthrough role as Jason "J.D." Dean, a sociopathic high school student, in the satire Heathers (1988). He has received critical acclaim for his title role in the USA Network television series Mr. Robot (2015–2019), for which he earned the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2016, with additional nominations in 2017 and 2018.

Born in New York City to a theatrical family, Slater made his television debut at the age of eight on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. He attended the Dalton School, the Professional Children's School, and the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. In the 1990s, Slater starred in a number of big-budget films, including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Broken Arrow (1996), and Hard Rain (1998) as well as cult films like Gleaming the Cube (1989), Pump Up the Volume (1990) and True Romance (1993). His other notable films include roles in 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), Windtalkers (2002), Alone in the Dark (2005), Bobby (2006), Nymphomaniac (2013), King Cobra (2016), The Wife (2017), The Public (2018), and We Can Be Heroes (2020). In addition to his film roles, Slater has also starred in television shows such as My Own Worst Enemy (2008), Breaking In (2011–2012), Mind Games (2012), Dirty John (2020), and Dr. Death (2021).

In addition to his live-action roles, Slater has had an extensive voice-acting career, with roles in FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), The Ten Commandments (2007), Igor (2008), and Mune: Guardian of the Moon (2017). He narrated the second season of Prehistoric Planet (2002–2003) and the Discovery Channel documentary miniseries Dinosaur Planet (2003), and voiced the character Slater in Archer (2014–present), Ushari in The Lion Guard (2016–2019), Ren in the Star Wars franchise (2021–present), and Rand Ridley in Inside Job (2021–present). He has also been the voice of Floyd Lawton / Deadshot in the DC Animated Movie Universe since 2017.

Slater was born on August 18, 1969, in New York City, the son of Michael Hawkins (born Thomas Knight Slater), an actor also known as Michael Gainsborough; and Mary Jo Slater (née Lawton), an acting agent turned casting executive and producer. He has a maternal half-brother, Ryan Slater, who also became an actor. His great-uncle was radio personality Bill Slater. He attended the Dalton School, the Professional Children's School and the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

He gained the role of the interviewer Daniel Molloy in Interview with the Vampire (1994) after the death of his friend River Phoenix, who was originally cast. Slater subsequently donated his earnings from the film to Phoenix's favorite charities. He played the character of Lewis in the romance film Bed of Roses in 1996 opposite Mary Stuart Masterson then that of Riley Hale in the big-budget John Woo film Broken Arrow (1996), which also starred John Travolta. In 1998 Slater appeared in crime movie Hard Rain alongside Morgan Freeman. The same year he also starred in the dark comedy Very Bad Things opposite Cameron Diaz.