Tobey Maguire. Biography of the actor. Personal life, career. Photo

Tobey Maguire, whose films are of interest to viewers in many countries, dreamed of becoming a chef since childhood. He changed his mind after receiving $100 from his mother for going to drama class. Toby enjoyed acting so much that he dropped out of school to pursue an acting career. The actor received a school education certificate only at the age of 25. Let's tell you more about his best film works.

Photo: peopletalk.ru

In the summer of 2019, Tobey Maguire will celebrate his 44th birthday. He received his first roles on television at the age of 14. To date, according to IMDb, the actor’s filmography includes 48 works in cinema, television, dubbing of animated films and video games. Toby has seven professional awards and one Golden Globe nomination.

Here are the best films Maguire has starred in:

"Deconstructing Harry" (1997)

Photo: filmosha.com

Early in his career, Tobey Maguire was lucky to work with Woody Allen. The film's cast included two Oscar winners and seven Academy Award nominees.

Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson auditioned for the main role in the film, until Albert Brooks, one of the guest actors, told Allen that this role was ideal for the director himself. The film is interesting because it was the last one in which Demi Moore starred before her many-year break.

According to IMDb, "Deconstructing Harry" received four professional awards and an Oscar nomination. In 1997, the film opened the Venice International Film Festival.

The plot tells the story of Harry, a writer who is mired in his own problems. He took an advance for a book he can't write. In addition, he is unable to understand relationships with various women.

Tobey Maguiar played the role of Harvey Stern in the film, one of the characters in Harry's books.

Filmography[ | ]

"Pleasantville" (1998)

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The film that cemented Maguire's status as a teen movie star. His partner in the film was Reese Witherspoon. The actress is a year younger than Toby, but by the time of filming she had managed to gain the status of a rising movie star, having starred in a dozen films.

The film became famous thanks to special effects that were unusual for the late 1990s, allowing black and white characters to interact with people of color on screen. Before the release of the film “Star Wars. Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999) Pleasantville was considered the most technically advanced film in Hollywood of the late 1990s. According to IMDb, the film received 18 professional awards and three Oscar nominations.

The story follows two teenagers, David and Jennifer, who find themselves in a 1950s television series. While David is an exemplary student, his sister Jennifer tends to break the rules. During an argument, they break the TV remote, and a strange repair worker transports them to the black-and-white TV series Pleasantville.

David suggests not breaking the script and adapting to the surrounding reality, but Jennifer does not want to follow the established rules of Pleasantville, and the town begins to take on color. Teenagers will have to solve many problems caused by their appearance in the series.

"Cider House Rules" (1999)

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The film is based on the novel by writer John Irving. He appeared in the film as a cameo and received an Oscar for best screenplay.

More than a dozen artists auditioned for the main role. Maguire got it thanks to Leonardo DiCaprio. The latter refused to participate in the work on the film, but offered to take his friend Toby in the main role. The film also stars Oscar winner Sir Michael Caine and then-rising star Charlize Theron. According to IMDb, the film was awarded six prizes, including two Oscars.

The plot tells the story of Homer, who grew up in an orphanage and knows nothing about the world around him. He did not receive any special education, but helps Dr. Larch, the head of the orphanage, conduct clandestine abortions.

One day he meets Candy, who will change his life. Homer has to learn about the real world and find true love.

"Geeks" (2000)

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The film in which Tobey Maguire played with Robert Downey Jr. A few years after the release of Prodigies, both became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Maguire played Spider-Man, and Downey Jr. played Iron Man. But they didn't have to work together. Downey Jr.'s Iron Man met Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

In total, the film’s cast included three winners and six Oscar nominees. The film premiered in February 2000. But after the film failed to receive good reviews from critics and audiences, Paramaunt launched a new marketing campaign to promote the film shortly before the Oscars. As a result, the film, according to IMDb, won an Oscar and 20 other prizes, but did not break even at the box office.

The plot tells the story of a literature professor, Tripp, who is having a bad day. His wife left him, his mistress announced that she was pregnant, his publisher demanded the completion of his manuscript, and his best student stole a piece of Marilyn Monroe's wardrobe and shot the dean's dog.

Tripp has to deal with numerous problems while saving face in front of fellow writers who are bragging about their successes at a literary festival. The role of the professor was played by Michael Douglas, and his best student was played by Tobey Maguire.

Tobey Maguire: excitement, casinos and parties

He looks like a shy, intelligent young man who is afraid to approach and talk to the girl he likes. But in fact, this actor is known in Hollywood not only for his roles, but also for his drunken antics with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Film debut

Tobey Maguire was born on June 27, 1975 in Santa Monica, California. His mother Wendy was only 18 years old at the time, she worked as a secretary and was not even married to Toby's father Vincent. He, in turn, was also not a successful man - he was twenty years old, but he did not intend to get an education, but worked as a cook in a certain eatery. After the birth of his son, Vincent nevertheless decided to marry Wendy, but the marriage was not happy, but turned out to be fleeting. Toby's parents then took turns raising the child, which is why young Maguire periodically bounced between California, Oregon and Washington.

The passion for cinema was passed on to Toby along with his genes. His mother wanted to become an actress all her life, and, having failed to realize her dream, she decided to encourage her son to follow this path. As Maguire recalls, one day, when he was only 12 years old, Wendy even offered him $100 just to take acting classes instead of enrolling in economics school. Maguire began his career like many other young talents, starring in commercials and acting as an extra in small TV series. In 1992, he accidentally managed to get the lead role in the Fox television series Great Scott!, but the show was quickly canceled. A year later, Toby made his debut on the big screen - he received a small role in the film “This Boy’s Life,” which also contributed to the rise of another young star - Leonardo DiCaprio, who played one of the main roles in it. That film marked the beginning of a friendship between the actors.

And then the news broke - Vincent Maguire, the actor’s father, robbed a bank, reaching the point of despair. Aunt Toby died of cancer, leaving Vincent with two young nephews. And then the doctors said that Maguire Sr. suspected stomach cancer. And then Vincent went to the nearest bank and slipped a note to the cashier: “I have nothing to live on. I have cancer". She was so shocked that she obediently began throwing wads of money into a paper bag. Vincent didn’t even take care of the mask, weapons or car. The police were called by his own neighbors, who saw the cook sneak into his trailer with a suspicious package under his arm.

After this incident, Toby read a lot of occult books and saw symbols and predictions in everything. He failed the first big role in his life: he ran away from filming, locked himself at home and told the agent to refuse all offers. But then he decided to return to work, as he himself says, in order to earn money for a personal psychoanalyst. It took Tobey Maguire a long time to climb out of that hole, almost as long as his father was in prison (the judge took pity on him and gave him only two years). But when he got rid of his problems, he suddenly saw again that the world was full of beautiful women, funny friends and interesting film projects.

Scandal with Cafe Don's Plum

He made up for lost time tenfold. Life had become a party, and Toby now felt at ease. A gambler, he sat in casinos all day long, he had problems with drugs, and later he had to be treated at an Alcoholics Anonymous clinic. In 1998, Toby starred in the controversial film Don's Plum Café, which was never released in the United States - as a result of a trial initiated by Maguire and DiCaprio, who also starred in this film, a verdict was issued prohibiting the film's showing in the United States and Canada.

The young actors claimed that they agreed to the director to star in this film when it was supposed to be a small short film. But after the film was released in its final form, they protested against its release on the big screen, citing the fact that some of their sayings in the film could ruin the image of the actors. After all, Leo and Toby are there chatting about drugs, alcohol and sex, regardless of the presence of the camera. Which is not surprising: Cafe Don's Plum was filmed by another friend of theirs. Years later, after the release of Titanic and on the eve of the premiere of Spider-Man, he still decides to make money on the fame of his former friends and will show this film at the Berlin Film Festival. As a result, the footage of DiCaprio swearing and Maguire drinking alcohol will cause a real scandal.

Undoubtedly, the peak of Maguire's career was the long-awaited film adaptation of the Spider-Man comics, on which all of America grew up. One of the biggest challenges during filming, according to the actor, was the need to communicate and convey emotions to the viewer from under a suit that hugged his face and figure. “The character wears a mask and you can’t see his expression,” Maguire laments, adding that he ended up relying on emotional body language.

Sometimes it was not only the costume that caused inconvenience, but also the filming conditions. Tobey Maguire calls the scene in which he kisses his co-star Kirsten Dunst particularly “interesting and complex.” “I was hanging upside down, it was five o’clock in the morning, and the rain was running into my nose. I couldn’t breathe with it; I had to gasp for air through the corner of Kirsten’s lips. Poor girl, I rather gave her artificial respiration than kissed her. But I still got some pleasure from the process,” admits Toby.

He interpreted this “artificial respiration” very romantically, and after the film’s release the public was already anticipating his and Kirsten’s wedding. But the sensible Dunst said that she was too young for family life (she was only 19 at the time), and Toby was free again. By that time, he had already been abandoned almost at the altar - this is how the actor’s relationship with Rashida Jones, the daughter of jazzman Quincy Jones, ended. At the time, Toby was having a hard time with the breakup, but then he forgave Rashida everything. After all, she introduced him to her best friend Jennifer Meyer. It was this girl who became Toby’s wife.

Illegal poker Having settled down, Maguire still could not say goodbye to his love of gambling. He could be seen at major tournaments in Vegas, including the WSOP World Championship. In 2007, Toby even took 292nd place in the Main Tournament, receiving just under $40,000. Apparently this game absorbed him so much that he decided to move on. It turned out that Toby began to participate in closed games with other Hollywood actors and businessmen. And then a couple of years ago Maguire was in for a surprise. Then the bankruptcy trustees of the head of the investment fund, Brad Ruderman, came to him and demanded that he return the $320,000 that Tobey Maguire had won from him. It turned out that the head of the investment fund for 3 years - from 2006 to 2009 - lost a total of $25 million in poker and covered all the costs of his poker passion with money that belonged to the clients of his fund.

His case was investigated by the FBI, now Brad Ruderman is in prison and will be released only in 2020. And bailiffs demanded money back from the Hollywood star, although Tobey Maguire had no idea that his poker partner was a financial fraudster. Against the actor was the fact that the games for hundreds of thousands of dollars, which were held twice a week in Beverly Hills in fashionable hotels, were illegal. Officially, you can play poker at home in California, but the poker battles of Hollywood stars were specially organized, and this is already a violation of the law, that is, it falls under the article on underground casinos. The owner of one of these houses, where they regularly played, is Rick Solomon, a former boyfriend of Paris Hilton, who bought the property with money received from the sale of a sex tape with Hilton. Regular poker gatherings included Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and director Nick Cassavetes. The games were strictly guarded by people in bulletproof vests - the bets were hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Tobey Maguire was luckier than others - he always found himself winning, reaching up to $1 million a month. That is, in three years of regular exercise in star poker, the actor won about 30 million dollars. According to one of the participants in the underground games, Dan Bilerzian, Matt Damon never won in his presence. And DiCaprio turned out to be very tight-fisted in the game - once, having lost $50,000, he reacted as if he had gone crazy.

“I think Scott would be proud of this film.”

Now Leo and Toby not only play poker together, but also act in films. Oscar nominee Baz Luhrmann called them into his film. When he finished Moulin Rouge, he went on vacation: from Beijing he traveled to Paris through northern Russia and listened to an audiobook of The Great Gatsby: “I poured some wine, stared at the Russian landscapes flying through the window, and began to listen. I fell asleep only at four in the morning. The next day I looked forward to the evening so I could drink a second bottle of wine and listen to the end of the book. I realized three things: firstly, I didn’t understand it at all before, secondly, its structure is very concise, and thirdly, it can be used to make a great film. Of course, there are some pitfalls, such as Nick's inner voice, but nevertheless, this is an incredibly cinematic book. And I thought, I want to make a film out of it.”

In the plot, nervous writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) tells his psychoanalyst the story of how, in the roaring 20s, he accidentally ended up as a neighbor of the mysterious eccentric nouveau riche Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), who, as it turned out, had been hopelessly in love with his cousin Nick Daisy since his youth ( Carey Mulligan). But she was married to millionaire Tom Buchanan, who had a mistress, the wife of an auto mechanic, Myrtle. Gatsby lured Daisy to him with crazy parties, looked at the green light on the pier in the evenings, and secretly engaged in bootlegging.

Having received an invitation to play the role of Jay, Leonardo DiCaprio, of course, agreed very quickly. He wanted to play “a man who was absolutely nothing, and created himself based only on his own imagination.” And the fact that Toby would play the role of Nick Carraway only made the actor happy. All those who love Fitzgerald’s works also felt a surge of cheerfulness.

But soon after the release of the film, film critics began to give out loud slaps in the face. The director already knows that his “3D film is like the Roaring Twenties moving into a sorority house” and that he wasn’t supposed to adapt Scott Fitzgerald’s graceful story. The director was also accused of poor casting, where “DiCaprio is no more convincing than a little boy playing a tough guy, and Mulligan is just trying to play Daisy’s magnetism,” and his entire film is nothing more than a self-parody, in which there is nothing that would touch the viewer’s soul . They were also joined by Fitzgerald's fans, who did not appreciate Luhrmann's creation, accusing him of almost all the mortal sins: the ending was unsuccessful, there was too much pathos, the music was inappropriate, and in general 127 million for Warner Bros. were wasted. However, neither Luhrmann, nor DiCaprio, nor Maguire are used to sharp knives flying into their backs, hearts and souls. They are simply doing their job, which they cannot live without, and stubbornly insist that Fitzgerald's story is ripe for experimentation and can be interpreted in a modern way.

Moreover, for them everything was decided by one phrase. It was said by a woman whom no one even recognized right away. “I specially came from Vermont to see what you made from my grandfather’s book,” one spectator told Luhrmann after the screening, and the director literally froze in place. “I think Scott would be proud of this film,” she added. After these words, Baz and the entire team of artists no longer cared what the newspapers would write about them and the film the next day.

Prepared by Lina Lisitsyna, based on materials from Tobey.ru, “Your leisure”, “Ura-inform”, “Itogi”, Fi4a.ru, Hollywood.izhnet.ru

"Spider-Man" (2002)

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Critics say about Tobey Maguire that all of his films can be divided into two periods - before the release of Spider-Man and after. The picture secured the artist’s status as a star of the first magnitude.

The premiere of the film was timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the publication of comic books about Spider-Man. The film made history, earning more than $39 million on its first day of release and $100 million on its opening weekend. Spider-Man became the highest-grossing film of 2002.

Leonardo DiCaprio and a number of other famous actors were considered for the role of Peter Parker. But director Sam Raimi liked Tobey Maguiar in the film “The Cider House Rules” (1999). During the film's promotional campaign in Australia, Maguire admitted in an interview that he had never read comic books and had no intention of doing so.

Two sequels of the film in 2004 and 2007 also showed good results at the box office. For the sequels, the actor, in addition to the fee, received a percentage of the film's box office receipts.

Personal life of Tobey Maguire

Tobias met Jennifer Meyer, a jewelry designer, in 2003 while filming The Favorite. They announced their engagement in April 2006, and in November the couple had a daughter, Ruby Sweetheart (“darling”). The wedding took place in the fall of 2007. A year and a half later, son Otis Tobias Maguire was born.

Toby has long been a vegetarian, he constantly monitors proper nutrition, and it is enough for him to simply lose or gain weight if necessary for the role. In this regard, there were even certain difficulties on the set of Spider-Man 2, where he had to eat a hot dog.

Maguire loves to play basketball and organizes games with friends on weekends. The actor’s other hobby is playing professional poker.

Photo by Tobey Maguire: GettyImages/Fotobank.ru

"The Favorite" (2003)

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Sports drama directed by Gary Ross, who directed the films “Big” (1988) and “Pleasantville” (1998). For the sake of filming the film, Maguire lost more than ten kilograms, surprising viewers with his thinness on screen.

The Favorite was a box office success, grossing over $148 million, which was 1.7 times its production costs. In addition, the film set a record for DVD sales. It sold 5.5 million copies, making the film the best-selling drama on digital media.

According to IMDb, "The Favorite" won six awards and was nominated for an Oscar in seven categories. Moreover, the film received a nomination for the title of best, but did not receive one for best director. In 2004, “The Favorite” was the only film that did not receive a single Academy Award.

The story follows a Great Depression-era jockey named John. To earn a living, he participated in boxing matches and began to go blind. He is given a horse named Seabiscuit, who seems unfit to compete. John will have to find a common language with his new pet and convince everyone that he and Seabiscuit are worthy of participating in the competition for the main prize.

"Brothers" (2009)

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American version of the Danish film of the same name. In addition to Maguire, the film's cast included Oscar winner Natalie Portman and four Oscar nominees. Toby's partner was Jake Gyllenhaal, who was considered the main contender for the role of Spider-Man in 2004, after Maguire injured his back and was briefly unable to work.

It’s interesting that in “Brothers” the actors had to switch roles. Maguire planned to play Tommy. But director Jim Sheridan decided that the role of the “bad” brother was not for Toby, and gave it to Gyllenhaal.

His role in Brothers earned Maguire his first Golden Globe nomination. In total, according to IMDb, the film was nominated for awards in two categories and received four.

The film is about brothers Sam and Tommy. Sam is an exemplary family man and a good soldier, and Tommy is a goof who gets into trouble. Sam goes to Afghanistan and goes missing. Tommy cares about his family and crosses the line with Sam's wife. Sam returns from captivity. The brothers will have to re-search for a common language, cope with mistrust and solve a difficult family problem.

Notes[ | ]

1. Discogs (English) - 2000.
2. Munzinger Archiv (German) - 1913.
3. https://www.imdb.com/date/06-27/
4. Tobey Maguire: Eyes right for a tired superhero (English) (4 May 2007). Archived from the original on July 20, 2012.
5. Tobey Maguire: The boy behind the mask (English) (24 October 2003).
6. Tobey Maguire Marries Jennifer Meyer in Hawaii (English), People
   (4 September 2007).
7. Loinaz, Alexis
   L.
   Tobey Maguire and Wife Jennifer Meyer Split After 9 Years of Marriage (English), People
   (18 November 2016).
8. Thomas, Karen
   .
   Maguire unveils infant Ruby, USA Today
   (1 February 2007).
9. https://people.com/parents/tobey-maguire-reveals-baby-sons-name/ (English), People
   (3 July 2009).
10. d'Estries, Michael
    .
    Tobey Maguire rejects Mercedes with leather seats (English), Mother Nature Network
    (12 October 2011).

"The Great Gatsby" (2013)

Photo: meme-arsenal.com

The fourth Hollywood film adaptation of Francis Scott Fitzgerald's work. The first was released in 1926, and the penultimate one in 1974, the year when the leading actors in the 2013 film, Leonardo DiCaprio and Joel Edgerton, were born.

Like the 1970s film adaptation, The Great Gatsby was nominated for an Oscar in two technical categories and won. The film was supposed to be released in December 2012. But at a meeting, Warner President Jeff Rubinow asked director Baz Luhrmann if the film would be ready by Christmas. Luhrmann answered in the affirmative. Then Rubinov asked if Luhrmann wanted to release the film for the holiday. The director answered negatively and was given six months to finalize the film.

The Great Gatsby was the second collaboration between DiCaprio and Maguire. The actors have been friends since childhood, but they only starred together in 2001 in the low-budget film Don's Palm Cafe (2001).

The film is narrated on behalf of Nick, a man who is being treated for alcoholism and, at the doctor’s suggestion, writes a story about Gatsby. The latter was born into a poor family and rose to the top to win the heart of the daughter of rich parents.

Having become rich, he throws luxurious parties in his mansion in the hope that the lady of his heart will come to them. He will have to go through a series of trials and sacrifice himself for the sake of his beloved.

ABOUT

After the release of the not entirely successful third part of the series, Sam Raimi began development of the fourth film about the world famous superhero. He planned to correct all the shortcomings of the threequel, but was unable to complete the script in time. Therefore, and also because of Toby’s age, who was already 33 years old at that time, the studio decided to restart the series with a different director and leading actor, Andrew Garfield becoming the new Peter Parker. Of course, leaving such a profitable Hollywood franchise could not but have a negative impact on the actor’s career. It is worth noting that Maguire could have left the franchise after the release of the first part, then he could have been replaced by Jake Gyllenhaal. Both films starring Garfield as Parker were less successful than Raimi's films. As a result, the rights to the character were partially transferred to Marvel Studios and the series was restarted again.

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"Labor Day" (2013)

Photo: IMDb

The film, whose cast included two Oscar winners Kate Winslet and Jonathan K. Simmons, as well as gold statuette nominee Josh Brolin. Director Jason Reitman originally planned to film the duet between Winslet and Brolin, so he had to wait a year until time was freed up in Kate's schedule. According to IMDb, the film received a Golden Globe nomination.

The plot tells the story of a single mother, Adele, who is raising her son Henry. One day they meet Frank, an escaped prisoner, and help him. Feelings arise between Adele and Frank. They have to go through many trials, neighbors' suspicions and police persecution in order to be together.