Paul Walker, best known for the “Fast and Furious” movies, passed away on November 30, 2013 as a result of injuries sustained when the car he was a passenger in burst into flames in a traffic accident. He was just 40 years of age. He leaves behind a 15-year-old daughter. He was born Paul William Walker IV on September 12, 1973 in Glendale, California. Other notable roles for Walker were Varsity Blues, Eight Below, Into the Blue, Joyride, She’s All That, and Takers.
Early Life
Walker is the son of Cheryl (nee Crabtree), a fashion model, and Paul William Walker III, a sewer contractor and fighter with a two-time Golden Gloves champion. Walker is of Irish, English, and German descent. His paternal grandfather, “Irish” Billy Walker was a professional boxer and another grandfather raced factory cars for Ford during the 1960s. The oldest of five siblings, he graduated from Sun Valley’s Village Christian School in 1991. Walker was primarily raised as a member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He attended several community colleges in the southern California area, majoring in marine biology.
Career
Walker started his career in a Pampers commercial as a toddler, and modeling at the tender age of two. In 1985, he worked in such shows as Highway to Heaven, Who’s the Boss?, The Young and the Restless, and Touched by an Angel. Also in 1985, he starred in a commercial for Showbiz Pizza. Walker got his start in film in the 1986 horror/comedy film Monsters in the Closet. His sister, Ashlie were contestants in a 1988 episode of I’m Telling, coming in at second place. He played Brandon Collins in The Young and the Restless in 1993, where he and co-star Heather Tom were nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Soap Opera at the Youth Film Awards. 1998 came Meet the Deedles, Pleasantville, and Varsity Blues, She’s All That in 1999, and Skulls in 2000.
2001 was a breakthrough role when he starred opposite Vin Diesel in The Fast and the Furious, giving him notable status as a leading man and reprisals in the 2003 of 2 Fast 2 Furious. Other leading roles include Joyride (2001), Into the Blue (2005), Timeline (2003), and a supporting role in Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers (2006). He also starred in the crime thriller Running Scared and Walt Disney Pictures Eight Below in 2006. 2008 came the independent film, The Lazarus Project released on DVD on October 21, 2008, reprised his role in Fast & Furious in April 3, 2009, and the crime drama, Takers in September 2008 being released in August 2010. Walker was the face of Coty Prestige fragrance brand Davidoff Cool Water for Men in January 2011. Then came his fifth installment of The Fast and the Furious series, Fast Five (2011) and Fast & Furious 6 (2013). Upcoming films set for release are Hours in December 2013 and Brick Mansions in May 2014 which Walker was filming at the time of his death, as well as Fast and Furious 7 in July 2014. He was getting ready to film Agent 47 in the film adaption of Hitman.
Personal Life
Walker has a 15-year-old daughter with a one-time girlfriend, Rebecca McBrain who lived with her mother in Hawaii for 13 years, moving to California to live with Walker in 2011. Walker held a brown belt in Brazilian Jui-Jitsu under Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller at Paragon Jiu-Jitsu, but his first passion is marine biology. He joined the Board of Directors of The Billfish Foundation in 2006 and fulfilled a lifelong dream starring in the National Geographic series “Expedition Great White (retitled “Shark Men”) in June 2010. Here he spent 11 days with the crew catching and tagging 7 great white sharks of the coast of Mexico. Led by Chris Fischer, founder and CEO of Fischer Productions and Captain Brett McBride and Dr. Michael Domeler of the Marine Conservation Science Institute where they took measurements, gathered DNA samples, and fastened real-time satellite tags to great white sharks. This gave to a study of migratory patterns of mating and birthing over 5 years.
Walker went to Constitutucion, Chile in March 2010 to help and support people injured in the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on February 27 and flew his humanitarian aid team, REACH OUT Worldwide to Haiti to help the 2010 Haiti earthquake victims.
Walker is also a avid car enthusiast, competing in the Redline Time Attack, racing a M3 E92 on the AE Performance Team. His car was sponsored by Etnies, Brembo Brakes, Ohlins, Yolk, OS Giken, Hankook, Gintani, and Reach Out Worldwide, and preparing for an auto show prior to his death.
Roger Rodas, who was driving the car that killed both, was Walker’s financial adviser and helped with Reach Out Worldwide and CEO of Always Evolving, a Valencia high-end vehicle performance shop which was owned by Walker.
At the time of Walker’s death, Universal put an indeterminate hiatus on Fast & Furious 7 to decide what to do with the film. Friends and movie stars have posted tributes to Walker on social media.
References
Paul Walker – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Walker.
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