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Who is Jason Patric?
A stage, television and movie actor with over 55 credits to his name, Jason Patric is probably still known best for his breakthrough role as Collie in the 1991 crime drama “After Dark, My Sweet” which besides recognition brought him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award – Most Promising Actor.
His name made the headlines after he embarked on a media crusade to convince the public that his ex-girlfriend, Danielle Schreiber, stole his son. All about the bitter custody battle, and more about his life and career, you’ll find in this article. So, keep on scrolling.
Early life, family, and education
Born John Anthony Miller III under the zodiac sign of Gemini on 17 June 1966, in Queens, New York City USA, he holds American nationality and comes from a family of German and Irish descent. He’s the only child of veteran actors, Linda (nee Gleason) and Jason Miller. His mother is perhaps still known best for her roles in the movies “One Summer Love” and “Alice, Sweet Alice”. She is the daughter of famous comedian and actor John Herbert ‘Jackie’ Gleason. When it comes to his father Jason, besides his Oscar nomination for his part in “The Exorcist”, he’s a Pulitzer Prize-awarded playwright, and for his play “That Championship Season”, he also won a Tony Award.
Being raised in a family of such great actors and writers, Jason wanted to avoid any appearance of nepotism, so he decided to use ‘Jason Patric’ as his professional name. Although he was a shy, quiet boy, he dreamed of becoming an actor, so upon matriculating from Saint Monica High School in 1984, he didn’t go to college but tried his hand at the entertainment industry.
Acting career, his career choices
Jason made his acting debut as Gary Charters in the 1985 TV movie “Toughlove”, followed by his role in the 1986 movie “Solarbabies”, before being cast to play one of his first lead roles as Michael in the 1987 comedy horror “The Lost Boys”. Written and directed by Joel Schumacher, it followed the story of two brothers who move with their mother to a small California coastal town that appears to be a haven for vampires.
One of the best-remembered films of the ’80s about vampires, according to audience reviews, this, is the one that brings a smile to the face. Jason starred opposite Corey Haim and Dianne Wiest, and the movie had five award nominations and three wins, including the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films- Saturn Award for Best Horror Film.
In the following years, Jason starred in “The Best of War” (1988), “Teach 109” (1989), and “Denial” (1990), followed by his role as Collie in “After Dark, My Sweet”, also starring Rachel Ward. It was the story of a former boxer who escapes from a mental hospital, and a widow who needs his help with her estate. However, her uncle has another plan – he needed someone to help him with the kidnapping of a rich boy for ransom money. Many critics consider this Jason’s breakthrough role.
Also in 1990, Jason was seen as Lord Byron in “Frankenstein Unbound”, followed by his role as Jim Raynor in the 1991 action drama “Rush”. Next, he was cast to play Lieutenant Charles Gatewood in the 1993 historic western “Geronimo: An American Legend”, in which he starred opposite Gene Hackman and Robert Duvall. The movie was nominated for the Oscar – Best Sound, and Jason and the rest of the crew won the Western Heritage Bronze Wrangler Award for Theatrical Motion Picture.
During his two-year-long hiatus, Jason was offered the role of Mitch McDeere in the movie “The Firm”, which he turned down, so the role went to Tom Cruise, and this mystery drama attained huge success.
In 1995, Jason played the lead role in “The Journey of August King”, followed by his role in “Sleepers” (1996). Jason was next cast to play Officer Alex Shaw in the 1997 action movie “Speed 2: Cruise Control”, but which was poorly rated by the audience’ he starred opposite Sandra Bullock, and the two were nominated for the Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple. Later that year, Jason was seen starring as Harry Donovan in “Incognito”.
He followed with his role as Cary in the 1998 comedy-drama “Your Friends and Neighbors”, which earned him the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor, and was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, Drama.
Four years later, he starred as Nick Tellis in “Narc”, which earned him a nomination for the Prism Award – Performance in a Theatrical Feature Film. Later in 2002, his role in “Three Days of Rain” and also his role in the 2003 movie “Shortcut to Happiness” were uncredited. In 2004, he turned down the role of Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ”, written and directed by Mel Gibson, which was nominated for three Oscars (Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score, Best Achievement in Makeup, and Best Achievement in Cinematography).
Jason was seen as frontiersman James Bowie in the 2004 movie “The Alamo”, followed by his role in “Walker Payne” (2006). In the following year, he was cast to play Jay Caswell in “Expired”, which brought him the Stockholm Film Festival Award – Best Actor.
He made his first TV series appearance in an episode of the series “Entourage” in 2008, and concurrently, Jason starred in “Downloading Nancy” (2008), followed by his roles in “My Sister’s Keeper” (2009), “The Losers” (2010), and “Tilda” (2011), among many others. One of his notable roles was in the 2014 action drama “The Outsider”, written and directed by Brian A. Miller. Jason was next seen in “The Abandoned” (2015), and “Lost & Found” (2016).
Later the same year, Jason got the role of Doctor Theo Yedlin in the science-fiction mystery drama series “Wayward Pines”, about a Secret Service agent who goes in pursuit of two missing federal agents, quickly realizing that he might not make it out alive from Wayward Pines. Jason co-starred with Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Shannyn Sossamon, and Toby Jones; the show had 11 award nominations and one win.
Jason was next seen co-starring in the movies “The Yellow Birds” (2017), “The Girl in the Bathtub” (2018), “Big Kill” (2020), and “The Vanished” (2020). Most recently, Jason was Randy Bell in the 2022 movie “Nightshade”, followed by his role as Galvin Morgan in “MK Ultra”, later that year. He starred opposite Anson Mount and Jaime Ray Newman, but this thriller was poorly rated by both the audience and critics.
However, Jason has six upcoming projects, and one of them, entitled “A Circus Story & A Love Song”, is expected to premiere in December 2023. To give you a sneak peek- it’s a romantic drama, and Jason will be seen starring opposite Eva Longoria.
Love life, controversies, and custody battle
Many of his (mostly female) fans would agree that Jason, with his brown hair and piercing blue eyes, is one of the hottest Hollywood heartthrobs. Well, many big stars couldn’t resist his charm, including the famed, Julia Roberts. Back in 1990, the two dated for a year after Julia left her then-fiancée, Kiefer Sutherland, who until then was Jason’s close friend.
Jason also dated Jami Gertz, Robin Wright, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Christy Turlington, among others. However, the relationship that caused the most controversy was the one Jason had with his long-term girlfriend, Danielle Schrieber.
The two started dating back in 2002, and their off-and-on relationship lasted for almost ten years, during which Danielle conceived through in vitro fertilization, as according to Jason, his then-girlfriend couldn’t conceive naturally. In December 2010, Danielle gave birth to a son they named Gus.
When the two separated in May 2012, as Jason put it, Danielle began withholding access to the boy, so Jason filed a paternity case for custody. In February 2013, by California state law, a Los Angeles judge ruled that Jason was a sperm donor and therefore, not the natural father.
According to Danielle, there was no co-parenting with Jason, and as she said, he was little more than ‘a visitor’ in the boy’s life. Jason denied this, saying that he had a loving relationship with his son.
Things became harder for Jason after Danielle filed for a restraining order against Jason, and the actor became desperate. He called all the major media to give them an interview, wanting his son to know that he fought for him. All of this resulted in a painful and lengthy court battle, complete with appearances on morning shows, a website, Stand Up for Gus that Jason started, a restraining order against Jason, Jason’s appeals to the California Legislature, and even a legal attempt by Danielle to stop Jason speaking publicly about Gus, or tweet name.
The California Court of Appeals found that the California Family Code did not exclude Jason from establishing paternity, based on his actions after the birth. He was legally recognized as Gus’s father at the end of 2014, the ruling being upheld when appealed.
As of July 2023, it seems that Jason is single.
How rich is Jason Patric?
According to many, this 57-year-old actor was at the peak of his career in the ‘90s, but film critics believe that now, as a mature actor, Jason has a lot more to offer his fans. During his career so far, he’s starred in hit movies, which in addition to fame has brought a hefty sum of money into his bank account. According to sources, Jason has a net worth estimated at over $8 million, as of mid-2023.
