He was named as one of the “50 most talented, intelligent, funny, and gorgeous Jewish men in the world” by ‘Shalom Life in 2012
In the romantic comedy ‘Love & Other Drugs’ (2010), he teamed up with Anne Hathaway with whom he had previously acted in ‘Brokeback Mountain’
He acted in the 2009 thriller film ‘Brothers’ which also had Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman in the main cast
In 2007 he played the crime reporter Robert Graysmith in the mystery thriller ‘Zodiac’ which was based on the manhunt for the notorious serial killer known as ‘Zodiac’ who had killed several people around the San Francisco Bay Area
In 2004 he played Sam Hall in the science fiction disaster film, ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ in which the catastrophic effects of global warming are shown in a series of extreme weather events
He appeared in his second major film ‘Donnie Darko’ in 2001
In his first leading role in ‘October Sky’ in 1999, he played Homer Hickam, a coal miner’s son who becomes a NASA engineer through his sheer perseverance and hard work
He was educated at the Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles from where he graduated in 1998
In 2014, he dabbled into the field of direction and his debut venture 'Lost River' competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival
He played the role of Sergeant Jerry Wooters in the action crime ‘Gangster Squad’ in 2013 which was loosely based on the story of Los Angeles Police Department officers and detectives
He appeared along with Steve Carell and Julianne Moore in the romantic comedy drama ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ in 2011
In 2010, he appeared in the romantic drama ‘Blue Valentine’ which follows the story of a married couple from the time of their courtship to the dissolution of their marriage several years later
He formed a rock duo with Zach Shields in 2007 and released their first album, ‘Dead Man’s Bones’ in 2009
In 2006, he appeared in the drama film ‘Half Nelson’ which revolved around the story of a school teacher who forms a relationship with one of his students
He found his breakthrough role in 2004 when he was cast as Noah in the romantic drama film, ‘The Notebook’, opposite Rachel McAdams
In 2000, he played a supporting role in the football drama, ‘Remember the Titans’ which led to a leading role as a Jew in the film ‘The Believer’ in 2001
Starting his career as a child actor, he appeared in the teenage comedy series ‘Breaker High’ from 1997 to 1998
The film follows the story of a couple who fall in love during the early 1940s
