Ethan Hawke's Real Name: Ethan Green Hawke

Quick answer: Ethan Hawke's full name is Ethan Green Hawke. He was born on November 6, 1970, in Austin, Texas, and works under Ethan Hawke—the civil form of his birth name.

Real name and early life

Biography.com and Britannica identify Ethan Green Hawke, born November 6, 1970, in Austin, Texas (Biography.com; Britannica). Hawke is the family surname; Ethan and Green are given and middle names. His parents were teenagers when he was born and divorced when he was young; he moved often with his mother, Leslie, before settling in New Jersey around age 10. A Princeton University stage appearance led to his film debut in Explorers (1985). He briefly attended Carnegie Mellon University before leaving for Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society (1989).

Career highlights

Hawke earned early acclaim as Todd Anderson in Dead Poets Society, then became a Generation X lead in Reality Bites (1994) and Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise (1995), later continuing the Linklater romance in Before Sunset and Before Midnight (Oscar-nominated adapted screenplays). He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Training Day (2001) opposite Denzel Washington and another for Boyhood (2014). Other notable films include Gattaca, First Reformed, Born to Be Blue, and The Magnificent Seven. He directs and writes, co-founded the Malaparte theater company, and has published novels including The Hottest State and Ash Wednesday. Though he also directs, he is primarily categorized as an actor. Stage work from Shakespeare Festival productions to Shepard plays runs alongside film, and his Malaparte company underlined a New York theater base that never fully left his career. Billing stayed Ethan Hawke; the documented full name is Ethan Green Hawke.

Name notes for searchers

Green is a middle name, not a separate surname. He is not to be confused with other Hawke family entertainers without shared credits. Prefer Biography.com and Britannica over fan databases when middle names are omitted.