Joshua Jackson's Real Name: Joshua Jackson

Quick answer: Joshua Jackson's professional and public name is Joshua Jackson. He was born on June 11, 1978, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Longer forms of the name appear in some databases, but they are not independently confirmed in The Canadian Encyclopedia or the Library of Congress heading, so this page uses the public name. He became widely known as Pacey Witter on Dawson's Creek and later starred as Peter Bishop on Fringe (The Canadian Encyclopedia).

Real name and early life

The Canadian Encyclopedia says he was born in Vancouver on June 11, 1978, and attended Kitsilano Secondary School there. He had appeared on screen as a very young child and, the encyclopedia says, decided at age 11 to make acting his career. The Library of Congress files him as "Jackson, Joshua, 1978-," with a note that also gives the Vancouver birth date. He should not be confused with the boxer Anthony Joshua, a different public figure.

Career highlights

His first major role was Charlie Conway in the hockey comedy The Mighty Ducks (1992). He returned in two sequels. In 1998 he was cast as Pacey Witter in the coming-of-age television drama Dawson's Creek, which also starred Katie Holmes. The Canadian Encyclopedia says his skill at playing brazen yet likeable characters stood out and that the series had a successful run that ended in 2003.

Feature films from that period included Cruel Intentions (1999) and The Skulls (2000), as well as smaller-budget work such as Apt Pupil (1998) and The Laramie Project (2002). In 2005 he took lead roles in the independent pictures Americano, Aurora Borealis, and The Shadow Dancer. He had a supporting role in the political film Bobby (2006) and earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination as part of that film's ensemble. He later made his West End debut in David Mamet's two-man play A Life in the Theatre.

In 2008 he returned to series television as Peter Bishop in the science-fiction show Fringe. He also returned to Canada to executive-produce and star in the film One Week, winning the 2009 Genie Award for best actor. Later credits in the encyclopedia's 2015 update include Lay the Favourite (2012), with Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Ruba Nadda's Inescapable, which debuted at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.

Name notes for searchers

Joshua Jackson is the name used in credits, The Canadian Encyclopedia, and the Library of Congress heading. Unofficial expansions of the name are not used in the title. This page is about the Vancouver-born actor, not other people with the same or a similar name.