Paul Walker's Real Name: Paul William Walker IV

Quick answer: Paul Walker was born Paul William Walker IV on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California. He became famous as undercover cop Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise. He died on November 30, 2013, at age 40, when the Porsche he was riding in as a passenger crashed in Valencia, California (Library of Congress; AP).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Walker, Paul, 1973-2013." Its citations read "b. Paul William Walker IV, Sept. 12, 1973, Glendale, Calif." and "birth name: Paul William Walker IV." Britannica's summary also gives his name as Paul William Walker IV.

According to the Associated Press, he was the son of a fashion model and a sewer contractor. He grew up the oldest of five siblings in a working-class Mormon household in Glendale. His mother began taking him to auditions as a toddler, and he worked as a child model from age 2. Walker later said that early show-business work was a way to help support the family rather than the start of a planned career. As a child in the 1980s he had small TV roles on Who's the Boss? and Charles in Charge.

Career highlights

AP reports that Walker made his feature debut in the 1998 comedy Meet the Deedles. Supporting roles followed in Pleasantville, Varsity Blues, and later Flags of Our Fathers. His turn in the thriller The Skulls (2000) caught the eye of producer Neal H. Moritz, who cast him as Brian O'Conner in The Fast and the Furious (2001). The street-racing film became an unexpected hit. In 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) Walker took center stage, and he starred in all but one of the first six films. Fast & Furious 6 (2013) grossed more than $788 million worldwide.

Outside the franchise he starred in Running Scared, the Antarctic adventure Eight Below, and the heist film Takers. A self-described "gearhead," he co-owned a racing team with friend and financial adviser Roger Rodas. In 2010 he founded Reach Out Worldwide, a charity for disaster victims.

On November 30, 2013, Walker and Rodas left a Reach Out Worldwide fundraiser for typhoon victims in Valencia. Rodas was driving. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department found the cause was unsafe speed for the roadway, and the coroner ruled both deaths accidents. Production on the seventh Fast & Furious film was on a break at the time.

Name notes for searchers

Walker used the short form Paul Walker throughout his career. The suffix "IV" in his birth name marks him as the fourth in his family to carry the name. William is his middle name.