(Finnegan Bell) Ethan Hawke recently starred in Andrew Niccol's "Gattaca" opposite Uma Thurman. He next stars in the period drama "The Newton Boys," to be released by Twentieth Century Fox, and in the upcoming drama "Snow Falling On Cedars."

He made his feature film debut at age 14 in "Explorers," before landing the role of 'Todd Anderson' in the Academy Award-winning "Dead Poets Society." He then went on to star in "Dad" opposite Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson, and in the screen adaptation of Jack London's classic Alaskan adventure "White Fang," directed by Randal Kleiser. Other film credits include "Rich in Love" with Albert Finney, "Waterland" with Jeremy Irons, "A Midnight Clear," and Disney's true life adventure film "Alive." Hawke played leading man to Winona Ryder in "Reality Bites" and to Julie Delpy in the critically acclaimed "Before Sunrise."

Hawke was born in Austin, Texas and then settled in Princeton, New Jersey, where he began studying acting. It was through Princeton's prestigious McCarter Theater that he began taking acting classes and eventually landed his first professional job in the theater's performance of "St. Joan."

During high school, Hawke performed in a number of stage productions including the role of 'Romeo' in "Romeo and Juliet," and as 'Tom' in "The Glass Menagerie." He studied theater in England with the British Theater Association, and at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He also performed in the play "The Seagull" at the National Actors Theater and Jonathan Marc Sherman's "Sophistry." Hawke continues to be Artistic Director of the theater group Malaparte, of which he is a founding member.

Hawke's first novel, The Hottest State, recently was published in paperback, after enjoying success as a hardcover published by Little Brown.

Ethan Hawke as Finn

Hawke saw the role as a perfect fit, one that continues to make a vivid impression on the actor. "So much of GREAT EXPECTATIONS felt like the story of my own life," he offers. "The idea of a small kid finding himself in the center of things, the way Finn handles success and how he grows as an individual are all important themes that drew me to the project.

"But," he continues, "at the core of this tale is the idea that we have very little control of our lives. For example, I started acting when I was thirteen but very little of it was my own doing. There are people who have been incredibly kind to me and have changed my life, just as the characters in the film change Finn's life."