Sep 26, 1968

Mount Vernon, Washington, USA

James Patrick Caviezel is an American film actor. He is sometimes credited as Jim Caviezel. He is perhaps best known for playing Jesus Christ in the 2004 movie, The Passion of the Christ. After appearances in Wyatt Earp and G.I. Jane, Caviezel scored a breakthrough performance in Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line. He was originally cast to play Cyclops/Scott Summers in X-Men (2000) but dropped out due to a scheduling conflict with his other film, Frequency.

Caviezel is perhaps best associat... ... (read more...) ed with his role as Jesus in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004), but he has also starred in such mainstream Hollywood films as Angel Eyes, Pay It Forward and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).

In 2001, he played the lead in Madison, a film that tells the story of the hydro races in Madison, Indiana. Caviezel's character pilots Miss Madison to victory, recounting the 1971 event. The film didn't appear in theatres until 2005. In addition, his work in High Crimes (2002) was highly praised by critics.

In 2002, he played a pivotal role in the film I Am David from the Danish novel known by both David and North to Freedom, written by Ann Holm.
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In 2004, Caviezel expressed interest in playing the role of Superman/Clark Kent for the upcoming Superman Returns (2006) film, even mentioning that he would dedicate his performance to Christopher Reeve. Ultimately, he was passed over by director Bryan Singer, who felt that Caviezel was too well known after starring in The Passion of the Christ (2004). The part went to newcomer Brandon Routh instead.

Caviezel plays a lead role in Unknown, an IFC project distributed by the Weinstein Company. Caviezel also has a role in Tony Scott's 2006 action film, Déjà Vu opposite Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer. He plays the lead role, Kainin, in the film, Outlander, which began principal photography in October 2006 in eastern Canada.