Biography
Date of Birth
28 December 1979, Norwalk, Connecticut, USA
Birth Name
Jesse Bradford Watrouse
Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)
Mini Biography
Jesse Bradford was born Jesse Bradford Watrouse in Norwalk, Connecticut. Both of his parents, Curtis Watrouse and Terry Porter, are actors who have appeared in many television commercials. Jesse has been acting almost constantly since his big debut in a Q-Tip commercial when he was an 8-month-old baby. He started acting and modeling as a child and has had steady work since the age of 4. He graduated from Brien MacMahon High School in his home town of Norwalk, and went on to study film at Columbia University.
Jesse's film-acting debut was in Falling in Love (1984), but he first came to the attention of the movie-going public when he starred in Steven Soderbergh's cult classic King of the Hill (1993), with Spalding Gray and Elizabeth McGovern. After receiving rave reviews for that performance, he followed up with roles in Romeo + Juliet (1996) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, Hackers (1995) opposite Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie, and Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995). For King of the Hill (1993), he was nominated for the CFCA's Most promising actor award and the Young Artist Award for Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Motion Picture Drama. For his work in Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995), he was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Leading Actor in a Feature Film.
Trivia
Made his first television appearance as an infant in a Q-tip commercial.
He took French in high school but Spanish in college.
Homecoming king at his high school.
He is an accomplished guitarist.
Shares his name with two fictional female characters. One played by Lara Flynn Boyle in the 1987 mini-series Amerika (1987), and the other one played by Olivia Hussey in the horror film Black Christmas (1974).
Was cast member in Presumed Innocent (1990) as a child with two other future The West Wing (1999) cast members: John Spencer and Bradley Whitford.
Graduated from Columbia University with a degree in film (2002)
Jesse's paternal grandfather, Curtiss Baldwin Watrouse, was from a family that has lived in New England since the 1600s (they were of English descent, and the surname was originally spelled "Waterhouse"). Jesse's paternal grandmother, Florence Louise Bradford, was from Hackney, London, England.
Born on exactly the same date as Monica Keena (of "Freddy VS Jason" and "Man of the House" fame).
Quotes
Everyone always told me I was fated to be in front of the camera.
I love being around kids; they're honest and refreshing, and I love teaching them new things.
[on Clint Eastwood's directorial efficiency] I heard rumors that he really does two takes, but I had a friend who was going into a Clint Eastwood movie, I wouldn't say he does two takes - I would say he does one. The average is probably two, but the number of times we only did one was overwhelming. It's kind of cool because, as an actor, it forces you to be on your game. With this movie, I learned really quickly to be very clear on what I thought were the most important aspects of the scene and how I wanted those aspects to come off, and then practice how I was going to make sure they did, because if I only got one shot, I didn't want to be the guy who was always asking for another take. I didn't want to waste my bullets in that department.
