Early life

Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada was born in Guatemala, to a Guatemalan mother, María Eugenia Estrada Nicolle, and a Cuban pulmonologist father, Óscar Gonzalo Hernández-Cano. His maternal grandfather was French. Isaac was raised in Miami, Florida. He has described his evangelical Protestant upbringing as "very Christian." While in Miami, he played lead guitar and sang vocals for his band the Blinking Underdogs. He spent his musical years living a "straight edge" lifestyle.

Isaac liked to cause trouble at the private grade school he attended when growing up. “I set off a fire extinguisher in the gym, defaced a mural, just stupid stuff,” he said in an interview. He liked to make kids laugh. At one point, his teacher had to screen off his desk from the rest of the class with a piece of cardboard. Eventually, he was expelled.

Isaac's entry into professional acting began at the Area Stage Company, Miami Beach, when Artistic Director John Rodaz cast him in a play. He also acted in Miami-based City Theatre's Summer Shorts short play festival in 2000-2001.

Isaac graduated from the Juilliard School in New York City, where he was part of the Drama Division's Group 34 (2001-2005).

Career

Isaac made his acting debut in the 1998 crime drama Illtown, credited as "Pool Boy". Next, he appeared briefly in 2002's All About the Benjamins and made an appearance on the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent four years later. Isaac garnered recognition in first major film role in 2006 as Joseph in the biblical epic The Nativity Story, opposite Keisha Castle-Hughes. He appeared as Romeo in the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park performances of Romeo and Juliet and Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Isaac was awarded the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actor of 2009, for his role as José Ramos-Horta in Balibo (2009). He had a small role in Guerrilla, Part Two of the Che Guevara biopic Che (2008). Isaac played King John in the 2010 historical film Robin Hood. He portrayed a security guard in the Madonna-directed film W.E. and starred in the crime drama Drive, both of which were released in September 2011. He had a role in 10 Years, in which he played a musician. He performed his own song "Never Had" in the film. "Never Had" and "You Ain't Goin Nowhere" were included in the movie's soundtrack.

In 2013, Isaac starred in the dramatic comedy film Inside Llewyn Davis, written and directed by the Coen brothers, where he played a talented yet unsuccessful folk singer in Greenwich Village in 1961. The film won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. For the role of Llewyn, Isaac was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy at the 2014 Golden Globes.

He co-starred with Jessica Chastain in J. C. Chandor's film A Most Violent Year (2014), replacing actor Javier Bardem. In 2015, Isaac portrayed Nathan in the science fiction film Ex Machina and starred in the 6-episode HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero, receiving universal critical acclaim for his performance as politician Nick Wasicsko.

Isaac co-starred in the epic space opera film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, released in December, playing Poe Dameron, an X-wing pilot. He will reprise the role in Star Wars: Episode VIII, scheduled for release in December 2017.

Isaac played X-Men villain Apocalypse in the film X-Men: Apocalypse, which was released on May 27, 2016. In 2015, Isaac was announced to play the lead role in The Promise with co-star Christian Bale.

On March 30, 2016, It was announced that Isaac would be joining Natalie Portman in the movie adaptation of the novel Annihilation where he will be playing her husband. It would be directed by Alex Garland which would mark this as Oscar's second collaboration with the director after Ex Machina. Isaac will also appear in George Clooney's upcoming Coen Brothers-penned black comedy Suburbicon. It will be Isaac's second collaboration with the Coen Brothers after Inside Llewyn Davis.

Isaac will be playing the role of Hamlet in Shakespeare's play about the Prince of Denmark, staged by Sam Gold, during the 2016-2017 season at the Theater For A New Audience at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Brooklyn, New York.

In 2016, Time named him one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	All About the Benjamins	Francesco
2004	Lenny the Wonder Dog	Detective Fartman
2006	Pu-239	Shiv
2006	The Nativity Story	Joseph	MovieGuide Award for Film
2007	The Life Before Her Eyes	Marcus
2008	Che: Part One	Interpreter
2008	Body of Lies	Bassam
2009	Agora	Orestes
2009	Balibo	José Ramos-Horta	AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated—Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Supporting Actor
2010	Robin Hood	Prince John
2011	Sucker Punch	Blue Jones
2011	W.E.	Evgeni
2011	10 Years	Reeves
2011	Drive	Standard Gabriel
2012	For Greater Glory	Victoriano "El Catorce" Ramírez	Nominated—ALMA Award for Favorite Movie Actor: Supporting Role
2012	Revenge for Jolly!	Cecil
2012	The Bourne Legacy	Number 3
2012	Won't Back Down	Michael Perry
2013	Inside Llewyn Davis	Llewyn Davis	Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actor Hamptons International Film Festival Award for Breakthrough Performer International Cinephile Society Award for Best Actor International Cinephile Society Award for Best Ensemble National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Breakthrough Performance on Camera San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Santa Barbara International Film Festival - Virtuoso Award Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated—Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—Georgia Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male Nominated—Iowa Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
2013	In Secret	Laurent LeClaire
2014	The Two Faces of January	Rydal Keener
2014	Ticky Tacky	Lucien	Short film
2014	A Most Violent Year	Abel Morales	National Board of Review Award for Best Actor Nominated—Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actor Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
2015	Ex Machina	Nathan Bateman	Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—London Film Critics' Circle Award for Supporting Actor of the Year
2015	Mojave	Jack
2015	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	Poe Dameron
2016	X-Men: Apocalypse	En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse
2016	The Promise	Michael	Post-production
2017	Annihilation		Filming
2017	Star Wars: Episode VIII	Poe Dameron	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Robbie Paulson	Episode: "The Healer"
2015	Show Me a Hero	Nick Wasicsko	HBO miniseries Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries

Video games

Year	Title	Voice role
2015	Disney Infinity 3.0	Poe Dameron
2016	Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens	Poe Dameron

[ Source: Wikipedia ]