Who Was Paul Walker?
Born in California in 1973, Paul Walker made his big-screen debut in the 1986 horror spoof Monster in Your Closet. After appearing in several television shows in the 1990s, including Charles in Charge, Who’s the Boss? and The Young and the Restless, Walker gained attention with a role in the 1999 film Varsity Blues, and his TV days were officially behind him. After working in teen movies such as She’s All That and The Skulls, Walker got his breakthrough role in 2001 with The Fast and the Furious, which would become his star vehicle and keep him busy through four sequels and a short prequel. The Fast and the Furious franchise established Walker as an action-film mainstay, and he went on to appear in several films in the genre, including Takers, Hours and Vehicle 19. Walker died in a car accident on November 30, 2013, at age 40.
Early life
Walker was born in Glendale, California and raised in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County. The son of Paul Walker III (a sewer contractor) and Cheryl (née Crabtree; a former fashion model), he is the second oldest of his four siblings (two brothers and two sisters). Walker was raised a Mormon, graduating from Village Christian School. After high school, he attended several community colleges, seeking a degree, and a career, in marine biology.
Career
Walker’s small-screen career began as a toddler when he starred in a television commercial for Pampers. He began modelling at the age of 2 and began working on television shows in 1985, possessing roles in shows such as Highway to Heaven, Who’s the Boss? The Young and the Restless and Touched By an Angel.
Walker’s film career began in 1987, with the horror/comedy film Monster in the Closet. He continued with roles in several other movies without much success. It wasn’t until 1998 that Walker made his feature film debut in the comedy Meet the Deedles, which finally gained him fame. This subsequently led to supporting roles in the movies Pleasantville, Varsity Blues, She’s All That, and The Skulls.
In 2001, Walker’s breakthrough role arrived when he starred opposite actor Vin Diesel in the successful action film The Fast and the Furious. The film established Walker as a notable film star and leading man and led to his reprisal of the role in the 2003 sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious. He continued his career with leading roles in films such as Joy Ride, Into the Blue, and Timeline, and also had a supporting role in Clint Eastwood’s 2006 adaptation of Flags of Our Fathers.
Walker’s most recent feature films are crime thriller Running Scared and Walt Disney Pictures’ Eight Below, both released in 2006. Eight Below garnered critical acclaim and opened in first place at the box office, grossing over US$20 million during its first weekend. During the filming of Running Scared, director Wayne Kramer stated that ” is that guy on some level but he’s not really” when comparing Walker with his character in the movie, Joey Gazelle. Kramer continued to say that he “loved working with me because as a director he’s completely supportive of my vision of what the film is. And even better, he’s completely game for it.”
Walker starred in the independent film The Lazarus Project which was released on DVD on October 21, 2008. He has recently finished the next film of The Fast and the Furious franchise, titled Fast & Furious, which is scheduled for release on April 3, 2009.
Walker has been cast opposite Matt Dillon and Hayden Christensen in the crime drama Takers, which began filming in early September 2008.
Personal life
Before his tragic death, Walker lived with his dogs in Santa Barbara. Walker had a daughter, Meadow Rain Walker, with one-time girlfriend Rebecca Soteros. Meadow had lived in Hawaii with her mother for 13 years, but in 2011, she moved to California to live with Walker. Meadow’s godfather is Vin Diesel. Paul had been dating Jasmine Pilchard-Gosnell at the time of his death.
Walker had many interests and hobbies, including jiu-jitsu (he had a brown belt), marine biology, and racing cars. As a car enthusiast, he owned about 30 cars. Some of them he co-owned with Roger Rodas.
Walker and his charity, Reach Out Worldwide, flew to Haiti to help out after the 2010 earthquake the country experienced. Additionally, in March 2012, Walker offered his in-person support to the people of Constitucion, Chile, after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck.
Paul Walker & Vin Diesel’s Best Friendship Moments
Vin Diesel has been doing a lot of press in recent days for his upcoming blockbuster Furious 7, and throughout it all, Paul Walker has been on the top of the actor’s mind. When I met up with Diesel Monday afternoon in a lot adjacent to downtown Los Angeles, he suggested we do the interview leaning over the top of the black 1970 Dodge Charger his character Dominic Toretto drives in the Furious films, which Universal had brought in for the junket. “This is how Paul and I used to do it on set,” Diesel told me. “We’d stand like this so no one knew we were talking.”
Walker’s tragic death from a car accident in November 2013 hit Diesel hard. The two had become best friends in the years since they first paired up for 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, and went on to star in six more films together. Diesel, now 47, was understandably emotional, and at a couple of points got choked up while discussing his late co-star in our interview, which you can watch above.
He talked about their very first meeting — during a “disastrous” read-through for the first film — as well as the day that sealed the two men’s friendship. It occurred amid the filming of 2008’s Fast & Furious 2008, and while shooting a tough fight scene, Walker could tell something was bothering Diesel. The two talked it over, and Diesel revealed the source of his unease: The actor’s girlfriend, Paloma Jimenez, was about to give birth to their first kid — a daughter named Hania — and Diesel was conflicted about heading to the hospital, as he knew the paparazzi would chase him there.
“[Walker] told me to go into the hospital and be present, and said, ‘Don’t listen to all those other people who will tell you to stay out of the hospital delivery room,” Diesel recalled. “‘Go in there, be present, cut the umbilical cord, and it will be the best day of your life.’ And he was right. And when that happened, he went from just basic friend to a brother.”
“We were each other’s lifelines,” he added. “Whenever we had problems, we had each other.”
Walker died on November 30, 2013, at the age of 40, halfway through the shooting of Furious 7 (the filmmakers debated whether to finish the movie and eventually brought in Paul’s brothers Cody and Caleb Walker to finish his scenes). The new movie closes with a poignant send-off to the late actor that has left audiences at an advance screening in tears. Diesel’s ongoing personal tributes to Walker extend beyond the screen, though, and go right back to the hospital room. He announced on Monday that, in honour of Walker, he and his girlfriend named their newborn daughter Pauline.
Death
On November 30, 2013, at approximately 3:30 p.m. PST, Walker and Roger Rodas, age 38, left an event for Walker’s charity Reach Out Worldwide for victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Shortly after leaving in Rodas’ red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, the driver lost control and crashed into a light pole and tree in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California, and the vehicle burst into flames.
Rodas was believed to be driving the car. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department declared the two dead at the scene. Walker’s publicist, Ame van Iden, confirmed early reports of his death. Rodas became friends with Walker after meeting at a race track. Rodas became Walker’s financial advisor in 2007 and helped to establish Reach Out Worldwide.
Rodas was the CEO of Always Evolving, a Valencia performance shop for high-end vehicles. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office stated that speed was a factor in the crash. Burned rubber and doughnut marks were found in figure 8 patterns on the road near the crash site, but it was not clear to officials if these were related to the crash. Fast & Furious co-stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Sung Kang posted tributes to Walker on social media.
Movies
Walker’s next role was a big one for his career: He appeared opposite Reese Witherspoon in the critically acclaimed, high-concept Pleasantville. From that point on, Walker found himself in starring roles in such late-1990s films as She’s All That, Varsity Blues and The Skulls — all pitched at a teen audience which helped turn Walker into a heartthrob.
‘The Fast and the Furious’
In 2001 Walker’s career hit overdrive when he landed a leading role alongside up-and-comer Vin Diesel in The Fast and the Furious. A film that paid homage to road films of the 1970s, The Fast and the Furious brought Walker to new heights of fame on the way to box-office receipts of more than $200 million.
Two years later, the franchise was back with its first sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Walker was again along for the ride. The films gross was even larger than the first, and a bona fide hit series was underway. Walker then appeared in a few more action-oriented movies, including Timeline (2003), Into the Blue (2005) and Running Scared (2006), while also signing on to appear in the ensemble drama Noel (2004) and the children’s adventure movie Eight Below (2006).
‘Flags of Our Fathers,’ ‘The Death and Life of Bobby Z’
Walker also showed his range as an actor in the 2006 war drama Flags of Our Fathers, directed by Clint Eastwood. He continued to take on more action movie roles in The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2007), Takers (2010) and Fast Five (2011) — the third instalment of the Fast and Furious franchise. In 2012 Walker signed on to film Fast & Furious 6 (2013), keeping the series’ momentum going.
While not filming, Walker was active in Reach Out Worldwide, a nonprofit organization he formed in 2010 to bring aid to regions devastated by natural disasters.
Paul Walker net worth and salary:
Paul Walker was an American actor who had a net worth of 25 million dollars at the time of his death in 2013. Paul Walker was most widely recognized for his starring role in the “Fast and Furious” film franchise. Paul died tragically in a car crash on November 30, 2013, at the age of 40 while on the way to a charity event.
