Paul Walker

Biography

While Paul Walker began his show business career as a child model, it was years before he became a household name considerably later with his role as LAPD cop-turned-criminal Brian O'Conner in the surprise action hit "The Fast and the Furious" (2001). After the phenomenal success of the testosterone-fueled film, Walker developed a following as an athletic, attractive leading man in action including "Into the Blue" (2005), and the family-oriented Disney offering "8 Below" (2006).

He also found occasional success in more character-oriented dramas like "Pleasantville" (1998) and "Flags of Our Fathers" (2006), though it was Walker's continued involvement in the "Fast and Furious" franchise that kept him in the limelight and offset his string of second-rate thrillers that came and went with little notice.

The franchise became his de facto bread and butter, as Walker reprised O'Conner for "2 Fast 2 Furious" (2003), the fourth installment "Fast & Furious" (2009) and "Fast Five" (2011), the most critically and commercially successful movie of the bunch.

Despite catcalls from some quarters over his limited range, Walker nonetheless was a central figure in one of the more popular and successful film franchises of recent memory. His death in a high-speed car crash in November 2013 shocked and saddened the film community, who lost not only a rising action film star but also a quiet humanitarian.