Joseph Gordon-Levitt has distinguished himself as an actor with a wide range of performances in both film and television. He was born in Los Angeles, to Jane Gordon and Michael Levitt, who worked together at a Pacifica Radio station. He comes from a Jewish family that was not strictly religious. His maternal grandfather, Michael Gordon, had been a known movie director. After working as a child actor, Gordon-Levitt became better known for starring on the hit television series "3rd Rock from the Sun" (1996), for which he earned two Hollywood Reporter Young Star Awards and the show earned three SAG Award nominations for "Outstanding Peformance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series". Prior to his success on television, he was already working steadily in feature films, debuting in the 'Robert Redford film "A River Runs Through It"
Following "3rdRock", Gordon-Levitt took time off from acting to attend Columbia University. His most recent film credits include the 2009 Sundance film "(500) Days of Summer", "Inception" (2010), "50/50 (2011).
Gordon-Levitt will next appear in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises," Rian Johnson's "Looper," and Spielberg's "Lincoln", all in 2012. He will also write, direct, produce and star in his first feature film, as yet untitled.