Evans made his directorial debut in 2014 with the romantic drama Before We Go, which he also produced and starred in. Evans made his
Broadway debut in the 2018 revival of
Kenneth Lonergan's play Lobby Hero, which earned him a
Drama League Award nomination.
Early life
Christopher Robert Evans[2] was born on June 13, 1981,[3] in
Boston,
Massachusetts,[4] and grew up in the nearby town of
Sudbury.[5] His mother, Lisa (née Capuano), is an artistic director at the Concord Youth Theater,[6][7] and his father, Bob, is a dentist.[8] His father is of Irish descent, while his mother is of half Irish and half Italian descent.[9][10][11][12] His parents divorced in 1999.[13]
Evans's first credited appearance was in a short
educational film titled Biodiversity: Wild About Life! in 1997.[19] In 1999, Evans was the model for "Tyler" in
Hasbro's board game
Mystery Date. The special edition of the game included an electronic phone, which Evans is shown speaking into on the game box.[20]
In September 2000, he moved to Los Angeles and lived in Oakwood Apartments in
Toluca Lake, a complex where he met fellow young actors.[16] When he recalled of his experience during this time, he said, "You make a lot of strange connections with a lot of thirsty people, but you kind of are one of the thirsty people, too. It was a great time. It really was. It's like the L.A. welcoming committee".[16] In the same year, Evans made his screen debut in a television film, The Newcomers;[21] a family drama in which he plays a boy called Judd who falls in love with a girl (
Kate Bosworth).[22] Evans also had a lead role in the television series
Opposite Sex which lasted for eight episodes.[23] Lastly, Evans acted in an episode of
The Fugitive named ''Guilt''.[24]
In 2001, he starred in Not Another Teen Movie,[25] a
parody of
teen movies, in which he plays a high school footballer.[26] The film garnered mainly negative reviews,[27][28] but grossed $38 million domestically and $28 million overseas for a worldwide $66 million.[29]
In 2004, he had a lead role in The Perfect Score,[30] a teen
heist-comedy about a group of students who break into an office to steal answers to the
SAT exam. The film was critically panned; Matthew Leyland of the
BBC thought Evans' performance was "bland", and the cast had "little chemistry".[31] Also that year, he co-starred in the action-thriller Cellular, with
Jason Statham,
Kim Basinger and
William H. Macy. Evans plays college student Ryan, who must save a kidnapped woman (Basinger), after randomly receiving a phone call from her. Although the feature received a mixed response, Slant Magazine's review opined that "Evans proves himself a sufficiently charismatic leading man".[32] In a retrospective interview, Evans remarked that some of his early films were "really terrible".[33]
2005–2010: Breakthrough
In 2005, Evans starred in the
independent drama Fierce People, an adaptation of
Dirk Wittenborn's 2002 novel of the same name.[34] He also starred in London (2005), a romantic drama, in which he played a drug user with relationship problems.[35]London was negatively received by critics; Variety magazine described it as "noxious", and thought Evans' character was the worst,[36] and film critic Roger Ebert called the film "dreck".[37]
For his first
comic book role, he portrayed superhero
Johnny Storm / Human Torch in Fantastic Four (2005), based on the
Marvel Comic of the
same name. Upon release, the film was a commercial success despite a divided reception.[38] In his mixed review,
Joe Leydon of Variety praised the cast for their efforts and thought Evans gave a "charismatic breakout performance".[39] Two years later, he reprised the role of Johnny Storm / Human Torch in the sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007).[40]Toronto Star's Rob Salem thought the film was a "significant improvement" from the first, and the critic from Chicago Reader thought the cast were "amusing enough" to carry the sequel.[41][42] In 2016, reflecting on his experience of the Fantastic Four films, Evans said they left him "a little uneasy – because the movies weren't exactly the way I'd envisioned them".[43]
He voiced the character
Casey Jones in the
animationTMNT (2007), based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series. The film was released by
Warner Bros. Pictures and
The Weinstein Company, to mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, grossing $95 million worldwide.[44] Next, he starred in
Danny Boyle's science fiction thriller Sunshine (2007), about a group of astronauts on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying sun.[45] It garnered generally favorable reviews; Roger Ebert wrote the cast were "effective ... they almost all play professional astronaut/scientists, and not action-movie heroes".[46] He also had a role in the comedy drama The Nanny Diaries (2007), in which he plays the love interest to
Scarlett Johansson's character.[47] His final release of 2007 was Battle for Terra, another science fiction animation, about a peaceful alien planet which faces destruction from colonization by a displaced remainder of the human race. It premiered at the
2007 Toronto International Film Festival, followed by a wider theatrical release in 2009.[48] Critical reception was largely mixed;
review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 49% based on 95 critics.[49]
In 2010, Evans appeared in
Sylvain White's The Losers, an adaptation of the comic book
series of the same name from the
DC ComicsimprintVertigo.[55] Evans was drawn to playing
Captain Jake Jensen because the character "doesn't take things too seriously. He's the one that kind of loves life and he's always looking for a joke".[56] Although the film gained mixed reviews, The Guardian's critic praised the cast for their "breezy charm" and for Evans' comic relief.[57] Evans appeared in another comic book adaptation,
Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), in which he portrayed
Lucas Lee, one of
Ramona Flowers' seven evil exes.[58] The film was a
box-office bomb but received positive reviews from critics and found a second life as a
cult film.[59][60]
He starred in
Mark Kassen and
Adam Kassen's drama, Puncture, which was filmed in
Houston, Texas. The film premiered at the 2011
Tribeca Film Festival as one of the spotlight projects for the 10th anniversary of the festival.[61] Evans portrays
Mike Weiss, who was a real-life young lawyer and drug addict. Upon release, critical reception was divided; The A.V. Club critic thought the film "rarely manages to focus on [Weiss]".[62] Next, Evans was cast in the romantic comedy What's Your Number? (2011) opposite
Anna Faris, an adaptation of
Karyn Bosnak's book 20 Times a Lady.[63] Critic
Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club gave the film a grade C+, and opined that Evans' and Faris' chemistry was "frisky".[64]
2011–2017: Captain America and directorial debut
In 2010, Evans signed on for a multi-film deal with
Marvel Studios, to portray Marvel Comics character
Steve Rogers / Captain America.[65][66] Evans initially turned down the part, but he consulted with
Robert Downey Jr., who encouraged him to take the role. At Marvel's persistence, Evans accepted, and he went to see a therapist afterwards.[16][why?] He found the character fun to portray, and added, "I think Marvel is doing a lot of good things right now".[67] The first film to be released was Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). The story follows the protagonist who is transformed into the super-soldier Captain America and must stop the
Red Skull from using the
Tesseract as an energy-source for world domination. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning over $370 million worldwide box office.[68] In their positive review, The Sydney Morning Herald thought the film was a "fresh twist on 20th-century history", and praised Evans' "confident-but-subtle treatment" displayed in his role.[69]
Returning to the science fiction genre, Evans was cast in
Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer (2013), which is based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige.[78] Bong was initially reluctant to cast him, but changed his mind after seeing Evans' performances in Sunshine and Puncture, which showed a "sensitive" side.[79] The story takes place aboard the Snowpiercer train as it travels around the globe, carrying the last members of humanity after a failed attempt at
climate engineering to stop
global warming. The film was critically acclaimed, with the critic from Salon magazine describing the cast performances as "sensational".[80]Snowpiercer appeared in several lists of best films of 2014, including The Guardian's classics of modern
South Korean cinema.[81]
In 2014, Evans starred in Captain America: The Winter Soldier,[82] the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger. In the film, Captain America joins forces with
Black Widow and
Falcon to uncover a conspiracy within the spy agency
S.H.I.E.L.D. while facing an assassin known as the
Winter Soldier. Principal photography began in August 2013;[83] Evans prepared by undertaking three months of strength training and learning all the fight sequences.[84][85] Similarly to the first film, it was well received and a commercial success, grossing $714 million worldwide.[86] Peter Howell of Toronto Star thought Evans was "impressive" for bringing the comic book character to life, despite the plot being "a little too complicated".[87] Evans has said The Winter Soldier was his favorite Marvel film because he started to understand his character, and enjoyed working with directors
Anthony and Joe Russo.[88]
In March 2014, Evans said he may consider doing less acting so that he can focus on directing.[89][90] In the same year, he made his directorial debut in the romantic comedy Before We Go, in which he also starred, opposite
Alice Eve. The film tells the story of two strangers who meet at
Grand Central Terminal, and form an unlikely bond overnight. It premiered at the
2014 Toronto International Film Festival;[91]The New York Times critic, Ben Keninsberg, opined that it was a moderate effort and the actors' chemistry made it watchable.[92] In the same year, he starred in another romantic comedy, opposite
Michelle Monaghan in Playing It Cool.[93] The following year, he played Captain America again in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the sequel to 2012's The Avengers.[94] In 2016, he reprised the role in Captain America: Civil War, the sequel to Captain America: The Winter Soldier.[95] Both of these films were box office hits, grossing $1.4 billion and $1.1 billion worldwide, respectively.[96][97]The Hollywood Reporter later learned that his salary for Civil War was $15 million.[98]
Evans starred in the family drama Gifted in 2017, about an
intellectually gifted seven-year-old who becomes the subject of a custody battle between her uncle (Evans) and grandmother (
Lindsay Duncan). Although set in Florida, filming took place in Georgia to take advantage of the state's financial incentive of $3 million.[99] The film received a favorable response; Empire magazine opined that Evans played his part with "conviction" despite a predictable plot.[100] In the same year, he was invited to join the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[101]
2018–present: Avengers films and beyond
In 2018, he starred in the sequel Avengers: Infinity War, and in spring 2019, the fourth sequel Avengers: Endgame.[102] Both of these were directed by Anthony and Joe Russo; they had intended to film them simultaneously but scrapped the idea due to complexities.[103] Evans admitted that he and Scarlett Johansson did not see the full script to Avengers: Infinity War before filming, saying, "We had to fight to get an actual paper script. There were giving us either pages or bits on an iPad. It's been tricky."[83] While USA Today opined that Evans and co-star Chris Hemsworth were a "blast to watch" in Avengers: Infinity War,[104] the reviewer from Time magazine criticized the film for its lack of pacing and substance.[105] When Avengers: Endgame completed filming in October 2018, Evans explained that it was emotional: "For the last month of filming I was letting myself go to work every day and be a little overwhelmed and a little nostalgic and grateful. By the last day, I was bawling. I cry pretty easy, but I was definitely bawling."[106] The fourth sequel grossed $2.7 billion worldwide,[107] and the filmmakers were praised by The Telegraph's
Robbie Collin for creating one of the most entertaining films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[108]
Evans made his
Broadway debut in the play Lobby Hero, directed by Trip Cullman, which opened in March 2018 at the
Helen Hayes Theatre as a part of
Second Stage Theatre's first Broadway season.[109]Ben Brantley of The New York Times labeled it a "terrific Broadway debut" and found his performance to be a "marvel of smooth calculation and bluster".[110] Evans was nominated for a
Drama League Award.[111] In 2019, Evans played an Israeli
Mossad agent in the
Netflix thriller The Red Sea Diving Resort,[112] loosely based on the events of
Operation Moses and
Operation Joshua in 1984–85. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a mixed review; he thought Evans gave a "sincere" performance, despite observing weaknesses in the film's pacing and tone.[113] Later that year, he starred as Ransom Drysdale, a spoiled playboy, in
Rian Johnson's mystery film Knives Out,[114] which received critical acclaim and grossed $309 million worldwide.[115][116] In
NPR,
Linda Holmes wrote of Evans's performance: "it's a special treat to see him tear right into this rich-brat bit, both preternaturally handsome and cheerfully obnoxious, a one-man cable-knit charm offensive."[117]
Evans starred alongside
Ana de Armas in the Apple TV+ action comedy film Ghosted (2023), from director
Dexter Fletcher.[127] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian panned the film and the lack of chemistry between de Armas and Evans.[128] His next release, the Netflix crime drama Pain Hustlers, also received poor reviews from critics.[129][130] He then reprised his role of
Lucas Lee in the animated television series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.[131]
Evans will next star in the action comedy Red One.[132]
Evans is a supporter of Christopher's Haven, a charity providing housing to families affected by
childhood cancer, and has taken part in fundraisers to benefit the organization.[149] In 2015, he and actor
Chris Pratt visited patients in the
Seattle Children's Hospital after the two made a bet that eventually raised donations for the hospital as well as Christopher's Haven.[150] In May 2020, Evans organized a virtual fundraiser involving his Avengers co-stars to benefit the organizations
Feeding America,
Meals on Wheels,
World Central Kitchen, and
No Kid Hungry.[151] The following year, he won $80,000 for Christopher's Haven by placing third in a charity fantasy football tournament with his Avengers co-stars.[152]
^Marotta, Terry (July 19, 2007).
"Grease is the word". Gatehouse News Service via Wicked Local Sudbury.
Archived from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
^
abKeck, William (September 9, 2004).
"Chris Evans' career ready to sizzle". USA Today.
Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2007. ... Evans' siblings, Scott, Carly and Shanna. ...[parents] Bob, a dentist, and Lisa, a dancer...
^Evans in
"Sunshine – Chris Evans interview". IndieLondon.co.uk.
Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2009. Well my family is Italian and I grew up in the Catholic Church...