Christopher Robert Evans (born June 13, 1981) is an American actor who began his

career with roles in television series, such as in Opposite Sex in 2000. Following
appearances in several teen films including 2001's Not Another Teen Movie, he
gained attention for his portrayal of Marvel Comics character the Human Torch in
2005's Fantastic Four, and its sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
(2007). Evans made further appearances in film adaptations of comic books and
graphic novels: TMNT (2007), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), and Snowpiercer
(2013).

He gained wider recognition for his portrayal of Steve Rogers / Captain America in
several Marvel Cinematic Universe films, namely Captain America: The First Avenger
(2011), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and Captain America: Civil War
(2016), and the ensemble films The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015),
Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). His work on the Marvel
series established him as one of the world's highest-paid actors.[1]

Aside from comic book roles, Evans starred in the drama Gifted (2017), the mystery
film Knives Out (2019), and the television miniseries Defending Jacob (2020). He
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.

Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 1997–2004: Early roles
2.2 2005–2010: Breakthrough
2.3 2011–2017: Captain America and directorial debut
2.4 2018–present: Post-Avengers work
2.4.1 Upcoming projects
3 Personal life
3.1 Political views
3.2 Philanthropy
4 Filmography
5 Awards and nominations
6 References
7 External links
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 parents divorced in 1999.[9]

Evans has two sisters, Carly and Shanna, and a brother, actor Scott Evans.[8] He
and his siblings were raised Catholic.[10] Their uncle, Mike Capuano, represented
Massachusetts's 8th congressional district.[11] Evans has Irish, and from his
maternal grandfather, Italian, ancestry.[12][13][14][15]

He enjoyed musical theater as a child, and attended acting camp. He played Randolph
MacAfee in the musical Bye Bye Birdie.[16] He and siblings also performed in front
of relatives during Christmases; recalling that being onstage "felt like home."[16]
Before starting his senior year of high school, Evans spent the summer in New York
City, and took classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.[17] Evans
graduated early from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.[5][17]

Career
1997–2004: Early roles
Evans's first credited appearance was in a short educational film titled
Biodiversity: Wild About Life! in 1997.[18] 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.
[19]

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;[20]
a family drama in which he plays a boy called Judd who falls in love with a girl
(Kate Bosworth).[21] Evans also had a lead role in the television series Opposite
Sex which lasted for eight episodes.[22] Lastly, Evans acted in an episode of The
Fugitive named ''Guilt''.[23]

In 2001, he starred in Not Another Teen Movie,[24] a parody of teen movies, in

which he plays a high school footballer.[25] The film garnered mainly negative
reviews,[26][27] but grossed $38 million domestically and $28 million overseas for
a worldwide $66 million.[28]

In 2004, he had a lead role in The Perfect Score,[29] 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".[30] 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".[31] In a retrospective interview, Evans
remarked that some of his early films were "really terrible".[32]

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.[33] He also starred in London
(2005), a romantic drama, in which he played a drug user with relationship
problems.[34] London was negatively received by critics; Variety magazine described
it as "noxious", and thought Evans' character was the worst,[35] and film critic
Roger Ebert called the film a "dreck".[36]

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.[37] In his mixed
review, Joe Leydon of Variety praised the cast for their efforts and thought Evans
gave a "charismatic breakout performance".[38] Two years later, he reprised the
role of Johnny Storm / Human Torch in the sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver
Surfer (2007).[39] 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.[40][41] 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".[42]

He voiced the character Casey Jones in the animation TMNT (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.[43] 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.[44] It garnered generally favorable
reviews; Roger Ebert wrote the cast were "effective ... they almost all play
professional astronaut/scientists, and not action-movie heroes".[45] 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.[46] 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.[47] Critical reception was largely mixed; review
aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 49% based on 95
critics.[48]

In 2008, Evans appeared as Detective Paul Diskant in the thriller Street Kings,
with co-stars Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, and Hugh Laurie.[49] He was then cast
in The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, co-starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Ellen
Burstyn. It is a romantic drama based on Tennessee Williams' 1957 screenplay. The
feature received negative reviews, and The Village Voice critic called Evans'
performance "catatonic".[50] The following year he appeared in the science fiction
thriller Push, with Dakota Fanning and Camilla Belle. The film follows a group of
people born with various superhuman abilities who unite to take down a secret
agency that is genetically transforming normal citizens into an army of super
soldiers. Principal photography was held in Hong Kong, where Evans suffered bruises
from doing his own fight scenes.[51] The film's response was generally negative;
Claudia Puig of USA Today described it as "silly" and "convoluted",[52] while Mick
LaSelle of San Francisco Chronicle criticized the story which "makes no sense", and
predicted that Evans, "one of these days he's going to make a good movie".[53]

In 2010, Evans appeared in Sylvain White's The Losers, an adaptation of the comic
book series of the same name from the DC Comics imprint Vertigo.[54] 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".[55] Although the film gained mixed reviews, The Guardian's critic praised
the cast for their "breezy charm" and for Evans' comic relief.[56] Evans then
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.[57] The film was a box-office bomb but received positive reviews from critics
and found a second life as a cult film.[58][59] 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.[60] Evans portrays Mike Weiss, who was a real-life
young lawyer and drug addict. Upon release, critical reception was divided; Lou
Lumenick of the New York Post praised the "solid" performances despite noting
weaknesses in the dialogue and subplots.[61] 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

Evans at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

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] 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]

A year later, he reprised the character in The Avengers, with a large ensemble cast
that included Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson,
and Jeremy Renner. The feature was another commercial success; it grossed $1.519
billion and became one of the highest-grossing films of all time.[70][71] Review
aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 92% based on more
than 350 reviews.[72] The Avengers received an Academy Award nomination for Best
Visual Effects and a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) nomination for Best Special
Visual Effects.[73][74] For his last release of 2012, he played hitman Robert
Pronge in the biographical film The Iceman, about the murderer Richard Kuklinski.
Evans' role was originally intended for James Franco, but he dropped out before
filming began.[75] In order to look the part, Evans wore a wig and grew a beard.
[76] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney complimented Evans' versatile
performance, which was unlike his Captain America persona.[77]

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]

Evans at a press conference for Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014
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: Post-Avengers work

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]

In 2020, Evans starred in Defending Jacob, an Apple TV+ crime drama miniseries
based on the novel of the same name.[118] He played Andy Barber, an assistant
district attorney whose son is accused of murder. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood
Reporter praised Evans's performance, stating that he "is sturdy and conveys the
right measure of empathy and fear".[119]

He appeared in Adam McKay's comedy film for Netflix, Don't Look Up, which featured
an ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate
Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Kid Cudi, Matthew Perry, and Ariana
Grande.[120]

Upcoming projects
Evans will star opposite Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas in the Netflix film
adaptation of the 2009 novel The Gray Man, which will be directed by Anthony and
Joe Russo.[121] He will voice the titular role in the upcoming Disney/Pixar
animated film Lightyear that will be directed by Angus MacLane.[122][123] Evans is
also slated to play Gene Kelly in a yet-untitled film written and produced by John
Logan,[124] in addition to starring opposite Dwayne Johnson in the action comedy
Red One.[125] He will reunite with Scarlett Johansson in Project Artemis directed
by Jason Bateman.[126]

Personal life

Evans and Scarlett Johansson attending the USO Holiday Tour at Bagram Air Base,
Afghanistan in 2016
Evans is a student of Buddhism.[127][128] He is a fan of the New England Patriots,
and narrated the documentary series America's Game: The Story of the 2014 New
England Patriots and America's Game: 2016 Patriots.[129][130] While filming Gifted
in 2015, Evans adopted a dog named Dodger from a local animal shelter.[131]

Evans dated American actress Jessica Biel from 2001 to 2006,[132] American actress
Minka Kelly on-and-off from 2007 until 2014,[133] and American actress Jenny Slate
from 2016 to 2018.[134]

Political views
Evans affirmed his support for same-sex marriage in 2012, stating, "It's insane
that civil rights are being denied people in this day and age. It's embarrassing,
and it's heartbreaking. It goes without saying that I'm completely in support of
gay marriage. In ten years we'll be ashamed that this was an issue."[135] In August
2016, he supported Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's continued
enforcement of the state's ban on assault weapons.[136] Evans endorsed Hillary
Clinton in the 2016 presidential election,[137] and was critical of Donald Trump's
presidency.[9][138]

After Alabama enacted the Human Life Protection Act in May 2019, which imposes a
near-total ban on abortions in the state, Evans called the bill "absolutely
unbelievable" and continued by writing, "If you're not worried about Roe v. Wade,
you're not paying attention."[139] In July 2020, he launched A Starting Point, a
website that publishes short interviews of American elected officials on political
issues, with a goal of presenting "both the Democratic and Republican point of view
on dozens of issues across the political landscape."[140][141] In October, Evans
took part in a virtual fundraising event in support of Joe Biden in his 2020
presidential campaign.[142] He endorsed Maya Wiley in the 2021 New York City
Democratic mayoral primary.[143]

Philanthropy
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.[144] 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.[145] 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.[146] 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.[147]

Filmography