Jim Caviezel: From Passion of the Christ to an Amnesiac in The Prisoner

Jim Caviezel was born in Mt. Vernon in 1968, a small town in the state of Washington, and he was the son of a housewife and a chiropractor. His actual name at birth was James Patrick Caviezel, Jr. He was a basketball star for his high school, but injured his foot in his second year college and suddenly had to change courses and decide to be an actor.

Early in Jim Caviezel's career he landed roles in Wyatt Earp and G.I. Jane and it finally scored him a breakthrough in The Thin Red Line as Pvt. Witt. This role helped solidify his career as an actor. This is followed with the movie in 1999 called Ride with the Devil, which was intended be a summer blockbuster and was budgeted to be so. This movie fell flat and so did his career at that point.

Caviezel almost starred in the X-Men but because he was doing the movie Frequency could not get his dates right and so had to opt out of playing Cyclops. Caviezel played various roles between 1999 to 2004 but none had the effect of the movie in which he starred that was written by Mel Gibson.

The Passion of the Christ was a make or break a film for Caviezel to get, either make his career or could absolutely destroy it, and because he was a devout Roman Catholic it also brought up a lot of personal issues as he portrayed the role.

The film went on to be a critical success, but several ominous things happened to Jim Caviezel during filming such as a dislocated shoulder, accidentally whipping on the set, and actually being struck by lightning. It was as if something was being said to Jim for his role in the movie as Jesus Christ.

The film created somewhat of a paradox for Jim Caviezel because it was so critically acclaimed that it would be rare for an actor to ever out do it. This was a huge problem for him and he actually did not star in that many roles since the 2004 blockbuster. It was actually, curiously enough, Mel Gibson's own peak during that time.

Jim Caviezel's latest endeavor is an AMC television show where he plays an amnesiac who has awakened in a strange town called the "village" and is dealing with a mysterious stranger who always seems to be smiling played by Ian McKellen. The television show has somewhat of a eerie feel about it and looks to be a great show.

The Prisoner will be airing on AMC at 8:00 est on November 15th and will be starring Jim Caviezel & Ian McKellen.

Sources:
Movie Fone, James Caviezel Biography