Christensen’s first acting role was on the television series Family Passions, which aired on Canadian television in September 1993, when he was 12. He was among the big name actors and actresses taking part in the fifth annual “24 Hour Plays” benefit, which raises cash for nonprofit groups in the Big Apple. This was because in Attack of the Clones, Darth Vader’s lightsaber was built to be reminiscent of the lightsaber in the original trilogy, while in Revenge of the Sith, Vader’s lightsaber was designed to match the lightsaber that Obi-Wan Kenobi gives to Luke Skywalker, in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Christensen recently has been cast in the role of Joe Lassiter in David R. Ellis’s upcoming film, The Genesis Code. in 2010 Christensen sued USA Network over allegations that they stole his idea for the TV show Royal Pains.

Hayden Christensen (born April 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award. Christensen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada the son of Alie Nelson, a speechwriter for the heads of large companies, and David Christensen, a computer programmer and communications executive. His father is of Danish descent and his mother has Swedish and Italian ancestry. He went on to receive good reviews for 2003’s Shattered Glass, which tells the true story of journalist Stephen Glass, who was discovered fabricating stories as a writer for The New Republic. Director George Lucas had turned down such big names as Leonardo DiCaprio and Ryan Phillipe for the role, as well as 1,500 other candidates.

His father is of Danish descent and his mother has Swedish and Italian ancestry. He acquired wider notice while starring in Fox Family Channel’s television series Higher Ground in 2000, portraying a teen who was sexually molested by his stepmother, and then turned to drugs in his despair. While Christensen’s critically acclaimed portrayal of a misunderstood teenager in Life as a House (2001) earned him Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations as well as the National Board of Review’s award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year, the performance did not receive widespread public notice. He eventually gained the weight back during the filming for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Lucas is quoted as saying that he chose Christensen because he “needed an actor who has that presence of the dark side” that was essential to solidify the story that Lucas was trying to tell: The tragic fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader. This was because in Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber was built to be reminiscent of Darth Vader’s lightsaber in the original trilogy, while in Revenge of the Sith, Anakin’s lightsaber was designed to match the lightsaber that Obi-Wan Kenobi gives to Luke Skywalker, in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.