{{Short description|American actor (born 1983)}} {{Use American English|date=May 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox person | image = Joseph Mazzello Photo Op GalaxyCon Raleigh 2025.jpg | caption = Mazzello at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2025 | birth_name = Joseph Francis Mazzello III | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|9|21}} | birth_place = Rhinebeck, New York, U.S. | other_names = Joe Mazzello | occupation = {{flatlist| *Actor *director *screenwriter}} | alma_mater = University of Southern California | years_active = 1990–present | website = {{URL|josephmazzello.com/}} }}
'''Joseph Francis Mazzello III''' (born September 21, 1983)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Mike |date=September 21, 2022|title=Today's famous birthdays list for September 21, 2022 includes celebrities Stephen King, Bill Murray|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/09/todays-famous-birthdays-list-for-september-21-2022-includes-celebrities-stephen-king-bill-murray.html |access-date=January 27, 2023 |website=Cleveland.com}}</ref> is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and played Tim Murphy in ''Jurassic Park'' and Roarke Hartman in ''The River Wild''. As an adult, Mazzello is best known for his portrayal of real-life figures Eugene Sledge in the HBO miniseries ''The Pacific'', Dustin Moskovitz in ''The Social Network'', and John Deacon in the biopic ''Bohemian Rhapsody''.
==Early life== Joseph Francis Mazzello III was born on September 21, 1983, in Rhinebeck, New York, and raised in Hyde Park, New York, the son of Virginia (née Strong) and Joseph Francis Mazzello Jr., who owned a dance studio.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/97/Joseph-Mazzello.html|title=Joseph Mazzello Biography (1983?-)|work=filmreference.com}}</ref><ref name="issuu">{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/hudsonvalleynews/docs/2-9_hudsonvalleynews|title=ISSUU - 2-9_HudsonValleyNews by Hudson Valley News|publisher=issuu.com|access-date=April 5, 2014|archive-date=March 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319010232/https://issuu.com/hudsonvalleynews/docs/2-9_hudsonvalleynews|url-status=dead}}</ref> Mazzello went to the Catholic school Our Lady of Lourdes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/spielberg_protege_E7IsmUr9KZVNfHyHBrIlLI|title=Spielberg's Protégé|first=Robert|last=Rorke|date=May 2, 2010|publisher=New York Post|access-date=April 27, 2012}}</ref> He is an alumnus of the University of Southern California, entering the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2001 following a recommendation letter from director Steven Spielberg.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/movies/jurassic-parks-joseph-mazzello-and-ariana-richards-today/|title=''Jurassic Park'' Kids: Where Are They Now?|work=PEOPLE|first=Paul|last=Chi|date=April 5, 2013|access-date=March 5, 2019}}</ref> Mazzello paid for school with his salary from a small appearance in ''The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997), something the actor jokingly referred to as his graduation present from Spielberg.<ref>"Return to Jurassic Park: Finding The Lost World", ''The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' Blu-Ray (2011)</ref>
==Career== === Early career: 1990–1998 === Mazzello's first film appearance was a small role in 1990{{'}}s ''Presumed Innocent'', starring Harrison Ford. He then went on to appear in ''Radio Flyer'', ''Jersey Girl'' and the TV film ''Desperate Choices: To Save My Child'' in 1992. In 1993, Mazzello got his first big breakthrough when he portrayed Tim Murphy in Steven Spielberg{{'}}s ''Jurassic Park''. His character in Jurassic Park is the grandson of John Hammond, played by Richard Attenborough. Later in the same year, Mazzello also co-starred in Richard Attenborough's film ''Shadowlands''. He later appeared in 1994{{'}}s ''{{sortname|The|River Wild}}'' as Roarke Hartman.
In 1995, Mazzello had roles in ''{{sortname|The|Cure|dab=1995 film}}'' and ''Three Wishes''. Both films were critical and commercial failures. Mazzello continued his film career with lead roles in ''Star Kid'' in 1997, and in ''Simon Birch'' with Ian Michael Smith in 1998. Both were critical and commercial flops. He also provided voice-over work in the English dub of ''The Adventures of Buratino''.
=== Television debut and directorial debut: 2001–2009 === Mazzello's first film role in the 2000s was in 2001{{'}}s ''Wooly Boys''. In 2002, Mazzello made his television debut on ''Providence''. He then appeared on CBS{{'}} hit shows ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and ''Without a Trace''. Afterwards, he appeared in ''Raising Helen'' (2004), ''{{sortname|The|Hollow|dab=2004 film}}'' (2004), ''{{sortname|The|Sensation of Sight}}'' (2006), and the short film ''Beyond All Boundaries'' (2009). Mazzello made his directorial debut with the short film ''Matters of Life and Death'' (2007).
=== 2010–present === [[File:Bohemian Rhapsody cast on MTV Movies.jpg|thumb|Mazzello (left) with Rami Malek and Gwilym Lee promoting ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' in 2018.]] In 2010, Mazzello played Dustin Moskovitz, one of the co-founders of Facebook, in the David Fincher-directed film ''The Social Network''. His performance was well-received by critics and he and the cast were nominated for several awards. During this, he played Eugene Sledge on the mini-series ''{{sortname|The|Pacific|dab=miniseries}}''. Mazzello went on to appear in ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' as G.I. Joe operative Mouse in 2013. In 2018, Mazzello portrayed John Deacon in the Queen biopic ''Bohemian Rhapsody'', reuniting with his co-star from ''The Pacific'', Rami Malek.<ref name="Aug2017D">{{cite news|last1=Busch|first1=Anita|title=Queen Pic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Finds Bandmates In Ben Hardy, Gwilym Lee & Joe Mazzello|url=https://deadline.com/2017/08/queen-movie-cast-ben-hardy-gwilym-lee-joe-mazzello-bohemian-rhapsody-1202153081/|access-date=August 21, 2017|work=Deadline|date=August 21, 2017}}</ref> ''The Social Network'' earned $224.9 million,<ref name="TheSocialNetwork/BoxOfficeMojo">{{cite web |title=The Social Network (2010) |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=socialnetwork.htm |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=August 19, 2011}}</ref> ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' $375.7 million,<ref name="G.I.Joe:Retaiation/mojo">{{cite web |url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=gijoe2.htm | title= G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) | work = Box Office Mojo |access-date= July 19, 2013}}</ref> and ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' $903.7 million<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |title=Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bohemianrhapsody.htm |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> at the worldwide box office.
==Filmography== ===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1990 | ''Presumed Innocent'' | Wendell McGaffney | |- | rowspan="2"|1992 | ''Radio Flyer'' | Bobby | |- | ''Jersey Girl'' | Jason | |- | rowspan="2"|1993 | ''Jurassic Park'' | Tim Murphy | |- | ''Shadowlands'' | Douglas Gresham | |- | 1994 | ''The River Wild'' | Roarke Hartman | |- | rowspan="2"|1995 | ''The Cure'' | Dexter | |- | ''Three Wishes'' | Tom Holman | |- | rowspan="2"|1997 | ''The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' | Tim Murphy | Cameo |- | ''Star Kid'' | Spencer Griffith | |- | rowspan="2"|1998 | ''Simon Birch'' | Joe Wenteworth | |- | ''The New Adventures of Buratino'' | Buratino | Voice; English dub |- | 2001 | ''Wooly Boys'' | Charles | |- | rowspan="2"|2004 | ''Raising Helen'' | Prom date Peter | |- | ''The Hollow'' | Scott | |- | 2006 | ''The Sensation of Sight'' | Tripp | |- | 2007 | ''Matters of Life and Death'' | David Jennings | Short film; also director and writer |- | 2009 | ''Beyond All Boundaries'' | Eugene Sledge | Short film |- | 2010 | ''The Social Network'' | Dustin Moskovitz | |- | rowspan="2"|2011 | ''Allison'' | Joe | rowspan="2"|Short film |- | ''First Kiss'' | Derek |- | rowspan="2"|2013 | ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' | Mouse | |- | ''Dear Sidewalk'' | Gardner | |- | 2016 | ''Undrafted'' | Pat Murray | Also director, producer and writer |- | 2018 | ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' | John Deacon | |- | 2023 | ''Unexpected'' | Bob | |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"| Notes |- | 1990 | ''Unspeakable Acts'' | Jason Harrison | Television film |- | 1992 | ''Desperate Choices: To Save My Child'' | Willy Robbins | Television film |- | 1995 | ''A Father for Charlie'' | Charlie | Television film |- | 2002 | ''Providence'' | Tony | 2 episodes |- | 2003 | ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' | Justin Lamond | Episode: "One Hit Wonder" |- | 2004 | ''Without a Trace'' | Sean Stanley | Episode: "Legacy" |- | 2010 | ''The Pacific'' | Eugene Sledge | Miniseries; 10 episodes |- | 2012 | ''Coma'' | Geoffrey Fairweather | Miniseries; 2 episodes |- | 2013 | ''Justified'' | Billy St. Cyr | 3 episodes |- | 2014 | ''Person of Interest'' | Daniel Casey | 2 episodes |- | 2016 | ''Elementary'' | Griffin | Episode: "A Study in Charlotte" |- | 2021 | ''Impeachment: American Crime Story'' | Paul Begala | Recurring role |}
==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Association ! Category ! Nominated work ! Result |- | rowspan="2"| 1992 | rowspan="2"| Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Under 10 in a Motion Picture | ''Radio Flyer'' | {{nom}} |- | Best Young Actor Under 10 in a Television Movie | ''Desperate Choices: To Save My Child'' | {{nom}} |- | 1994 | Saturn Award | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | rowspan="2"| ''Jurassic Park'' | {{nom}} |- | 1994 | Young Artist Award | Best Youth Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture: Drama | {{won}} |- | 1996 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Leading Actor: Feature Film | ''The Cure'' | {{nom}} |- | 1999 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young Actor | rowspan="2"| ''Simon Birch'' | {{nom}} |- | 1999 | YoungStar Award | Best Young Actor in a Drama Film | {{won}} |- | 2010 | Hollywood Film Awards | Best Cast | rowspan="8"| ''The Social Network'' | {{won}} |- | 2010 | Phoenix Film Critics Society | Best Cast | {{won}} |- | 2010 | San Diego Film Critics Society | Best Cast | {{nom}} |- | 2010 | Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Best Ensemble | {{nom}} |- | 2011 | Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Ensemble | {{nom}} |- | 2011 | Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Acting Ensemble | {{nom}} |- | 2011 | Gold Derby Awards | Best Ensemble Cast | {{nom}} |- | 2011 | Palm Springs International Film Festival | Ensemble Cast | {{won}} |- | 2019 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' | {{nom}} |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} *{{Official website|http://www.josephmazzello.com}} *{{IMDb name|1515}} *[http://www.joesmovie.com ''Matters of Life and Death'' official website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazzello, Joseph}} Category:1983 births Category:20th-century American male actors Category:21st-century American male actors Category:American people of German-Jewish descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American male child actors Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:Living people Category:Male actors from New York (state) Category:People from Rhinebeck, New York Category:USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Category:People from Hyde Park, New York