Tobey Maguire is an American actor who is best known for his role as ‘Spider-Man’ in the ‘Spider-Man’ film trilogy (2002 - 2007). One of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood Maguire has also tried his hand at production for a few movies. He was trained in a drama school as per the wishes of his mother and wanted to be an actor since his childhood. He started off as an actor on television but gradually landed opportunities to showcase his skills as a film actor. He primarily played teenaged characters in the early part of his career. Maguire also suffered from alcohol abuse at a critical juncture in his career. His drinking problem forced him to pull out of a film in which he was to play the lead role. After his return to acting, he was welcomed by filmmakers and his big breakthrough came in 2002 when he played the eponymous character in Sam Raimi's ‘Spider-Man.’ Following the success of ‘Spider-Man,’ Maguire starred in the sequels of the film which were equally successful. Thereafter, he was cast in many films that earned him appreciation from critics and the audiences alike.

Early life and family

Tobey Vincent Maguire was born on June 27, 1975, in Santa Monica, California, to Wendy Brown and Vincent Maguire. His parents (who are both of Scottish ancestry) separated when he was two years old, and Maguire spent much of his childhood living with various family members.

During his childhood, Maguire entertained the idea of becoming a chef and wanted to enroll in a home economics class as a sixth grader. His mother offered him $100 to take a drama class instead, and he agreed. The transient nature of his school years began to take a toll on Maguire emotionally, and after another relocation for his freshman year, he dropped out of high school and did not return. Instead, he pursued an acting career. By 2000, he had obtained his General Educational Development, noting that during his school days, "I was not doing school; I was showing up, but... not really giving myself."

Career

• Tobey Maguire started off as a TV actor, playing minor roles in series like ‘Roseanne’ and ‘Blossom.’ He made his film debut in a non-speaking, minor role in the film ‘The Wizard’ in 1989.
• In 1992, he was supposed to play the male lead in the show ‘Great Scott,’ but the show was canceled.
• In 1993, Tobey Maguire was cast in the film ‘This Boy’s Life’ alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo di Caprio. He was cast to play the role of a teenager who is seen as a friend to the character played by Leonardo di Caprio.
• In 1995, Tobey Maguire was cast in a leading role in the film ‘Empire Records,’ but due to his problems with alcoholism he pulled out of the film midway. He joined ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ and returned to acting with the short film ‘Duke of Groove.’ He followed it up with roles in ‘Deconstructing Harry,’ directed by Woody Allen, and ‘The Ice Storm,’ directed by Ang Lee.
• In 1998, Maguire appeared in the film ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.’ He followed it up with lead roles in critically acclaimed films like ‘The Cider House Rules’ and ‘Wonder Boys.’ After appearing in these films, Maguire became known as a versatile actor who could pull off any given role.
• He received the biggest break of his career in the year 2002 when he was cast in the role of ‘Spider Man’ in the eponymous movie. The movie was hugely successful and spawned two sequels—‘Spider- Man 2’ and ‘Spider- Man 3’ in 2004 and 2007, respectively. The films became highly successful and Maguire’s acting skills were praised by critics.
• In 2002, Tobey Maguire became a producer with the film ‘25th Hour.’ He went on to produce two other films titled ‘Whatever We Do’ (2003) and ‘Seabiscuit’ (2003).
• In 2006, he appeared in the film ‘The Good German’ in a negative role. He then appeared in a guest role in the film ‘Tropic Thunder’ (2008) alongside Robert Downey Jr.
• Tobey Maguire went on to star in the 2009 film ‘Brothers’ which also featured Jake Gyllenhaal. Maguire’s performance as a prisoner of war earned him rave reviews.
• In 2013, he starred in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ alongside Leonardo di Caprio. He followed it up with ‘Pawn Sacrifice’ in 2014 in which he played the role of chess legend Bobby Fischer.
• From 2015 onwards, he has focused on his career as a producer. He lent his voice for the 2017 animated film ‘The Boss Baby.’

Major Works

Tobey Maguire has appeared in several movies, receiving praise and critical acclaim for his performance in many of those films. His performance in Sam Raimi's ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy remains his most important work.

Awards & Achievements

• In 2000, he received the 'Best Supporting Performance – Male' award at the 'Toronto Film Critics Association Awards' for ‘Wonder Boys.’
• In 2002, he won the ‘Teen Choice Award’ for 'Choice Movie Actor: Drama/Action-Adventure' for his role in ‘Spider-Man.’
• In 2011, he received the ‘CinEuphoria Award’ under the ‘Best Actor – International Competition’ category for his work in ‘Brothers.’
• In 1999, he won the ‘Saturn Award’ under the ‘Best Younger Actor/Actress’ category for his performance in ‘Pleasantville.’

Personal life

Maguire has been a vegetarian since 1992; in 2009, he became a vegan. He has made changes in his diet to either gain or lose weight for film roles: he dramatically decreased his calorie intake for Seabiscuit, followed by a rapid increase to regain weight for Spider-Man 2. Maguire has been sober since age 19, having experienced "some difficulty" with alcohol in his late teens.

Maguire met jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer in 2003 while he was shooting Seabiscuit at Universal Studios, and they became engaged in April 2006. Their daughter was born in November that year. Meyer's father, Universal studios head Ronald Meyer, reportedly helped Maguire regain his job after being fired from Spider-Man 2 in 2003. Maguire and Meyer married on September 3, 2007, in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Their second child, a son, was born in May 2009. On October 18, 2016, the couple announced their separation after nine years of marriage. In 2020, Meyer filed for divorce after four years of separation.

FACTS

• In middle school, had ambitions to one day become a chef and wanted to take cooking classes; his mother persuaded him to take drama instead
  Became friends with Leonardo DiCaprio while guest starring on the TV series Parenthood and later competed with him for the lead role in 1993's This Boy's Life
• Lost 25 pounds to play jockey Red Pollard in Seabiscuit
• Due to back pain, nearly lost the role of Peter Parker in Spider-Man 2 to Jake Gyllenhaal
• Plays tournament poker and can be seen in ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker from 2005, 2006 and 2007
• Practices yoga and vegetarianism
• Became a vegan in 2009
• In honor of his work in Spider-Man, has both a spider and a spider crab named for him