Began acting in high school

Formed rock band, the Niagaras, with his brother; played drums

Thanks to an Education Opportunity Program (for inner-city kids) sponsored by Jimmy Carter, received a stipend, his books and his college education

Performed in summer stock

Feature debut in "Ironweed", playing the youthful version of Jack Nicholson's character

Appeared in "Soldier Boys", a "CBS Schoolbreak Special"

Made TV-movie debut, "Unconquered" (CBS), working with Dermot Mulroney

First screen collaboration with Oliver Stone, "Born on the Fourth of July", playing Tom Cruise's best friend, a clean-cut Long Island boy who comes back from a tour in Vietnam as a brain-damaged heroin addict

Played the young Archie "Moonlight" Graham in "Field of Dreams"; Burt Lancaster was the older version

First feature starring role, "Cold Dog Soup"

As co-star of "The Freshman", helped Matthew Broderick import a Komodo dragon for the mob

Portrayed guitarist Robby Kreiger in Stone's biopic "The Doors", starring Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison

Reteamed with Mulroney for the John Hughes-scripted-and-produced "Career Opportunities"

Appeared uncredited as an Oswald impostor in Stone's "JFK"; role cut in released version but restored for director's cut

First film with actor Ethan Hawke, "A Midnight Clear"

Reteamed with Nicholson for "Hoffa"

Co-starred with Robert Sean Leonard and Christian Bale in "Swing Kids"

Played Lee Harvey Oswald in "Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald" (NBC)

Had critical success with "Swimming With Sharks", playing the hapless assistant to a powerful movie agent (played by Kevin Spacey who also co-produced)

Appeared in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" as the college student gunned down by Samuel L Jackson

Associate produced and starred in "Homage", adapted by Mark Medoff from his play "The Homage That Follows"

Portrayed Craig Sheffer's brother in TNT's "The Desperate Trail"

Starred in Showtime original movie "Cafe Society"

Acted in "My Brother's Keeper" segment of Showtime's "Dead Man's Gun"

TV series debut as regular on the CBS drama "Buddy Faro"; took the job in order to help finance his feature directing debut ("I was counting on the idea that we'd be cancelled after 12 episodes, and ideally, it was." Time Out New York, October 14-21, 1999)

Provided a brilliant cameo as Skee-ball Weasel in the nostalgiac "Went to Coney Island on a Mission From God ... Be Back by Five" (released in the USA in 2000)

Feature directorial and screenwriting debut, "Joe the King"; premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; Kilmer portrayed Joe's bad-tempered, alcoholic father, and Hawke played guidance counselor Len Coles; John Leguizamo also acted and served as an executive producer; Camryn Manheim appeared briefly as an abusive teacher straight out of Dickens; film dedicated to his parents

Returned the favor by appearing in Hawke's directorial debut, "Chelsea Walls" (shot in 1999)

Reteamed with Hawke as co-star of "The Jimmy Show"; also wrote and directed; screened at Sundance

Will co-star with Sam Shepard in "Ruffian," an ESPN-produced TV movie based on the legendary racehorse

Cast as Christopher Wey in "The Dead Zone" (USA)

Cast as paramedic Chuck Sereika in Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center"

Co-starred as the central villian in the horror film, "Vacancy"