Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, writer, and director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a documentary. He has also written three novels and one graphic novel. He made his film debut with the 1985 science fiction feature "Explorers", before making a breakthrough appearance in the 1989 drama "Dead Poets Society". He appeared in various films before taking a role in the 1994 Generation X drama "Reality Bites", for which he received critical praise. Hawke starred alongside Julie Delpy in Richard Linklater's "Before" trilogy: "Before Sunrise" (1995), "Before Sunset" (2004) and "Before Midnight" (2013), all of which received critical acclaim.