Timothy Tarquin Hutton was born on August 16, 1960, in Malibu, California. He is the son of actor Jim Hutton and schoolteacher Maryline Adams. His parents divorced when he was three years old, and custody of Timothy and his sister, Heidi, was granted to their mother. The family relocated to Boston but returned to California nine years later.

At the age of 16, Timothy moved to Los Angeles to live with his father. While attending high school, he participated in a school production of Guys and Dolls, an experience that inspired his ambition to become an actor. Encouraged by both of his parents, he began pursuing a career in television and film.

Breakthrough Role and Academy Award

Hutton made history in 1981 as the youngest male actor to win an Academy Award. At just 20 years old, he received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1980 film Ordinary People, directed by Robert Redford. The role brought him critical acclaim and catapulted him to national recognition.

Acting Career Highlights

Hutton’s early career took off in 1979 with television films such as Friendly Fire and The Best Place to Be. In 1980, he appeared in Young Love, First Love and Father Figure. Following his Oscar win, he starred in A Long Way Home (1981), and continued to build his filmography with projects such as Iceman, Daniel, Turk 182!, Made in Heaven, and Q&A. Among his more critically noted films during this period were Taps and The Falcon and the Snowman.

From the late 1980s through the 1990s, he appeared in films including Everybody’s All-American and the romantic comedy French Kiss. In 1996, he played a lead role opposite a young Natalie Portman in Beautiful Girls, which received positive reviews for its ensemble cast.

Hutton transitioned to television in the 2000s. Between 2001 and 2002, he played Archie Goodwin in the series A Nero Wolfe Mystery. In 2006, he starred in the NBC drama Kidnapped, portraying a wealthy father, Conrad Cain, whose son is abducted.

From 2008 to 2012, he took on one of his most popular television roles as Nate Ford in the TNT series Leverage. His character led a group of skilled operatives who executed elaborate cons targeting the corrupt and powerful. In 2014, Hutton joined the cast of ABC’s acclaimed drama American Crime, reuniting with producer John Ridley for the anthology series that tackled different social issues each season.