
Aaron Edward Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is an American actor and producer. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at early age, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his high school senior year. He left high school without graduating, but earned a diploma through a professional education course, and graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in film. For much of the mid-1990s, he lived in New York City as a struggling, unemployed actor.
As an undergraduate at BYU, Eckhart met director and writer Neil LaBute, who cast him in several of his own original plays. Five years later Eckhart made a debut as an unctuous, sociopathic ladies' man in LaBute's black comedy film In the Company of Men (1997). Under LaBute's guidance he worked in the director's films Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), Nurse Betty (2000), and Possession (2002).
Eckhart gained wide recognition as George in Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed film Erin Brockovich (2000), and, in 2006, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking. He gained further mainstream breakout in 2008 when he starred in the blockbuster Batman film The Dark Knight as District Attorney Harvey Dent / Two-Face. Eckhart's other key roles include The Pledge (2001), The Core (2003), Paycheck (2003), Rabbit Hole (2010), Battle: Los Angeles (2011), Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and its sequel London Has Fallen (2016), I, Frankenstein (2014), Sully (2016), Midway (2019) and Line Of Duty (2019).

Deep Water
2026 · as Ben

The Dark Knight
2008 · as Harvey Dent

Olympus Has Fallen
2013 · as President Benjamin Asher

Battle: Los Angeles
2011 · as Michael Nantz

Thieves Highway
2025 · as Frank Bennett

London Has Fallen
2016 · as President Benjamin Asher

Sully
2016 · as Jeff Skiles

Erin Brockovich
2000 · as George

The Wicker Man
2006 · as Truck Stop Patron

Midway
2019 · as Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle

Muzzle: City of Wolves
2025 · as Jake Rosser

The Core
2003 · as Dr. Josh Keyes

Paycheck
2003 · as James Rethrick

No Reservations
2007 · as Nick

The Bricklayer
2023 · as Vail

The Black Dahlia
2006 · as Lee Blanchard

The Rum Diary
2011 · as Sanderson

Thursday
1998 · as Nick