Nathaniel Mark Dushku (/ˈdʊʃkuː/;^[1] born June 8, 1977) is an American director, producer, and actor. He is the son of Judy Dushku and the youngest of the three elder brothers of actress Eliza Dushku.

Early life

Dushku was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the third son of Philip R. Dushku, an administrator and teacher in the Boston Public Schools, and Judith "Judy" Dushku (née Rasmussen), a political science professor at Suffolk University in Boston.^[2] Dushku's father was Boston-born, of Albanian heritage, with his parents coming from the city of Korçë,^[3] and his mother, from Idaho, is of Danish, English, Irish and German descent.^[4][5] His parents were divorced in 1980.^[6]

Dushku's mother is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and the children – Nathaniel, two older brothers, Aaron and Benjamin, and one younger sister, Eliza, who started professional acting at age 10^[7] – were raised as Mormons,^[8] although Nate, Aaron and their sister, at least, later parted from the LDS Church.

Dushku is openly gay and married to restaurateur turned scriptwriter and film producer Amnon (Ami) Meyer Lourie, from New York.^[3][9][10]

Career

Acting

Dushku began his acting career with the teen / student drama Undressed and the J. J. Abrams college drama Felicity.

Production and direction

Dushku and his sister produced a film, Dear Albania, about a visit to their father's ancestral home in Albania.

Nate and Eliza Dushku also worked on the feature film Mapplethorpe for over 12 years, eventually producing it with writer/director Ondi Timoner. Starring Matt Smith, it premiered and won an Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. ^[11]

Filmography