In 2014, Chris Pratt was ranked #2 on People Magazine’s annual list of Sexiest Men Alive.
In 2015, he was named the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 2015 Man of the Year.
Clearly, Chris Pratt is moving up in the world.
Born on June 21, 1979, the 35 year old actor is well known for playing Andy Dwyer on NBC’s comedy show “Parks and Recreation,” as well as for his role as Star-Lord in Marvel’s blockbuster breakout “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Pratt will next star in Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic World,” coming out in theaters this June.
“We look at [stars] who [have] had big accomplishments over the past year and who [are] expected to have a big [upcoming] year,” said Joshua J. Friedman ’16, co-producer for the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. “Chris Pratt was an obvious choice because he’s so much on the rise this year.”
Chris has had an interesting ascent to fame—and an interesting life, period. He attended community college for one semester before dropping out, worked as a coupon salesman and a day stripper to support himself, and finally ended up homeless in a tent in Maui. At 19 he was discovered by a film agent while waiting tables on the beach, and after playing minor characters in a series of television shows and films he eventually landed some much more substantial roles. In 2014 he played the lead in two feature films: The Lego Movie (the third-highest-grossing film of 2014 in North America) and Guardians of the Galaxy (the highest-grossing film of 2014 in North America), making Pratt the star of two of the top three highest-grossing films of that year.
“Chris Pratt is just such an up-and-coming celebrity,” said Hasty Pudding co-producer Zoe B. Rosenthal ’16. “His career is really taking off.” On February 6th the Pudding honored Chris with a celebratory roast in Farkas Hall, presented him with the Pudding Pot, and held a press conference following the roast.