Tonight, Thirty Seconds To Mars vocalist Jared Leto took home the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama at the 71st Annual Golden Globes. Leto beat out Hollywood heavyweights Michael Fassbender and Bradley Cooper, among others, for the award. Leto’s co-star, Matthew McConaughey, won the award for Best Actor in the same category. Both starred in the Focus Features film Dallas Buyers Club, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. In his acceptance speech, Leto stated, “This is incredible. I didn’t make a movie for almost six years. I was busy pursuing other dreams. I just have to say, it’s more than an honor to come back and have this love and this support. I never expected it. I never ever dreamed of it.”
Leto started out as an actor, debuting in 1994 on the television drama My So-Called
Life. Throughout his successful acting career, Leto has appeared in films like The Thin Red Line (1998), Urban Legend (1998), Girl, Interrupted (1999), Requiem for a Dream (2000), American Psycho (2000), and Panic Room (2002). In 1999, Leto appeared in the David Fincher masterpiece, Fight Club. In one of the underground fight scenes, star Brad Pitt’s character is making a speech, stating, “We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.” The moment Pitt says “rock stars”, he looks directly at Leto. Just one year before the film’s release, Leto formed Thirty Seconds To Mars, and the now multi-platinum outfit has gone on to sell over 10 million albums worldwide.
Thirty Seconds To Mars formed in Los Angeles, CA in 1998. Since then, they have released four studio albums and three EPs that have sold over 10 million copies combined. The band’s 2002 self-titled debut LP hit #107 on the Billboard Top 200, and supported bands like Incubus, Chevelle, Sevendust, and Puddle of Mudd on tour. Their sophomore effort, 2006’s A Beautiful Lie, hit #36 on the Billboard Top 200. The album produced four singles, including the smash-hit “The Kill”. The album went on to be certified platinum. They supported the album by touring with The Used and Linkin Park, and playing several festivals including Rock am Ring, Pinkpop, Download Festival, and more. In 2009, the band re-grouped in the studio and released their third album, This Is War. The album hit #18 on the Billboard Top 200, and featured another smash single, “Kings and Queens”. The band toured relentlessly in support of the album, and set a Guinness World Record for “Longest Concert Tour by a Rock Band”, playing 309 shows in just over two years.
In May 2013, Thirty Seconds to Mars released their much-anticipated fourth studio
album, Love Lust Faith + Dreams. The disc debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200, giving the band it’s first Top 10 hit record. Throughout their decorated career, Thirty Seconds To Mars have garnered 6 Kerrang! Awards, 1 Billboard Music Award, 1 NME Award, and 11 MTV Awards in 4 countries. Over the summer, Thirty Seconds To Mars took home the award for Best Rock Video at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards for their single, “Up In The Air”. This year’s win marks the band’s third VMA win. Throughout their career, Thirty Seconds To Mars have been nominated for twelve Video Music Awards. – by Matt Bishop (Top Left Photo Courtesy of Paul Drinkwater/Reuters/NBC Universal, Top Right Photo Courtesy of Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
