Jared Leto, born in 1971, won critical acclaim following his portrayal of heroin addict Harry Goldfarb in Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream. He collaborated with director David Fincher in Fight Club and Panic Room and gained further recognition for his acting in American Psycho, Lord of War, Lonely Hearts, Chapter 27. Leto is known for his versatility as an actor, including the ability to speak with the different accents of the English and American language, and the willingness to lose or gain weight, generally to better impersonate the character being played. In 2014, for the interpretation of Rayon in the film Dallas Buyers Club, he receives the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award and the Oscar for best supporting actor. In 2016 he plays the supervillain Joker in the blockbuster DC Comics film Suicide Squad.

In addition to his film career, Leto is the lead singer, multi-instrumentalist and lead songwriter of Thirty Seconds to Mars. He founded the group in 1998 in Los Angeles with his brother Shannon and, after a contract with Immortal and Virgin, the self-titled debut album was released in 2002 to positive reviews. The group's second album, A Beautiful Lie, was commercially successful around the world, going platinum in several countries.