Hilarious, Handsome & Talented: 15 Chris Pratt Movies We Can't Get Enough Of
He gained recognition as the pudgy, fun-loving beer enthusiast Andy Dwyer on the popular sitcom Parks and Recreation, but Chris Pratt soon leaped into stardom with his role as the handsome and hilarious Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy movies and intense Owen Grady in the Jurassic World trilogy. Before we knew it, he was officially a Hollywood superstar, and we found ourselves craving more Chris Pratt movies.
Here we get to know the charming boy-nextdoor actor and share our favorite Chris Pratt movies and TV shows!
Chris Pratt's younger years
Born in Virginia, Minnesota, on June 21, 1979, Christopher Michael Pratt and his family moved to Lake Stevens, Washington, when he was 7 years old. Sports was key to his growing 6’2” frame, and wrestling and track were his standout achievements.
Pratt recalled in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that when his wrestling coach asked him what he wished to do with his life, he said, “I don’t know, but I know I’ll be famous and I know I’ll make a s— ton of money." He continued, "I had no idea how. I’d done nothing proactive. It was as dumb as someone saying, ‘I’ll probably be an astronaut. I’m sure I’ll stumble into an astronaut suit and end up in space one day.'”
After dropping out of college and moving to Hawaii, it started falling into place one day when waiting tables at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Maui, when actress and director Rae Dawn Chong liked his looks and cast him in her directorial debut, the short horror film Cursed Part 3.
Pratt suddenly found himself in Los Angeles while filming, and soon, small TV parts came and went, including a smaller role in the hit show Everwood. But it was his 2009’s standout funny man Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation that really put him on the map.
Chris Pratt movies: Looking the part
In 2011, Pratt portrayed Oakland Athletics first baseman/catcher Scott Hatteberg in Moneyball. Having gained some 40 pounds dining on then-girlfriend Anna Faris’ culinary skills, he was initially told he was too heavy to play the role, so he decided to lose the weight. He worked out seven days a week, continually checking to see if the Hatteberg part had been cast, eventually losing 30 pounds. This dramatic role as a father and dejected baseball player put Pratt into another league of actors.
Yo-yo dieting became a thing with Pratt. He gained back the 30 pounds to appear in the 2011 film, 10 Years, then lost it again for a Navy SEAL role in Zero Dark Thirty in 2012. With his usual upbeat attitude, Pratt poked fun at his fluctuating physique — including losing 60 pounds for Guardians of the Galaxy — on Saturday Night Live.
Who is Chris Pratt's wife?
Pratt met actress Anna Faris on the set of 2007’s Take Me Home Tonight, and the two married in 2009, eloping in Bali on a whim. The couple split in 2017 but share a son, Jack.
In 2018, Pratt began dating author Katherine Schwarzenegger, granddaughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Their storybook wedding took place in 2019, and they now have two children. (Click through to see Arnold Schwarzenegger playing with his mini donkey, pony and piglet)
Lucky for Chris, it seems like his tough-guy father-in-law has given him his stamp of approval. “I saw #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 last night and WOW,” Schwarzenegger said via Twitter on Friday, April 28. “@prattprattpratt, you crushed it. A non-stop, perfect mix of comedy and action. I loved it and I’m very, very proud of you.”
A proud man of faith
Pratt has been outspoken about his faith over the course of his career, even going so far as to say in an acceptance speech for an MTV Award, "God is real. God loves you, and God wants the best for you. Believe that, I do."
While his outward declaration of faith earned him some backlash, Pratt still stands by his beliefs, even baptizing his daughter in the Catholic Church. When asked about the criticism he's received about his faith, he told Page Six, "That’s nothing new, that’s nothing new, you know?” He continued with a bible quote, saying, "'If I was of this world, they would love me just like that but as it is, I’ve chosen out of this world.' That’s John 15:18 through 20.”
Determined to help others and spread a message of kindness, Pratt donated $500,000 to a teen center in his native Lake Stevens in 2016, and the center was named in memory of his father. In 2021, Pratt donated $20,000 to fight hunger in South Carolina and has continued to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to food banks and other organizations fighting food insecurities.
Chris Pratt movies and TV shows
A great actor and all around good guy, we can't help but root for Chris Pratt. Let's take a look at Pratt's career over the years!
Everwood (2002-2006)
Pratt played the role of Bright Abbott in the series Everwood for four seasons. The series chronicled the life of a family who, in the wake of tragedy, move from New York to Everwood, Colorado.
Parks and Recreation (2009-2015)
Pratt played beloved goofball Andy Dwyer alongside some of the biggest names in comedy, including Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman. Andy's clear-headed character was easy to fall in love with and, to this day, is a fan-favorite.
Moneyball (2011)
Chris acted alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood in 2011's Moneyball, sharing the screen with Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Pratt played the role of first baseman Scott Hatteberg. (Click through to see 20 flashback photos of a young Brad Pitt.)
Take Me Home Tonight (2011)
Pratt met his ex-wife Anna Faris on the set of this comedy film, starring alongside Topher Grace, Teresa Palmer and Dan Fogler.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Zero Dark Thirty is one of Pratt's more serious roles, the film depicting the 10-year hunt for Osama Bin Laden. He played SEAL Team Six member, Justin Lenihan.
Delivery Man (2013)
Back in the comedy sphere, Pratt acted alongside Vince Vaughn, who learns he is the father to 533 children thanks to samples he gave to a sperm bank. When some of these children join a class-action lawsuit to get his identity revealed by the fertility clinic, Pratt comes in as Brett, a lawyer and friend of Vince Vaughn's character, who is representing him in his attempt to keep the records sealed.
The Lego Movie (2014)
Pratt voiced the role of Emmett in the 2014 animated film The Lego Movie.
Guardians of the Galaxy franchise (2014)
Pratt's role in Guardians of the Galaxy truly catapulted him to stardom, as his involvement in the Marvel franchise made him a household name. He played the role of Peter Quill, or Star-Lord, who is an alien-human hybrid that was abducted from Earth and raised by ravagers, eventually coming to lead a group of outlaws known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. He went on to be a key part of the Universe, with the latest hit Guardians of the Galaxy 3 hitting theaters this year.
Jurassic World franchise (2015)
Chris Pratt plays velociraptor trainer Owen Grady in this action-adventure trilogy inspired by the original Jurassic Park films, which quickly became favorite Chris Pratt movies.
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
This modern take on a Western follows a group of seven gunslingers, led by Denzel Washington, tasked with liberating the town of Rose Creek, which has been taken over by Bartholomew Bogue, a gold mining tycoon. Pratt played Joshua Faraday, one of the seven.
Passengers (2016)
As one of the most polarizing Chris Pratt movies, this science-fiction film put Chris Pratt alongside Jennifer Lawrence, where they play two passengers on a sleeper ship taking a 120-year journey from Earth to a new planet. The two wake up 90 years too soon, and secrets are revealed throughout the duration of their journey as they repair the ship for the safety of themselves and their fellow passengers.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Stepping a bit outside of the Guardians of the Galaxy universe, Peter Quill got to shine alongside Marvel's biggest heroes in this final adaptation of the Avengers film series.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Chris Pratt shines once again as a true action star in this alien film, in which time travelers arrive to deliver a jarring message to the human race.
The Terminal List (2022)
When a Navy SEAL's entire team is ambushed, he returns home suspicious of the truth behind the events. Pratt stars as James Reece, the series inspired by the 2018 novel by Jack Carr. The Terminal List was released on Amazon Prime in which he starred and executive produced. The psychological thriller brings Pratt into the Navy SEAL role of James Reece. “It was an opportunity for me to play a character who takes vengeance against the people who took his family, because as a man and a dad, I feel out of control around being able to protect my family when it comes to the press or Twitter or whatever," he told Mens Health.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
This box office success chronicles the adventures of Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt, and Luigi, voiced by Charlie Day, as the two get sucked into a warp pipe, separated, and must embark on a series of wild adventures as they make their way back to Brooklyn.
What he is doing next
With his Hollywood star status cemented, Pratt founded his own production company in 2020, Indivisible Productions, and just finished filming the upcoming sci-fi film The Electric State, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. The two have previously worked with Pratt on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The Electric State is based on the graphic novel of the same name and is set to release on Netflix sometime in 2024.
But Pratt also likes to keep his long term options open. He lives without a “10-year plan," Pratt said, “I don’t actually know what’s gonna come next. Getting older, becoming a father [of two]….the page is turning.”
Wherever you go and whatever you do, Chris, we're here for it!
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Bonnie Siegler is an established international writer covering the celebrity circuit for more than 15 years. Bonnie’s resume includes two books that combine her knowledge of entertaining with celebrity health and fitness and has written travel stories which focus on sustainable living. She has contributed to magazines including Woman’s World and First for Women, Elle, InStyle, Shape, TV Guide and Viva. Bonnie served as West Coast Entertainment Director for Rive Gauche Media overseeing the planning and development of print and digital content. She has also appeared on entertainment news shows Extra and Inside Edition.