Jake Lloyd

Jacob Matthew Lloyd (born March 5, 1989) is an American former actor who portrayed young Anakin Skywalker in the film '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' (1999) and Jamie Langston in '' Jingle All the Way'' (1996).

Early life

Jake Matthew Lloyd was born in Fort Collins, Colorado on March 5, 1989 to Josh Broadbent and his wife, Lisa (née Flowers). Lloyd attended Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana, where he graduated in 2007.

Career

Lloyd began his acting career in 1996, playing Jimmy Sweet in four episodes of '' ER''. He was then cast as Jake Warren in '' Unhook the Stars''. He got his big break playing Jamie Langston in '' Jingle All the Way''. He also played Mark Armstrong in ''Apollo 11''. Lloyd gained worldwide fame when he was chosen by George Lucas to play the young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 film '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', the first film in the ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy. Lloyd received the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film.

In 2000, Lloyd filmed the dramas ''Die with Me'' and '' Madison'', then retired from acting, although ''Madison'' was not released in cinemas until 2005.

Post-''Star Wars'' work

After retiring from acting in 2001, Lloyd continued to make appearances at sci-fi and comic-book festivals. In 2012, he announced that he would be directing a documentary highlighting Tibetan refugees in India. Lloyd was commissioned in 2012 to create a promotional video for singer Mallory Low. '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' actor Daniel Logan, who played the young Boba Fett in the film, starred in the video.

Lloyd left Hollywood for Chicago, and dropped out after a semester at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied film and psychology.

Personal life

In 2012, Lloyd stated that his decision to retire from acting in 2001 was due to bullying at school and harassment by the press, both in response to his role in ''The Phantom Menace''. In 2024, Lloyd's mother claimed that he quit acting because of family drama and that he was largely protected from the negativity surrounding his role in ''Star Wars''. She also said that Lloyd remains a fan of ''Star Wars''.

Mental health

According to his mother, Lloyd's mental health began worsening in high school. He began suffering from delusions that he lived in multiple different "realities". He was initially incorrectly diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but refused to take the medications prescribed to treat the condition.

By college, Lloyd began suffering from visual and auditory hallucinations, causing him to miss classes and earn poor grades. He complained of people with black eyes following him and had imaginary conversations with Jon Stewart while watching ''The Daily Show''. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2008, unaware of his own condition due to anosognosia despite his father's family having a history of the illness. His sister Madison Broadbent, who was an extra in ''The Phantom Menace'', died in her sleep from natural causes on July 16, 2018, adding to his personal struggles.

Legal issues

In March 2015, police responded to an alleged assault by Lloyd on his mother. In a statement to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, she alleged Lloyd arrived at her house and began verbally berating her before physically assaulting her. She declined to press charges, stating that Lloyd had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was not taking his medication at the time.

On June 17, 2015, Lloyd was arrested in Colleton County, South Carolina, under the name Jake Broadbent for reckless driving, driving without a license, and resisting arrest; he failed to stop for a red light while driving on a trip from Florida to Canada, which initiated a high-speed police chase across multiple counties. He was charged with failing to stop for officers, resisting arrest, reckless driving and driving without a license. At a hearing on June 22, his bail was set at $10,700. His mother stated that he refused to speak with her and that the police refused to give him his psychiatric medication. She also was unable to have him transferred to a psychiatric hospital for 10 months because no beds were available. On June 23, she publicly revealed his schizophrenia diagnosis to TMZ and said that "the family plans to try and get him help again ... once he's released from jail". In April 2016, Lloyd was transferred from Colleton County Detention Center to a mental health facility.

Lloyd's mother said his mental health deteriorated further after the death of his sister Madison in 2018. In January 2020, Lloyd and his mother confirmed that they had moved to California to be closer with family.

In May 2023, when Lloyd suffered a complete " psychotic break", he was arrested again after turning off a car in the middle of a busy freeway. When police attempted to talk with him, his responses were incomprehensible. Lloyd was immediately hospitalized and sent to inpatient care at a mental hospital for 18 months. In a March 2024 interview, Lloyd's mother stated that his mental health was improving during his hospitalization.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, Jake
1989 births
Living people
21st-century American male actors
Actors from Fort Collins, Colorado
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male video game actors
American male voice actors
Carmel High School (Indiana) alumni
Columbia College Chicago alumni
Male actors from Bakersfield, California
Male actors from Colorado
Male actors from Indiana
People with schizophrenia
People from Fort Collins, Colorado