Alexander David Linz (born January 3, 1989) is an American former

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

who starred in several late 1990s and early 2000s films and television series. His film roles include '' Home Alone 3'' (1997) and '' Max Keeble's Big Move'' (2001). He retired from acting in 2007.

Early life, family and education

Linz was born in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, the son of Deborah (née Baltaxe), an attorney, and Dr. Daniel Linz, a professor of

communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

. He has two younger sisters, Lily Alice and Livia. His parents are divorced, and he lived with his mother. The family is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and Alex had a

bar mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

ceremony. He attended Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, during which time he was the lead singer of a

garage band Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

, The Fez Armada. After his career as a child actor, Linz attended college at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, where he became involved in a campus

improv Improv may refer to: *Improvisation, an act of spontaneous invention **Improvisational theatre (includes improvisational comedy) **Musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of im ...

group, Jericho!. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 2011. He earned his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in urban and regional planning at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

in 2017.

Acting career

Linz made his professional acting debut in 1995 on an episode of the television series ''

Cybill ''Cybill'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, which aired for four seasons and 87 episodes on CBS from January 2, 1995, to July 13, 1998. Starring Cybill Shepherd, the show revolves around the life of Cybill Sheridan, a t ...

''. He subsequently appeared in several television productions, played Phillip Chancellor IV on the soap opera ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...

'' in 1995 for a short period of time. He was cast as the son of

Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( ; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. She was one of the most bankable stars in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s, and her List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, performances ...

's character in the 1996 feature film '' One Fine Day''. His big breakthrough came in the 1997 Christmas film '' Home Alone 3'', but the film received a lukewarm response due to lacking a reprising cast that represented the McCallister family of the previous blockbuster ''

Home Alone ''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dar ...

'' feature films. In 2001, Linz played the title character in the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

film '' Max Keeble's Big Move'', which received mixed reviews and was a box-office failure.

Career after acting

, Linz was working as a legal researcher in Los Angeles, California, and he is also a lead science instructor.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Linz, Alex D. 1989 births Living people 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male actors Alexander Hamilton High School (Los Angeles) alumni American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Film directors from California Film producers from California Jewish American male actors Male actors from Santa Barbara, California University of California, Berkeley alumni