William Samuel "Wil" Horneff (born June 12, 1979) is an American former child actor and martial artist who won two

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

s from three nominations. After leaving his career as an actor, Horneff opened Training Grounds Jiu-Jitsu & MMA, where he teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Early life

Horneff was born in Englewood, New Jersey, the eldest of four children of Robin, a choreographer, dancer, and teacher, and Van Horneff, a pistachio farmer, talent manager, race car driver, and real estate developer. His parents owned the Robin Horneff Performing Arts Center in

Waldwick, New Jersey Waldwick () is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 9,625,Saddle River, New Jersey Saddle River is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located just over northwest of Manhattan. The town is known for its natural fields, farmland, forests, and rivers, and has a bucolic atmos ...

and attended

Bergen Catholic High School Bergen Catholic High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school in Oradell, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Coll ...

in Oradell, New Jersey. Horneff began acting professionally in 1992 at the age of thirteen. He made his Broadway debut in

John Guare John Guare ( ;; born February 5, 1938) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is best known as the author of '' The House of Blue Leaves'' and '' Six Degrees of Separation''. Early life He was raised in Jackson Heights, Queens.Druckman ...

's ''Four Baboons Adoring The Sun'' opposite Stockard Channing and

James Naughton James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. He is best known as Michael Bower on '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984-1992) and was also notable for his earlier role as the astronaut Pete Burke in the 1974 single-season telev ...

Career

His first film appearance was a relatively minor role in the cult film ''

The Sandlot ''The Sandlot'' (released in some countries as ''The Sandlot Kids'') is a 1993 American coming-of-age sports comedy film co-written, directed, and narrated by David Mickey Evans. It tells the story of a group of young baseball players during the s ...

'' as Phillips, the arch-rival of the title characters. This was soon followed by an appearance in the TV series '' Law & Order'', as well as leading roles in films such as ''

Ghost in the Machine The "ghost in the machine" is a term originally used to describe and critique the notion of the mind existing alongside and separate to the body. In more recent times, the term has several uses, including the concept that the intellectual part of ...

'' and ''

Born to Be Wild "Born to Be Wild" is a song written by Mars Bonfire and first performed by the band Steppenwolf. The song is often invoked in both popular and counter culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude. It is most notably featured in the 1969 f ...

''. In 1995, he won the

as Best Young Leading Actor in a Made for TV Movie for his role as Jody Baxter in ''

The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Month Club in April 1938. It won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. It was the best-selling n ...

'' and won the

the following year as Best Young Leading Actor in a Feature Film for his role as Rick Heller in ''

''. After several other television and film appearances, most notably the acclaimed Emmy Award-winning mini-series ''

Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All ''Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All'' is a 1989 first novel by Allan GurganusReed, Susan and Hutchings, Davi"He's 42, She's 99—Together They Make the South Rise Again"''People Magazine'', September 18, 1989 which was on the New York Tim ...

'', he temporarily left acting to finish high school and later to attend

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

where he received his degree in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. He also travelled extensively during this time, visiting

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. His family often visit relatives in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, which has allowed him to learn to speak both French and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

fluently. He also spent several months in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, helping underprivileged children in and around

Kostroma Kostroma ( rus, Кострома́, p=kəstrɐˈma) is a historic types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russia, Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is lo ...

. In 2002, he made his acting comeback with a second guest appearance in the TV series ''Law & Order''. Since then, he has appeared in numerous different TV series' such as '' The Handler'', '' CSI: NY'', and '' House'', in addition to several horror films such as '' The Roost''. He currently resides in New Jersey. Outside of acting, he is a keen athlete, having competed in three events in the Junior Olympics when he was younger. His hobbies include tennis, basketball, karate (in which he has a black belt), skiing, rock-climbing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (in which he is a black belt), and flying. He took flying lessons at fourteen years old and obtained a pilot's license several years later. He also owns and operates Training Grounds Jiu-Jitsu & MMA in Westwood, New Jersey. He's won several prestigious Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Submission Grappling titles, such as the Pan American Championships and the U.S Open.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Horneff, Wil 1979 births Living people American aviators American male child actors American male film actors American humanitarians American male television actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Male actors from New Jersey Bergen Catholic High School alumni People from Saddle River, New Jersey