Joseph Mazzello

Joseph Mazzello
Mazzello at a screening of The Pacific in February 2010
Born	Joseph Francis Mazzello III (1983-09-21) September 21, 1983 (age 33) Rhinebeck, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director, screenwriter
Years active	1990–present
Website	www.josephmazzello.com

Joseph Francis Mazzello III, also known simply as Joe Mazzello (born September 21, 1983), is an American actor, director and screenwriter, known for his roles as Tim Murphy in Jurassic Park, Eugene Sledge in the HBO miniseries The Pacific, and Dustin Moskovitz in The Social Network.

Mazzello was born in Rhinebeck, New York, and raised in Hyde Park, New York, the son of Virginia (née Strong) and Joseph Mazzello, Jr., who owned a performing arts school. He has one older sister, Mary, and a younger brother, John, who have both appeared in films. His father is of three quarters Italian and one quarter German Jewish ancestry, while his mother is of Irish, Polish, and English descent. Mazzello went to Catholic school Our Lady of Lourdes. He is an alumnus of the University of Southern California, entering the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2001 following a recommendation letter from director Steven Spielberg. Mazzello paid for school with his salary from a small appearance in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), something the actor jokingly referred to as his graduation present from Spielberg.

Mazzello's first film appearance was a small role in Presumed Innocent (1990), starring Harrison Ford. He followed up that success with a supporting role as an abused child in the drama Radio Flyer (1992). His most notable roles were as Douglas Gresham in Shadowlands and Tim Murphy in Jurassic Park, both in 1993, Dexter in the 1995 film The Cure, and Eugene "Sledgehammer" Sledge in the HBO miniseries The Pacific. In 2010, Mazzello played Dustin Moskovitz, one of the co-founders of Facebook in the David Fincher-directed film The Social Network.