He Was A Good Guy
Most of us know Paul Walker as the clean-cut, handsome, and likable co-star of the high-octane Fast & Furious franchise. Also well documented is his bromance with acting buddy Vin Diesel and his charitable work. Somehow, Walker’s romantic life has more or less flown under the radar. As it turns out, Walker had a very good reason to keep his romances a secret.
1. His Family Was Normal
Paul Walker’s birth took place on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California. His dad, Paul William Walker III, was a sewer contractor and amateur boxer while his mom, Cheryl Crabtree, had been a model. Walker was the oldest, and he had two younger brothers and a younger sister. Walker also had a half-sister from one of his father’s previous relationships.
Walker had inherited his mother’s good looks and was soon exploiting them.
2. He Started Young
The entire Walker family were members of the Mormon religion, and Walker attended Village Christian School. But long before school, Walker got into modeling. His first commercial was when he was just two years old. He showed off his diapers in a Pampers commercial.
But Walker’s career was soon going to take off.
Pamper's diapers commercial - early 1970's? 16mm, In16mm
3. He Got A Big Chance
Walker took a step away from commercials to appear in an episode of CBS Schoolbreak Special (“Love in the Dark Ages”) and then with guest spots on Highway to Heaven. None of this was making Walker into a star until he got an audition that had the potential to make him into a household name.
Highway to Heaven - Season 3, Episode 1 – A Special Love: Part 1, Highway to Heaven - Full Episodes
4. He Got Out Early
Walker’s audition was for the sitcom Throb and it had a lot going for it. It featured up-and-coming Frasier co-star Jane Leeves and Soap star Diana Canova. A 12-year-old Walker joined the cast as Jeremy Beatty. This sitcom, set in the world of new wave music, only lasted two seasons. Walker wisely left the show after its premier season.
His rise to fame would have to wait.
5. He Hit The Big Screen
While Walker continued to appear in various TV shows, he eventually hit the big screen in a B-movie. The title—Monster in the Closet—pretty much gives you the story in nutshell. And the critic's quote used on the film’s poster, “Pleasant fun,” lets you know that this was not a huge success.
But Walker wasn’t about to give up that easily.
6. He Was R-Rated
Before Denise Richards became a big star, she appeared with Walker in Tammy and the T-Rex. They filmed this B-movie quickly for the simple reason that they only had the animatronic dinosaur for two weeks. The finished product came in on time, but what they had on their hands was an R-rated comedy horror.
This was not going to work.
Tammy & the T-Rex trailer (1994) Paul Walker Denise Richards, Foywonder
7. He Got Cut
Editors took their snippers to Tammy and the T-Rex and removed most of the over-the-top gore scenes in order to appeal to a wider audience. The wider audience never really materialized, but you can see the uncut version called Tammy and the T-Rex: Gore Cut. If you play the video game High on Life you can see this film in its entirety.
Okay, that’s two B-movie disasters. It looked like Walker’s career was over before it began.
Tammy & the T-Rex trailer (1994) Paul Walker Denise Richards, Foywonder
8. He Was A Surfer Dude
In 1998, Walker got a break. He landed a starring role in a film that was certainly not a B-movie. This was surfer comedy Meet the Deedles, and it came from Disney and even had Dennis Hopper as a co-star. Sadly, neither Disney nor Hopper could help this film, which was a critical and box office disaster that lost Disney an incredible $20 million.
Walker’s changes for stardom were running out fast.
9. He Was With The Stars
Instead of ending Walker’s career, the disastrous Meet the Deedles got Walker a role in a successful film. This was Pleasantville, which starred big names like William H Macy and Tobey Maguire. While Walker’s role was somewhat minor, it set him on a path to fame.
10. He Got Hurt On The Set
Walker’s small role as the most popular boy in Pleasantville got him a part as another popular student. In Varsity Blues he plays a football player who sustains an injury before the big game. In reality, Walker actually broke his leg during filming. While the critics were not kind, Varsity Blues has since become a cult film.
But there was something spooky about this film.
11. It May Have Been Jinxed
Besides Walker, two other cast members of Varsity Blues have met early demises. Ron Lester had liver and kidney issues after having gastric bypass surgery. He passed in 2015. In 2006, Varsity Blues co-star Joe Pichler vanished and has never been found. Luckily, Walker still had time to make his mark in Hollywood.
12. He Wasn’t All That
Walker’s next film was the teen rom-com She’s All That. This film features two Oscar winners, Anna Paquin and Kieren Culkin. While there were no Oscar nods for this film, it did receive loads of other award nominations and wins. Sadly for Walker, these mostly went to stars Freddie Prinze Jr and Rachael Leigh Cook.
Walker would have to wait a little longer for his moment in the spotlight.
She's All That: The bet (HD CLIP), Binge Society
13. He Failed To Please
Walker had already appeared with one cast member from the hit series Dawson’s Creek. That was James Van Der Beek in Varsity Blues. He returned to Dawson's Creek territory when he played opposite Pacey portrayer Joshua Jackson in The Skulls. Sadly, this Yale University-set thriller did not get a passing grade from critics.
It seemed that having a decent role in a successful film was just not going to happen for Walker.
14. He Grew Up Fast
Walker may not have found his big break, but something big did happen. He became a father. Since he was just a boy, Paul Walker had been dating Rebecca Soteros. In 1998, Soteros got pregnant and gave birth to a daughter they named Meadow. The thing was, not everything was always great between Walker and Soteros. To make matters worse, Walker was sure he would not make a good dad.
15. He Was Scared
When he found out that Soteros was pregnant, Walker told his mother that he was scared to have a child. To make it even more intense, Walker’s religious mother was putting pressure on the couple to become husband and wife to make the child legit. In the end, Walker decided not to marry Sotores.
And his life was about to change in a big way.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
16. He Got Asked A Question
Around the same time Walker was dealing with fatherhood, The Skulls director Rob Cohen came to him with a question. He had the green light to make an action film for Universal Pictures and he asked Walker what his ideal action movie would be. Walker’s answer would ignite a series of movies that would not only make Walker a star but also make Universal Pictures a whole lot of money.
17. He Gave Him Two
Walker’s answer to Cohen’s question about his “dream” action movie was to combine two movies together. He chose Donnie Brasco, about an officer of the law infiltrating a mafia family, and Days of Thunder, a movie about car racing. Cohen’s response to Walker was strange.
He just handed him a magazine.
Days of Thunder (1/9) Movie CLIP - Dropping the Hammer (1990) HD, Movieclips
18. It Was A Mash-up
The magazine that Cohen handed to Walker was an issue of Vibe that contained a story by Ken Li about New York underground street racing. Cohen wanted to cleverly combine both of Walker’s movie choices and have an undercover officer infiltrate a gang of racers. Since it was his idea, Walker probably assumed that he was a shoe-in for the part.
Sadly, he was quite wrong about that.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
19. He Was Not The First
Three big stars had to say no before Walker got the part in Cohen’s street racing action pic. They were Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Eminem, who chose to do 8 Mile instead. Walker finally got the offer and didn’t hesitate to sign on. Now they just needed the leader of the street racers.
The chemistry between the two leads had to be perfect.
Eminem - Lose Yourself [HD], msvogue23
20. He Made Them Jump Through Hoops
Timothy Olyphant thought the idea for The Fast and the Furious was “stupid,” so he was out. At this time, Vin Diesel was not exactly famous but, strangely, the producers had to jump through a few hoops to get him to sign on. They made some script changes, and he finally said yes.
Now they just had to see if Walker and Diesel would be good together.
Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images
21. Audiences Ate Them Up
Audiences really took to the pairing of Walker and Diesel. At the MTV Awards, the bromance between Walker and Diesel got official recognition. The two won the Best On-Screen Team Award. This was great for the movie, but how were the guys getting along behind the scenes?
Michael Caulfield Archive, Getty Images
22. They Were Friends
As luck would have it, Walker and Diesel also became best buds while making The Fast and the Furious. In fact, Walker even named Diesel as the godfather to his daughter Meadow. At times, Diesel has referred to Walker as his brother and later, he named his daughter “Pauline”.
Walker must have liked the idea of movies where he was behind the wheel because he did it again.
The Fast and The Furious | Supra vs Ferrari, The Fast Saga
23. He Was In The Driver’s Seat Again
For his next role, Walker got behind the wheel of a car once again. This was the road thriller Joy Ride. It looked like Walker was going back to his B-movie roots, but no, this one was actually a critical success. The disappointing two sequels, however, were straight-to-video and Walker wisely steered clear of them.
Sadly, his next feature would not turn out so well.
Joy Ride: Reaching a dead end, Binge Society
24. He Traveled Back In Time
In 2003, Walker appeared with “bad movie siren” Gerard Butler in the time-traveling film Timeline. The source material was a Michael Crichton novel and the movie was so bad that Crichton resolved to never have a film made from any of his books ever again. Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator left this dud with an astonishingly low 13%.
Walker needed to time travel to a better film.
25. He Returned To The Streets
Walker made a smart move and went back to where he’d found success before: driving fast cars and looking handsome. In 2 Fast 2 Furious, Walker had to go without his best bud Vin Diesel and the critical reception was a little chilly. But did that matter? No. The film earned over $50 million in its opening weekend and even beat family favorite Finding Nemo.
Walker was back on a roll, but there was more danger ahead.
2 Fast 2 Furious | Brian and Roman Make a Daring Jump onto Verone's Yacht, The Fast Saga
26. He Went Into The Sea
While the Fast & Furious franchise was mixing up gangs and street racing, Walker’s next film would mash up gangs and diving. This was Into the Blue, and he co-starred with Jessica Alba, Scott Caan and Josh Brolin. Walker also managed to get a job for his Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Boone.
Once the critics got a hold of Into the Blue, the dog may have wanted his name removed from the credits.
INTO THE BLUE (2005) | The Boat Gets Searched | MGM, Amazon MGM Studios
27. He Worked With Sharks
Nasty critics aside, part of the fun of Into the Blue was scenes involving sharks. For these intense scenes, they used the sharks in The Bahamas. The problem was that these sharks were very accustomed to being with people. In fact, the sharks were so tame that the director asked Walker if they could attach fish to him to attract the shark’s attention. Walker said no and lived to tell about it.
But the filmmakers had even more dangerous ideas.
Into the Blue (11/11) Movie CLIP - Shark Saves the Day (2005) HD, Movieclips
28. He Got Hit In The Head
Another way to get the sharks interested in the actors was to throw chum into the water. One chum tosser wasn’t too skilled and threw the chum very close to Walker’s head. The result was all the sharks hitting Walker in the noggin.
Now, if only the marketing department could throw some chum to attract moviegoers.
Into the Blue (11/11) Movie CLIP - Shark Saves the Day (2005) HD, Movieclips
29. They Stayed Away
Just like the sharks, the public had a problem getting interested in Into the Blue. In spite of Walker and the other buff, beautiful and barely dressed actors, audiences mostly stayed away. The budget of $50 million resulted in a box office haul of only $46.1 million. This film was a flop.
Action and comedy had not always treated Walker well. It was time for some drama.
Into the Blue (3/11) Movie CLIP - Cocaine Palace (2005) HD, Movieclips
30. He Tried Drama
For his next feature, Walker would take a smaller role in a film that had great dramatic potential. This was the WWII film Flags of Our Fathers, directed by Clint Eastwood, which told the amazing story of the flag raising at Iwo Jima. Surely this would get Walker what he wanted: a respected film accompanied by big box office.
Sadly, that didn’t quite happen.
31. He Flopped Again
Critics mostly liked Flags of our Fathers, and it even got a few minor Academy Award nods. Somehow, audiences weren’t willing to fork out the money for it, and ticket sales didn’t quite match up with the $90 million budget. Sadly, this meant another flop for Walker.
If Eastwood couldn't get Walker a hit film that didn’t involve a car, then maybe Disney could.
32. He Wasn’t The Cutest One
Next up, Walker would head to the icy climes of places like Greenland, Norway, and Canada to film Eight Below, which tells the story of abandoned dogs in Antarctica. On the cuteness scale, Walker would have to take a back seat to his adorable co-stars of Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies.
Walker had his frozen fingers crossed that this film would be a hit.
Eight Below (2006) Trailer | Paul Walker | Jason Biggs, Film Trailer Channel
33. He Got What He Wanted
While the dogs did end up soaking up most of the critical praise, at least Eight Below was something that Walker wanted. It was a film that garnered respectable critical praise and also was a winner at the box office. Of course, now Walker would have to throw a monkey wrench into his career and try producing.
Eight Below (2006) Trailer | Paul Walker | Jason Biggs, Film Trailer Channel
34. He Was A Double Threat
In 2007, Walker turned to producing and made Bobby Z, which he also starred in. The budget was just $8 million and the box office was sadly a small fraction of that. This was a straight-to-video kind of thing and quickly forgotten. But Walker didn't forget.
He also didn’t learn his lesson.
The Death And Life Of Bobby Z | Becoming Bobby Z, Piece of the Action
35. He Tried Again
The failure of Bobby Z didn’t put Walker off producing. He just realized that he might do better in a movie with a car. Walker took the acting and producing positions in the South African-set Vehicle 19, about a rental car with a few surprises. It was not a huge surprise when this film was neither a critical or box office success.
It was time to return to the place where Walker knew he could succeed.
Vehicle 19 Official Trailer #1 - Paul Walker Movie HD, Rotten Tomatoes Trailers
36. He Came Back
Walker was AWOL from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Diesel only had a cameo in that film. Now both Walker and Diesel returned to save the franchise from disappearing altogether. To let audiences know that the franchise was back in business, they just slightly changed the title from the original. This fourth installment got the name Fast & Furious.
Now audiences had to decide if they were happy to have Walker and Diesel back.
Fast & Furious 4 (2009) | Race Scene | 4K HDR, Clips Nation
37. It Beat It By A Mile
Critical response to this franchise of films is not the most important thing. The box office is the way to judge, and Fast & Furious overtook the entire domestic box office of Tokyo Drift in just the opening weekend. Clearly, audiences were happy to see Walker and Diesel back behind the wheel of their favorite franchise.
Now it was time to expand the franchise into something different.
Fast & Furious 4 (2009) | Race Scene | 4K HDR, Clips Nation
38. They Made Some Changes
The next installment in the Fast & Furious franchise would be a huge departure. First of all, it was not going to be about street racing. Instead, Walker and Diesel's characters plan a heist. Another big change would be the addition of Dwayne Johnson—AKA The Rock—to the cast.
Something tells me Johnson was about to rock the boat of Walker’s bromance with Diesel.
Fast Five (2/10) Movie CLIP - Over the Cliff (2011) HD, Movieclips
39. He Felt Left Out
The thing about adding Johnson to the Fast & Furious ensemble was that the critics began climbing over each other in order to praise his acting in Fast Five. They also loved the pairing of Johnson with Diesel; one even called it a “cosmic event”. You couldn’t blame Walker if he felt a little left out of all the excitement.
Was this the end of Hollywood’s ultimate bromance? Not quite.
Fast Five | This Is Brazil, The Fast Saga
40. They Were Still BFFs
Johnson reprised his role in Fast & Furious 6 and if there was any tension about who were the best bros—Walker and Diesel or Johnson and Diesel—the MTV Movie Awards set the record straight. They honored Walker and Diesel with the Best On-Screen Duo award for the second time. To make sure there were no hard feelings, the Teen Choice Awards gave the Best Chemistry award to all three of them.
But it was another friend of Walker’s who would lead him to trouble.
Fast & Furious 6 - Trailer, Universal Pictures
41. The Night Began At A Charity Event
On November 30, 2013, Walker was attending an event for his charity. He left the event with his friend Roger Rodas. Rodas, who was Walker’s financial advisor and also a professional car racer, drove a Porsche Carrera GT. That night, Rodas was driving somewhere between 130 km/h (80 mph) and 150 km/h (93mph), which was well above the legal limit.
The two approached an infamous curve where drivers sometimes purposely “drift” their vehicles. There was a tragedy ahead.
42. He Lost Control
Rodas was in the driver's seat, and he lost control on the curve. The car slammed into a lamppost and then hit two trees. This could have been something the two men could have survived, but then the car burst into flames. Rodas succumbed instantly and Walker just moments after.
It was all over in just a couple of seconds.
RAW Footage 1/3: Paul Walker & Roger Rodas Crashed Porsche Carrera GT 0479, DQ Designer
43. It Was Simply An Accident
Of course, given Walker’s cinematic history, many suspected that he and Rodas had been street racing that night. The police quickly concluded that the two were not racing and also added that there was no substance use or mechanical failure that caused the accident. It was the speed that did it.
Now they had to decide what to do with the Fast & Furious franchise.
44. His Brothers Stepped In
At the time of the accident, Walker was filming the seventh installment of the Fast & Furious franchise. After much deliberation, they decided to continue. To cover up Walker’s absence from the remaining scenes, they enlisted the services of Walker’s brothers, Caleb and Cody Walker, and a few digital effects.
Now, it was up to the audience to give it a thumbs up or down.
45. It Was A Hit
Walker’s final film, Furious 7, was a huge financial success that grossed more than $1.5 billion. The film also received considerable positive critical response. Rotten Tomatoes handed over an approval rating of 82%, which is amazing for an action movie. It looked like Walker finally got what he wanted.
Now it was time for the fans to mourn.
Furious 7 Official IMAX Trailer (2015) - Vin Diesel, Paul Walker Movie HD, Rotten Tomatoes Trailers
46. They Left In Tears
The Fast & Furious franchise could not walk away from Walker without a tribute. At the end of Furious 7, there is a tribute to Walker. Many in the theater were holding back tears while watching the tribute. One critic—Wesley Morris—found himself surprised that a film series centered on street racing could bring “a solemnity that leaves you moved”.
But after the tears, there would be the inevitable lawsuits.
Furious 7 (10/10) Movie CLIP - The Last Ride (2015) HD, Movieclips
47. There Were Lawsuits
The first lawsuit was from Walker’s father. He filed it against the estate of Rodas. Meadow Walker also had her own lawsuit, this one against Porsche. The car company blamed Walker and Rodas, saying that they knew the risks of driving in that way. Meadow and her grandfather ended up settling out of court.
Next up: how to deal with Walker’s enormous estate.
Gilbert Carrasquillo, Getty Images
48. It All Went To Her
At the time of his passing, Walker was single, and so his entire estate—valued somewhere between $16 million and $25 million—went to his daughter. Meadow was just 15 at this time and her grandmother stepped up to raise Meadow because she had concerns about Meadow’s mother’s addiction issues. Meadow chose to stay with her mom.
The truth was, Walker actually wasn’t completely single.
49. He Kept Them A Secret
Throughout his life, Walker had remained fairly tight-lipped about his romantic life. Some knew that at the time of his passing, he was living with Jasmine Pilchard-Gosnell, who had been just 16 when she started dating 33-year-old Walker. Another girlfriend, Aubrianna Atwell, was also just 16 when she first started dating Walker. The age of consent in California is 18.
Many fans choose to overlook this fact and just hope to see their favorite star again one day.
Furious 7 (10/10) Movie CLIP - The Last Ride (2015) HD, Movieclips
50. He’s Coming Back
In 2025, Diesel made an announcement that stunned Fast & Furious devotees. He said that the franchise would go back to its roots in three ways. Its setting would be LA, it would focus on street racing again and, more shockingly, Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner, would return. Will it be one of Walker’s brothers? Will it be digital effects? Will it be both?
You can see for yourself when Fast X: Part 2 hits theaters in April 2027.
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
