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This actor widely known for his portrayal of the merchant Sol Star on HBO's Deadwood was also nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar in the 2010 drama Winter's Bone. This year he's nominated for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor and is also receiving Oscar buzz for his powerful portrayal of a paralyzed man who hires a sex surrogate (Helen Hunt) to help him lose his virginity in The Sessions. Here are five things you probably don't know about John Hawkes.

1. Born September 11, 1959 in the small Midwestern community of Alexandria, Minnesota.

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2. One of his first roles was Pizza Boy #1 in the 1988 comedy Johnny Be Good. He told moviephone.com that doing the movie was "one of the first things I did -- and probably one of the most embarrassing things."

3. On his increased bankability after receiving his Oscar nomination, he said he still just tries to seek out the best roles. "I don't need much money to live," he told HitFix.com. "I've saved money from the TV shows I've been on. I have a low overhead and I just prefer to do things that stir me. There are some really amazingly great, big movies out there, but I just haven't really been asked to be a part of them, so I prefer to do the little ones at this point."

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4. In an interview with Fade In magazine, he revealed that while hitchhiking around America, he would practice playing various characters while riding with people who picked him up.

5. Has cited Robert Duvall as the actor he most admires.

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