Happy Birthday! Tobey Maguire Turns 41 Years Old Today

Today is actor Tobey Maguire's birthday.

To a generation of fans, Tobey Maguire was Spider-Man/Peter Parker. The actor ushered the web-slinger through his first Hollywood franchise with the Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man 3 films, and in the course of that franchise, helped change the face of superhero films forever.

Aside from the Spider-Man franchise, Maguire has appeared in few big-budget movies, preferring more arthouse fare like The Cider House Rules, Ride With The Devil, and Wonder Boys, in which he starred alongside future Marvel actors Robert Downey, Jr., Katie Holmes, Alan Tudyk, and Michael Douglas. He also appeared in The Good German alongside former Batman George Clooney. Films like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Pleasantville have given his filmography a feeling of "you never know what's coming next," and as he entered his forties, Maguire celebrated it with his first TV work in nearly two decades, appearing in the miniseries event The Spoils of Babylon.

Also a producer, Maguire has credits on films like Rock of Ages, The 5th Wave and The 25th Hour to his name.

Maguire started his career in 1989 with a bit role in The Wizard, followed by a part in Empire Records, which was lost on the cutting room floor. After narrating Ang Lee's The Ice Storm, he finally began to take off, and had his career-defining turn as Spider-Man within a few years.

Maguire has been nominated for the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe Awards, and has received two Saturn Awards, including one for Best Actor.

Born in Santa Monica, California, Maguire turns 41 today. Happy Birthday, Tobey Maguire.