The Ethan Hawke House

The Ethan Hawke house, October 2024.

Historical Overview

Standing in the historic West Windsor community of Berrien City is an unassuming 1-story mid-century cinderblock house on a small lot. This was once the boyhood home of Ethan Hawke - who, at the time of this writing (October 2024), is one of the world's most famous actors, authors, and film directors.

West Windsor tax records say that the house was built in 1950.[1] That year, John and Hermina Grover sold the lot to Dorothy Fleming and her husband, Harold,[2] a World War II army veteran.[3] The Flemings lived here for the next thirty-one years before selling it to Ethan Hawke's family.[4]

Ethan was born on November 6, 1970 in Austin, Texas to Leslie and James Hawke.[5] The couple were high-school sweethearts,[6] but divorced in 1974, after which Hawke was raised by his mother.[7],[8] The pair relocated several times throughout Ethan's childhood,[9] during which time Leslie met Patrick Powers, her second husband. In June 1981, when Ethan was 10 years old, Leslie and Patrick bought the house in Berrien City.[10] Ethan lived in this house for the next seven years, sharing a room with his step-brother, Patrick Jr.[11] Patrick Jr., for his part, spent most of his career in the Special Forces, completing four combat tours of Iraq and Afghanistan as a Green Beret. He was awarded four Bronze Star medals, and is the founder and CEO of Gold Star Sailing a foundation that helps children of fallen servicemembers heal, develop character, and build teamwork through sailing.[12],[13]

Ethan_Hawke at 2018 Montclair Film Festival. Photo by Neil Grabowsky; taken from Wikipedia.

As a West Windsor resident, Ethan spent much of his boyhood in the West Windsor-Plainsboro school system (specifically, Dutch Neck School for Grades 5-6 and High School South for grades 7-10). Much of his family's social life centered around the Trinity Episcopal Church in Princeton, where his mother and step-father ran the youth group.[14] Ethan also played football in junior high,[15] and soccer on and off around the same time.[16] He worked at Thomas Sweets ice cream parlor in on Nassau Street in Princeton.[17] And, of course, he made many friends in town, some of whom presumably still know him personally to this day.  However, what, of course, made him globally famous was his acting career.

Starting at a young age, Ethan starred in a variety of local school productions. At twelve years old, he acted as "Lon" in an adaptation of the Christmas musical film, Meet me in St. Louis, playing in High School South's auditorium.[18],[19]  He also played on the same stage in the comedy You Can't Take It With You.[20] In the 10th grade, Ethan transferred to Princeton's Hun School,[21] from which he graduated in 1988.[22],[23] He acted in several productions in that school as well, including The Taming of the Shrew[24] and She Loves Me.[25]

Ethan made his professional stage debut at the age of 13 at Princeton's McCarter Theatre, in a production of George Bernard Shaw's St. Joan.[26],[27] He would go on to star in other McCarter productions over several years,[28] and participated in a Shakespeare camp there in the summer of 1986 as well, starring in student productions of Romeo and Juliet[29] and The Adventures of Pericles.[30]

Ethan Hawke, right, from July 24, 1985 "Town Topics."

Ethan Hawke made his professional film debut in the spring of 1985 (while still a sophomore at High School South) in Joe Dante's science fantasy, Explorers. He co-starred alongside another teen actor who was soon to become famous: River Phoenix.[31] The film had poor box office results, causing Ethan to quit acting for a brief period.[32]

​However, Ethan's prospects skyrocketed in 1989 after he starred alongside world-famous actor Robin Williams in the critically-acclaimed coming-of-age drama film, Dead Poets Society.[33] Two years later, he had his first leading role in White Fang, an adaptation of Jack London's novel of the same name.[34] As the years went on, and he starred in more and more films and theater productions, his star continued to grow and the world began to know his name. At the time of this writing (October 12, 2024), he has been nominated for four Academy Awards, one (British Academy Film Award (BAFTA), two Golden Globes, one Tony, and four Screen Actors Guild award. He has also won one Daytime Emmy, for 2017's Invasion! and been honored by various critic associations.[35] And his daughter, Maya Hawke, has followed in his footsteps, becoming a celebrity actress in her own right, most famously for her role in the hit Netflix show, Stranger Things.[36]

Leslie Hawke and Patrick V. Powers divorced in 1993.[37] This was presumably the same year Ethan stopped visiting his West Windsor home, for it was also the same year his parents sold the property. Still, the fact that this globally recognized actor had his formative years in our town is immutable.

18-year-old Ethan Hawke, from Aug. 9, 1989 "Town Topics" newspaper.

Go to Berrien City

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Bibliography

1. “West Windsor Tax Assessor Address List, 2019.” West Windsor, 2019. List of all residences in West Windsor with dates of construction, according to tax assessor. Sent to the Historical Society by Lorraine Jones and Dawn Moretti.
2. Fleming, Dorothy G, Fleming, Harold E., Grover, Hermina B., Grover, John B. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1950. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 1102, Page 113.
3. "Obituaries - Harold E. Fleming." Town Topics. May 5, 1999.
4. Fleming, Dorothy G, Fleming, Harold E., Hawke, Leslie, Powers, Patrick V. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1981. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 2163, Page 362.
5. “November 6, Birthdays for Ethan Hawke, Emma Stone, Sally Field.” Brooklyn Eagle. November 6, 2015. https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2015/11/06/november-6-birthdays-for-ethan-hawke-emma-stone-sally-field/. 
6. "Leslie Hawke and David Weiss." The New York Times. January 20, 2012.
7. “Mom on a Mission.” People, October 26, 2009. 
8. Lipton, James, and Ethan Hawke. Ethan Hawke. Other. Inside the Actor’s Studio. New York City, New York: Ovation, April 21, 2002. 
9. Mundy, Chris. “Ethan Hawke: Renaissance Boy.” Rolling Stone, March 9, 1995. https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/ethan-hawke-renaissance-boy-181600/. 
10. Fleming, Dorothy G, Fleming, Harold E., Hawke, Leslie, Powers, Patrick V. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1981. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 2163, Page 362.
11. "Ethan Hawke’s Princeton Junction Roots." Community News. July 7, 2006.
12. Caltrider, Mac. “How ‘Top Gun’ Made Ethan Hawke an Actor and His Brother a Green Beret.” Coffee or Die Magazine, November 6, 2021. https://coffeeordie.com/top-gun-ethan-hawke. 
13. “About Us.” Gold Star Sailing. Accessed October 12, 2024. https://goldstarsailing.org/about-us. 
14. "Ethan Hawke’s Princeton Junction Roots." Community News. July 7, 2006.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. "Ethan Hawke’s Princeton Junction Roots." Community News. July 7, 2006.
18. “8 Million Stories: My Life with Ethan.” www.nypress.com, 2010. https://www.nypress.com/news/8-million-stories-my-life-with-ethan-AWNP1020100216302169988. 
19. "WW-P in 'Milk'." U.S.1/Princeton Info. December 19, 2008.
20. ​"Despite Film Success, Hawke Keeps a Keen Eye on Theater." Syracuse Herald American. January 22, 1995.
21. "Ethan Hawke: Shy? Quiet? Only in His 'Dead Poets' Role." Town Topics. August 9, 1989.
22. "Topics of the Town - Area Graduates." Town Topics. June 15, 1988.
23. "Hun School graduates." The Times (Burlington-Metro). June 26, 1988.
24. "Hun Drama Club Readies 'Taming of the Shrew'." Town Topics. November 5, 1986.
25. "Hun School Thespians Present 'She Loves Me.'" Town Topics. February 25, 1987.
26. "'St. Joan' at McCarter." The Trentonian. October 29, 1983.
27. "Shaw's 'St. Joan' at McCarter Theatre is a 'Must See' for Serious Theatre-Goers." Town Topics. November 9, 1983.​​
28. "To Perform 'Pericles.'" Town Topics. July 25, 1985.
29. "Labours of Love." The Star-Ledger (Newark). July 23, 1986.
30. "To Perform 'Pericles'." Town Topics. July 24, 1985.
31. "'Explorers' Travel on a Beaten Path." The New York Post. July 12, 1985.
32.  "The Payoff for Ethan Hawke". The New York Times. April 14, 2002.
33. "Ethan Hawke: Shy? Quiet? Only in His 'Dead Poets' Role." Town Topics. August 9, 1989.
34. IMDb. “Ethan Hawke | Actor, Producer, Writer.” IMDb. Accessed October 12, 2024. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000160/?ref_=tt_cl_t_3.
35. IMDb. “Ethan Hawke - Awards.” IMDb. Accessed October 12, 2024. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000160/awards/?ref_=nm_awd.
36. IMDb. “Maya Hawke | Actress, Music Department, Composer.” IMDb. Accessed October 12, 2024. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1638321/.
37. Hawke, Leslie, Rhodes, Julia. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1993. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 2765, Page 300. This deed shows Leslie as unmarried.