Jake Matthew Lloyd Broadbent is a former American actor, most notably recognized for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 film "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" directed by George Lucas. The movie, which became the second-highest-grossing film worldwide at the box office, behind only "Titanic" in 1997.
At a young age, Lloyd appeared in commercials and later landed a role in the TV series "ER", where he appeared in four episodes. He made his film debut in "Unhook the Stars" in 1996, alongside Gena Rowlands and Marisa Tomei. Lloyd's dream of working with Arnold Schwarzenegger was fulfilled when he starred in the Christmas film "Jingle All the Way" in 1996.
George Lucas selected Lloyd from among roughly 3,000 child actors to play the role of nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker in the highly anticipated prequel, "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace". Despite the massive box office success, the film received extreme negative backlash from both critics and audiences, particularly regarding Ahmed Best's portrayal of Jar Jar Binks and Lloyd's performance as Anakin Skywalker.
Following the overwhelming response from the media and the public, Lloyd retired from acting after "Episode I". He did, however, reprise his role as Anakin in five Star Wars video games for LucasArts. Lloyd's last role was filmed in 2000, but his final film was "Madison" in 2005, starring Jim Caviezel.
After leaving Hollywood, Lloyd moved with his family to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he attended Carmel High School and graduated with the Class of 2007. He enrolled at Columbia College Chicago to study film and psychology but dropped out in 2008. Later, Lloyd attended comic conventions as a media guest, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans.
He also started his own production company, Pumpkin Pact Productions. Lloyd's mother, Lisa Flowers Broadbent, revealed to TMZ that he suffers from schizophrenia, which he was diagnosed with in 2008. In April 2016, Lloyd was transferred to a psychiatric facility.
After serving 11 months in jail at the Colleton County Detention Center in Walterboro, South Carolina, Lloyd was released. Since his 2015 arrest, he has not done any interviews, made any public appearances, nor been present on social media.
