Things You Might Not Know About Freddie Prinze Jr.

Published on March 8, 2016. Updated February 24, 2020

Back in the late ’90s and early 2000’s there was no bigger heartthrob then Freddie Prinze Jr. He was tall and handsome and had fans swooning, not to mention he was charming and funny in every single role, so it wasn’t surprising he was in film after film with a lot of success. Lately, he has stayed out of the spotlight as he focuses on being a dad to his two children with Sarah Michelle Gellar, and we have to be honest, we miss him! There is still so much to know about the charming star, so check out 10 things you didn’t know about Freddie Prinze Jr.

10. Pre-Fame

Freddie Prinze Jr.’s first acting roles came in 1995 when he was 19-years-old, but he didn’t hit major stardom until he starred in 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer. As the son of actor-comedian Freddie Prinze he was first seen by the entertainment world when he was voted as “Mr. Golden Globe” in 1996. The title is given each year to different celebrity’s daughters or sons, and that person helps in handing out the Golden Globe Awards on the big night.

©Freestyle Releasing/courtesy Everett Collection

9. Family Life

As many know, Freddie Prinze Jr. is the only son of famed actor comedian-actor, but unfortunately when he was only 10 months old, Freddie Prinze committed suicide by shooting himself. His mother, Kathy Elaine Barber, then raised him by herself in Alburquerque, New Mexico and after graduating high school in 1994, he moved to L.A. to pursue acting. He would spend his summers in Puerto Rico with his grandmother and as such is now fluent in Spanish.

Photo by Lionel Hahn/Abaca.

8. Net Worth

He may have dropped away from the spotlight lately but Freddie Prinze Jr. is sitting very comfortably on a net worth of $19 million. He made his millions quickly with a starring role in a slew of films including I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel as well as She’s All That, Down to You, Summer Catch, Scooby-Doo, Boys and Girls and Head Over Heels. Not to mention he has a combined net worth of $34 million when you add in the earnings of his wife Sarah Michelle Gellar, so the family is doing just fine for money.

Photo by Gregorio Binuya/ABACAUSA.COM

7. Hobbies

Freddie Prinze Jr. is as sweet and polite as he seems but you shouldn’t mess with him. He has black belts in American kenpo karate and American tang soo do karate as well as a blue belt in Gracie/Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His less dangerous hobbies include comic book collecting, swimming and tap dancing.

6. Love Life

Give the fact that he met his would-be wife Sarah Michelle Gellar on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer in 1997 when he was 20-years-old, she really is the love of his life. The pair were then married in 2002 when he was 25, so to say the least kissing scenes in movies aren’t the easiest for him, especially early in his career. “Kissing Claire was good. I was really nervous, though. I hadn’t kissed many girls in real life,” he said of kissing Claire Danes in the 1996 film To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday.

Photo by Lionel Hahn/AbacaUsa.com

5. Scooby-Doo Drama

Director Raja Gosnell thought Freddie Prinze Jr. would be thrilled at the chance to star opposite his real-life love in Scooby-Doo but was shocked when he initially turned the offer down. As a huge fan of Scooby-Doo he thought the film would not respect the original series so Sarah had to talk him into doing the film. After filming he was forced to shave his head because he had to constantly bleach it to get Fred’s blonde color and it ended up ruining his hair.

4. WWE Fanatic

He loves martial arts, but Freddie Prinze Jr. is a huge fan of wrestling and the WWE, so much so he actually had a job with them. For awhile he blogged about the WWE and then in 2008 he was hired as part of their creative staff, but a year later he left the job. He has also appeared on different WWE programs as a special guest host and was re-hired by in 2010 in the role of producer and director.

3. Change In Acting

Many have wondered why they don’t see him in films anymore and while his last on-screen role was in early 2014 on the show Bones, he has continued acting, but has switched to voice-acting. He has lent his voice to several video games including Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition and Disney Infinity 3.0. He has also been voice-acting in animated shows including Robot Chicken and Star Wars Rebels.

Photo by Broadimage/REX

2. Injuries

One of Freddie Prinze Jr.’s defining characteristics is a scar on his chin which is a result of a pretty serious injury from when he was young. “The pole we were using as a light sabre hit the ground before I hit the ground and then it stuck in my chin. When it came out a big old piece of my chin came with it and my mom ran out screaming and she grabbed the piece of chin and we rushed to the hospital. They put it back in and stitched it in and it looked like I had a beard at five years old with my stitches.” Then, a couple of years ago, he really scared fans when he posted a photo of himself wearing a neck brace saying he had to have back surgery. At the time all he said was “Private medical info amigos. Lets say I had some disc issues that have been resolved. ‘Nuff said friends,” but later added he had to learn to walk again, but it seems he recovered just fine!

Courtesy: Everett Collection

1. Clean-Living

Even though he was only young when his father passed away, his father’s suicide and issues with drugs really effected Freddie Prinze Jr. and he often speaks out about not doing drugs. “Drugs are the sucker’s way, man, and I’m not a sucker. I don’t smoke, do blow, or hardly ever drink, but there’s still a fear: what if it’s genetic? I want to be like Evander Holyfield, who has a work ethic, morals, a real heart, who understands his responsibility to help other people. To me, that’s an American hero living an American dream.”

Photo by Nicolas Khayat/ABACAUSA.COM