Walker was born in Glendale, California to Paul William Walker III (a retired sewer contractor) and Cheryl Crabtree (a former fashion model); his paternal grandfather, William Walker, was a professional boxer. He has two younger brothers, Caleb and Cody, and a younger sister, Ashlie. Walker was raised a Latter Day Saint in a conservative Mormon household, and says religion is still a part of his life [1].

Walker grew up in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley and attended Village Christian High School, graduating in 1991. He attended several community colleges and studied marine biology.

Walker began modeling in the late 1980s. He began his acting career with appearances in several low-budget "B movies", including , playing a high-school basketball player opposite Reese Witherspoon. Between 1999 and 2001, Walker appeared in a few notable films aimed at a teenage audience, including .

His breakthrough came in 2001, when he starred opposite Vin Diesel in the highly successful action film , which established Walker as a notable film star and leading man. Consequently, Walker played the lead role in a number of action-adventure films, the most financially successful of which was (2003), but left the project and was replaced by Colin Farrell.

In 2002, Walker was chosen by People Magazine as one of the "50 most beautiful people in the world".

Walker will appear in two upcoming films; , an adventure set in Antarctica. Both are slated for release in February 2006. He is also currently filming a part in

Walker currently resides in Santa Barbara and Huntington Beach, California, where he enjoys surfing. He has a daughter, Meadow Rain (born January 28, 1999) from a former girlfriend; she lives with her mother in Hawaii. One of his close friends is actor Scott Caan, who appeared alongside Walker in several films, including .

Walker is known to practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [2] video clip. He enjoys travelling and has visited India, Fiji and Costa Rica among others.

Walker owns a Beagle, a Chesapeake Bay puppy and a horse named Cowboy.