 Eckhart 's family relocated to England in 1981 , following his father 's job in information technology . The family resided in Ripley Surrey , South East England , then moved onto Walton @-@ on @-@ Thames , later moving to Cobham . While living in England , Eckhart attended American Community School , now known as ACS International Schools , where he was first introduced to acting , starring in a school production as Charlie Brown . In 1985 he moved to Sydney , where he attended American International School of Sydney for his high school senior year ; he further developed his acting skills in productions like Waiting for Godot , where he admits that he gave a " terrible " performance . In the autumn of his senior year Eckhart left the school in order to take a job working at the Warringah Mall movie theater . He eventually earned his diploma through an adult education course . This also allowed Eckhart time to enjoy a year of surfing in Hawaii and the coastal waters of France as well as skiing in the Alps . In 1988 , Eckhart returned to the United States and enrolled as a film major at Brigham Young University – Hawaii , but later transferred to Brigham Young University ( BYU ) in Provo , Utah . He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree . 
