Hawke obtained his mother 's permission to attend his first casting call at the age of 14 , and secured his first film role in Joe Dante 's '' Explorers '' ( 1985 ) , in which he played an alien-obsessed schoolboy alongside River Phoenix . The film was favorably reviewed but had poor box office results . This failure caused Hawke to quit acting for a brief period after the film 's release . Hawke later described the disappointment as difficult to bear at such a young age , adding , " I would never recommend that a kid act . " In 1989 , Hawke made his breakthrough appearance in Peter Weir 's '' Dead Poets Society '' , playing one of the students taught by Robin Williams as a charismatic English teacher . The '' Variety '' reviewer noted " Hawke , as the painfully shy Todd , gives a haunting performance . " The film received considerable acclaim , winning the BAFTA Award for Best Film and an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture . With revenue of $ 235 million worldwide , it remains Hawke 's most commercially successful movie to date . Hawke later described the opportunities he was offered as a result of the film 's success as critical to his decision to continue acting : " I did n't want to be an actor and I went back to college . But then the film 's success was so monumental that I was getting offers to be in such interesting movies and be in such interesting places , and it seemed silly to pursue anything else . " While filming '' Dead Poets Society '' he auditioned for what would be his next film , 1989 's comedy drama '' Dad '' , where he played Ted Danson 's son and Jack Lemmon 's grandson . Hawke 's next film , 1991 's '' White Fang '' , brought his first leading role . The film , an adaptation of Jack London 's novel of the same name , featured Hawke as Jack Conroy , a Yukon gold hunter who befriends a wolfdog ( played by Jed ) . According to '' The Oregonian '' , " Hawke does a good job as young Jack ... He makes Jack 's passion for White Fang real and keeps it from being ridiculous or overly sentimental . " He appeared in Keith Gordon 's '' A Midnight Clear '' ( 1992 ) , a well-received war film based on William Wharton 's novel of the same name . In the survival drama '' Alive '' ( 1993 ) , adapted from Piers Paul Read 's 1974 non-fiction book , Hawke portrayed Nando Parrado , one of the survivors of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 , which crashed in the Andes
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
Ethan Hawke