Tucker was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to parents Maggie Moss, a public relations and marketing analyst and executive, and Paul Hayes Tucker, a professor of art at the University of Massachusetts and a leading expert on Claude Monet. His father is of Irish Catholic background and his mother is Jewish.
Tucker was raised in Charlestown, Massachusetts but attended The Park School in Brookline, Massachusetts. He attended the Boston Ballet and played Fritz in their production of The Nutcracker for 5 years starting when he was in the third grade. He was featured in a Boston Ballet calendar and attended The Thacher School in Ojai, California.
He is known for his roles in the films The Virgin Suicides (1999), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), Hostage (2005), In the Valley of Elah (2007), and The Ruins (2008). He has appeared in the television series The Black Donnellys (2007) and Parenthood (2011–2013). As of October 2014, he co-stars in the Direct Television drama series Kingdom with Frank Grillo.
His paternal great-grandfather was historian and ambassador Carlton J. H. Hayes.
Tucker said of his ballet experience, "Ballet is one of the more difficult rigors that I"ve ever done. The Ballet instructors are some of the most intimidating people I"ve metropolitan"
Tucker first started off in film by appearing in the early 90s films Botte di Natale (1994), Two If by Sea (1996) and Sleepers (1996) before being cast in the 1999 film The Virgin Suicides as Tim Weiner.
He starred as Matthew in the 2000 comedy film 100 Girls. A year later, he co-starred in The Deep End with Tilda Swinton and Josh Lucas.
In 2003, Tucker was cast in the horror film, and remake of the 1974 horror film of the same name, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre where he played Morgan.
In 2004, he appeared in the films Stateside and Criminal. His better known roles are as Dennis Cooper in the 2005 film Hostage. Tucker plays one of the brothers that, along with their mysterious accomplice Mars, holds a family hostage.
He starred with Tommy Lee Jones in the 2007 film In the Valley of Elah as a soldier who is found dismembered and burned after he recently returned from Iraq.
During that time, he also played Tommy Donnelly in the television series The Black Donnellys. In 2008, he was cast in The Ruins, a horror film about human eating plants.
He portrayed emerging artist Patrick Angus in the 2009 film An Englishman in New York, opposite John Hurt as Quentin Crisp. The biographical drama chronicles Crisp"s later years spent in New York City.
The Hollywood Reporter announced that Tucker was cast in the 2010 thriller film The Next Three Days with Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks.
lieutenant was announced in November 2011, that Tucker signed on to the television series Parenthood. He played the role of Bob Little from 2011 to 2014. Since the series premiered on the Audience Network in October 2014, Tucker co-stars on the Direct Television drama series Kingdom.
He plays Jay, a mixed martial artist and son of trainer, Alvey Kulina (played by Frank Grillo).
Tucker will also appear in the final five episodes of the television series Justified on Forex.
