Background
Coltrane was born in Austin, Texas to Genevieve (née Kinney) and Bruce Salmon, a musician.
Coltrane was born in Austin, Texas to Genevieve (née Kinney) and Bruce Salmon, a musician.
In 2001, at age six, Coltrane was cast by filmmaker Richard Linklater to play the title character of sorts of the film Boyhood. Linklater wanted to make an unprecedented film that would show a boy"s coming of age, but with the actors growing up or aging on screen. During his childhood, Coltrane also appeared in several other movies, including a small role in Linklater"s 2006 film Fast Food Nation.
He was largely home-schooled as a child, with the exception of three years of high school followed by a General Educational Development. He has also been credited under his birth name of Ellar Salmon.
Coltrane and other members of the cast were filmed intermittently for several days at a time between May 2002 and August 2013, when Coltrane turned 19. There were 45 days of filming altogether.