Lukas was born on April 16, 1976 in West Hollywood, California. His Texas-born mother,
Emily Tracy, is a writer, and his German-born father, Berthold Haas, is an artist. He has twin brothers, Simon and Nikolai. It's widely noted that Lukas was discovered at the age of five by casting director
Margery Simkin while he was in kindergarten.
While his first screen role was as the youngest of the doomed children in the 1983 nuclear Holocaust film
Testament (1983), it was his second appearance, in
Witness (1985) opposite
Harrison Ford and
Kelly McGillis, that earned attention and acclaim. In
Peter Weir's 1985 film, Lukas portrayed Samuel, an Amish child who was the sole witness to an undercover cop's murder, and his work earned him starring roles in such films as
Lady in White (1988),
The Wizard of Loneliness (1988), and
Alan & Naomi (1992) - the latter film co-written by his mother.
He continued to distinguish himself in film in starring roles including:
Music Box (1989) with
Jessica Lange and director
Costa-Gavras;
Convicts (1991) and
Rambling Rose (1991) (both with
Robert Duvall); and
Boys (1996) with
John C. Reilly and
Winona Ryder.
On stage, in 1988, Lukas performed alongside
Steve Martin and
Robin Williams in
Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" at Lincoln Center in New York City for director
Mike Nichols. He also starred with Martin in the film
Leap of Faith (1992).
Lukas went on to work with directors
Woody Allen in
Everyone Says I Love You (1996),
Tim Burton in
Mars Attacks! (1996), and
Alan Rudolph in
Breakfast of Champions (1999). He had a pivotal role in
Brick (2005),
Rian Johnson's directorial debut with
Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He next appeared in the
Kurt Cobain-inspired
Last Days (2005), directed by
Gus Van Sant, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Roles in
Material Girls (2006), slasher movie send-up
The Tripper (2006),
Who Loves the Sun (2006),
Gardener of Eden (2007),
While She Was Out (2008), and
Death in Love (2008) followed.
Recently, Lukas had a supporting role in
Christopher Nolan's
Inception (2010) opposite
Leonardo DiCaprio,
Elliot Page,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Michael Caine and
Marion Cotillard. He then appeared in
Red Riding Hood (2011) for director
Catherine Hardwicke, and
Contraband (2012), director
Baltasar Kormákur's English-language remake of the movie he starred in,
Reykjavik-Rotterdam (2008).
Lukas was most recently seen in
Crazy Eyes (2012). He has several projects in production, including
Meth Head (2013) written and directed by
Jane Clark.
Also a talented musician, Lukas plays drums and piano in the band The Rogues.