My Favorite Thespians

Jack Reynor is an award-winning Irish-American actor who co-starred opposite Florence Pugh in A24's breakout summer 2019 hit, MIDSOMMAR, directed by Ari Aster. Most recently, he was seen in Anthony and Joe Russo's crime drama film, CHERRY, opposite Tom Holland.

The multi-hyphenate talent wrote and directed a short film, BAINNE, starring Will Poulter, which won the Best First Short Drama Award at the Galway Film Festival. Reynor starred opposite Felicity Jones in Mimi Leder's, ON THE BASIS OF SEX, which chronicles the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her struggles for equal rights prior to her succession to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in CBS All Access series, STRANGE ANGEL, co-produced by Sailor Bear and Ridley Scott under his Scott Free banner.

Reynor has steadily been building his credits with critically-acclaimed performances in auteur director projects such as Lenny Abrahamson's WHAT RICHARD DID; John Carney's SING STREET, Ben Wheatley's FREE FIRE and Kathryn Bigelow's DETROIT. Additionally, he gained global recognition as the star of Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION which grossed over $1B worldwide.

In 2015 Reynor won the Sundance Film Festival's Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting for his performance in Gerard Barrett's film GLASSLAND. Other awards include two IFTA Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in SING STREET and the IFTA Award for Best Actor for his role in WHAT RICHARD DID.

He currently resides in Ireland.

Milda Jedi Havlas is known for Hostel, chapitre II (2007), Hostel (2005) and Hostel Dissected (2006).

Micah Stock was born in Dayton, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Kindred (2022), Maggie Moore(s) (2023) and Escape at Dannemora (2018).

Josh Lucas was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Michele (LeFevre), a nurse midwife, and Don Maurer, an ER doctor.

Lucas' film career began by accident in 1979 when a small Canadian film production shot on the tiny coastal South Carolina island, Sullivan's Island, where Lucas and his family lived. Unbeknownst to the filmmakers, 8-year-old Lucas was hiding in the sand dunes watching filming during the climatic scene where teenage lovers engage in a lovesick fight. It was during this experience that Lucas decided to pursue a career in film which he has now done for nearly 3 decades. Born to young, radical politically active parents in Arkansas in 1971, Lucas spent his early childhood nomadically moving around the southern U.S. The family finally settled in Gig Harbor, Washington, where Lucas attended high school. The school had an award-winning drama/debate program and Lucas won the State Championship in Dramatic Interpretation and competed at the 1989 National Championship. Brief stints in professional theater in Seattle followed before Lucas moved to Los Angeles. After receiving breaks playing a young George Armstrong Custer in the Steven Spielberg produced Class of '61 (1993) and Frank Marshall's film Les Survivants (1993), Lucas' career toiled in minor TV appearances. Frustrated, he decided to start over and relocated to New York City.

In NYC, Lucas studied acting for years under Suzanne Shepherd and worked in smaller theater productions like Shakespeare in the Parking Lot before receiving another break in 1997 when he was cast as Judas in Terrence McNally's controversial off-Broadway production Corpus Christi. The play led to his being cast in the films Tu peux compter sur moi (2000) and American Psycho (2000). These films were followed by interesting performances in the Oscar-winning Un homme d'exception (2001) and the box-office hit Fashion victime (2002).

Lucas has since worked with many of the film community's greatest talents. He starred alongside Jon Voight in Jerry Bruckheimer's Les Chemins du triomphe (2006), for which Lucas added 40 pounds to transform himself into legendary basketball coach Don Haskins. Lucas also starred with Kurt Russell and Richard Dreyfuss in Wolfgang Petersen's Poséidon (2006). He starred with Morgan Freeman and Robert Redford in Lasse Hallström's Une vie inachevée (2005). He also starred opposite Jamie Bell in David Gordon Green's L'autre rive (2004), which was also produced by Terrence Malick. Additionally, Lucas worked alongside Christopher Walken in De pères en fils (2004).

He performed with Jennifer Connelly and Eric Bana in Ang Lee's Hulk (2003). Other credits include Wonderland (2003), Bleu profond (2001), American Psycho (2000), Session 9 (2001) and Tu peux compter sur moi (2000).

Lucas' theater credits include the off-Broadway run of "Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell"; Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie", which appeared on Broadway in 2005; Terrence McNally's "Corpus Christi" at the Manhattan Theater Club; Christopher Shinn's "What Didn't Happen"; and "The Picture of Dorian Gray".

Lucas has always been fascinated by documentaries and performed voice work with film legend Ken Burns on the documentary The War (2007), and also provided voice-over work for Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience (2007), Trumbo (2007) and Resolved (2007). Lucas' first venture into production was Stolen Lives (2009), in which he played the single father of a mentally challenged boy. The film was the first project to be produced through Lucas' production company, "Two Bridges".

In the past few years, Lucas' films include La défense Lincoln (2011), Daydream Nation (2010), Le secret de Peacock (2010), as Charles Lindbergh in Clint Eastwood's film J. Edgar (2011), and the massive Australian box-office and critical success Red Dog (2011), for which Lucas won Australia's best actor award (The I.F. Award). He also played Beat Generation legend Neal Cassady in Big Sur (2013). He can be seen in Kevin Connolly's Dear Eleanor (2016), the Sundance Festival film Little Accidents and the NY indie film The Mend.

Joshua Regnall Stewart was born in Diana, West Virginia, to Margie (Skidmore) and Charles Regnall Stewart, a teacher and Baptist pastor. He studied at the T. Schreiber studios in New York City and was a company member of the 13th Street Repertory Theatre. He continued his work in theater in Los Angeles performing in 'Light Bulb,' and 'Beacon' alongside 'Robert Forster' and Brooke Shields. He is a competitive snowboarder and boxer.

Sam Strike was born on 18 January 1994 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Mindhunter (2017), Chernobyl (2019) and Ils étaient un seul homme (2023).

English actor Sam Claflin was born in Ipswich, England, to Susan A. (Clarke), a classroom assistant, and Mark J. Claflin, a finance officer. As a child, he was football-mad, often going to see his favorite team, Norwich City. He was a talented footballer, playing for Norwich schools at city level and Norfolk county level. However, he suffered two broken ankles and at 16 gave up thinking about a footballing career. He took up performing arts and a teacher from Costessey High School was impressed with his performance in a school play, and encouraged him to take up drama. He joined the local youth group at Norwich's Theatre Royal and went on to gain entry to LAMDA drama school in 2006 graduating with a 3 year acting degree in 2009. He is the 3rd eldest of 4 boys, his older brothers Dan and Ben are not involved in drama but his younger brother Joe Claflin commenced at the same drama school in 2009 also doing a 3 year acting degree.

In 2010, Clafin made his debut screen performances in two award-winning series, Les piliers de la terre (2010) and Any Human Heart (2010). His film debut came playing footballer Duncan Edwards, one of the 'Busby Babes', in United (2011). Clafin then came to the attention of cinemagoers across the world when he was cast as Philip in Pirates des Caraïbes: La Fontaine de jouvence (2011). Various roles followed, including Jack in White Heat (2012) and Prince William in Blanche-Neige et le Chasseur (2012). He played Finnick Odair in the sequels Hunger Games : L'Embrasement (2013), Hunger Games : La Révolte, partie 1 (2014), and Hunger Games : La Révolte, partie 2 (2015).

Kyle Gallner was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He started his career by following his sister along to one of her auditions.

Perhaps best know for his role as Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas on the CW's lone hit series, Veronica Mars (2004), actor Kyle Gallner had been appearing in films and on television since his early adolescence. Born on Oct. 22, 1986 and originally from Philadelphia, PA, Gallner made his first screen appearance on an episode of New York 911 (1999). After making his feature debut with a small role in Michael Showalter's bizarre comedy Wet Hot American Summer (2001) (2001), he returned to television with episodes of New York - Unité spéciale (1999) and Les anges du bonheur (1994). He next appeared in the series finale of Washington Police (2000) before playing his first recognizable role - that of Bart Allen (a.k.a. "The Flash") on Smallville (2001) during the 2004-05 season.

In 2005, Gallner joined the cast of Veronica Mars (2004) for the last three episodes of the first season, giving him the opportunity to carry over his role of Beaver into the next season. During his run on "Veronica Mars," Gallner continued making guest spots, appearing in episodes of Jack & Bobby (2004), Cold Case : Affaires classées (2003), Les Experts : Manhattan (2004) and Bones (2005). Gallner began a recurring role as a devout Mormon in the controversial HBO series Big Love (2006). Meanwhile, Gallner revived his "Smallville" role in early 2007, returning as Impulse rather than The Flash - due to a feature film with the same character being developed by Warner Bros.

Made acting debut in an episode of NBC's New York 911 (1999).

Made his film debut in the comedy cult film Wet Hot American Summer (2001).

Had a recurring role as superhero Bart Allen in Smallville (2001) (The WB, 2001-2006; The CW, 2006-2009).

Appeared in two episodes of The WB's Jack & Bobby (2004).

Joined the cast of UPN s Veronica Mars as Cassidy Casablancas; became a regular during the show s second season.

Had a recurring role as Reed Garrett, the son of Detective Taylor's (Gary Sinise) late wife on CSI: NY (CBS)

Played Jason Embry, best friend of Ben Henrickson, on the critically-acclaimed HBO drama Big Love.

Featured in the independent film Sublime.

Appeared in three episodes of The Shield (FX).

Had a supporting role in the Diablo Cody penned dark comedy Jennifer's Body.

Played the lead role in the horror film The Haunting in Connecticut.

Cast as the lead male, Quentin, in the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Gallner has in his filmography acclaimed Independents films as Gardens of the Night (2008), Beautiful Boy (2010), Red State (2011), Little Birds (2011), Magic Valley (2011) and Smashed (2011).

In 2013, Gallner appeared in the film Beautiful Creatures (2013)_, directed by Richard LaGravenese.

Harry John Newman Treadaway (born 10 September 1984) is an English actor known for his performance as Victor Frankenstein on the horror-drama series Penny Dreadful.

Born at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter, Devon, Treadaway was brought up in Sandford, Devon. His father is an architect and his mother is a primary school teacher; he has two brothers, older brother Sam (an artist) and slightly older twin Luke. Treadaway and his twin brother Luke attended Queen Elizabeth's Community College in Crediton, Devon, where they played in the twice Devon Cup winning Rugby Union team.

Inspired by a love of Eddie Vedder and with support from their secondary school drama teacher Phil Gasson, the twins formed a band called Lizardsun with Matt Conyngham and Seth Campbell. They also both joined the National Youth Theatre.

His professional debut was Brothers of the Head, a feature film about conjoined twin brothers in a punk rock band. Harry played Tom Howe, the band's rhythm guitarist and songwriter, and his brother Luke played Barry Howe, the lead singer. During rehearsals and throughout the shoot, Harry and Luke were connected to each other for fifteen hours a day, wearing sewn-together wetsuits or a harness. They also slept in one bed to simulate the conjoined nature of their characters. The Treadaways performed all tracks featured in the film themselves live on stage, as well as recording nine tracks for the sound-track album.

Treadaway took time out from his course at LAMDA to work on Brothers of the Head, and graduated in 2006.

Treadaway took on other professional commitments while still at drama school including Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder for ITV television, and a reading of a new play, Myrna Molloy for Operating Theatre Company in 2006.

Since graduating, he has taken on work such as Recovery for Tiger Aspect (playing the son of characters played by David Tennant and Sarah Parish) and as Mark Brogan on the Channel 4 series Cape Wrath (known as Meadowlands in America). In Control Harry plays Joy Division drummer Stephen Morris. In 2008 he appears in the Channel 4 drama The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall and a short film by Sam Taylor-Wood.

He has acted in horror film The Disappeared, directed by Johnny Kevorkian, and science fiction-fantasy film City of Ember.

He made his stage debut in Over There, a new play by Mark Ravenhill alongside his twin brother Luke Treadaway at the Royal Court Theatre in 2009.

Treadaway is also credited as a songwriter, after writing the piece Sink or Swim which he and Luke performed both on film and on the soundtrack of Brothers of the Head. Also he performed his song "Raise This Up" in "Brothers of the Head" as a solo performance during the scene in which Tom Howe's girlfriend breaks his heart.

In 2011, he appeared in The Last Furlong, filmed in Ireland. He starts as the title character James Furlong.

He played Victor Frankenstein in the Showtime TV series Penny Dreadful, starting in May 2014.

JR Bourne was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and executive, known for Mayans M.C. (2018), Miracle Desert (2019) and Teen Wolf (2011).

Michael Shanks was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Stargate SG-1 (1997), Stargate : Continuum (2008) and Elysium (2013). He has been married to Lexa Doig since 2 August 2003. They have two children.

The original MacGyver (1985) and Stargate SG-1 (1997) star was born on January 23, 1950, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His father, Stuart Anderson, was a teacher at a local high school and his mother, Jocelyn, was an artist who was talented in both sculpting and painting. He and his three younger brothers (Jeffrey, Thomas, and James) grew up in Roseville, a suburb of Minneapolis. He developed a love for sports, music (especially jazz) and acting.

As a teenager, Anderson dreamed of becoming a professional hockey player as a teenager. But, at age sixteen, he broke both of his arms in separate incidents, the second of which was so bad that he had to be hospitalized for three months, putting paid to the dream of becoming a hockey player. He went hitchhiking on the open road via a 5,641-mile bicycle trip from Minnesota to Alaska. Although accompanied by several friends at the beginning of this trip, he traveled the last thirty-three days alone. This experience gave him a more centered sense of direction in his life.

After studying drama at St. Cloud State University and at Ohio University (without completing his degree), he briefly moved to New York before settling in Los Angeles, where he worked as a juggler and a street mime and in a Renaissance-style cabaret. He worked briefly in Marineland, where his jobs included holding fish in his mouth for killer whales to leap up and snatch. Subsequently, he appeared in plays and formed a rock band called "Rick Dean and the Dante" with his friend Carl Dante in which he sang and played the guitar.

His big break came in 1976, when he was cast in the popular daytime drama Hôpital central (1963) as Dr. Jeff Webber. He continued to play the role for five years until he felt it was time to move on to prime-time drama. He made numerous guest appearances in series such as Drôle de vie (1979) and La croisière s'amuse (1977) and was cast as the star in two CBS series, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982) and Emerald Point N.A.S. (1983), but both lasted just one season.

His next big success came in 1985, when he won the role as the title character in the ABC adventure series MacGyver (1985). He was cast because the producers were impressed by the lack of pretension he showed at his audition. As he is nearsighted, it was necessary for him to wear his glasses for the reading. The series lasted seven seasons and ran for 139 episodes. It was hugely successful throughout its run and has continued to be popular all over the world. He reprised his role in two TV movies, MacGyver: Le trésor de l'atlantide (1994) and MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday (1994), both produced by his own production company, Gekko Film Corp, which he co-founded with Michael Greenburg.

Having made a huge impression in Ordinary Heroes (1986) as a blind Vietnam veteran struggling to rebuild his life in the United States. After "MacGyver" ended he moved on to such made-for-television movies as Le prix du secret (1992), À travers les yeux d'un tueur (1992), Délit d'amour (1994), Past the Bleachers (1995) and Destination inconnue (1996). He returned to series television in 1995, when he was cast as Ernest Pratt/Nicodemus Legend in Legend (1995), an adventure series that aired on UPN. He served as executive producer of the series, in which one of his co-stars was his close friend John de Lancie. His character was a dime novelist (Pratt) who took on the persona of the protagonist in his novels (Legend). The series was primarily a comedy, a blend of the western and science fiction.

He found major success again when cast as Colonel (later Brigadier General) Jack O'Neill in Stargate SG-1 (1997), an adventure/science fiction series based on the blockbuster Stargate : La Porte des étoiles (1994) starring Kurt Russell and James Spader. The series began filming in Vancouver on February 19, 1997, and premiered on Showtime on July 27, 1997 and on Fox Friday nights. The series has remained extremely successful since then, eventually resulting in the creation of a spin-off series, Stargate: Atlantis (2004), in 2004, and the now-canceled video game "Stargate SG-1: The Alliance" in 2005. Both series aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. He appeared, sporadically, in the latest spin-off series, Stargate: Universe (2009). His role in the SG-1 series was substantially reduced in its seventh and eighth seasons, which culminated in his departure from the series in 2005.

Never married, he had dated many women including such actresses as Teri Hatcher, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Sela Ward as well as German ice-skater Katarina Witt. Since 1996, his partner has been Apryl A. Prose, mother of his only child, Wylie Quinn Annarose Anderson (born August 2, 1998).

Gil McKinney was born on 5 February 1979 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Once Upon a Time (2011), Supernatural (2005) and Friday Night Lights (2006).

Eric Winter was born on 17 July 1976 in La Mirada, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for L'abominable vérité (2009), Fire with Fire - Vengeance par le feu (2012) and Des jours et des vies (1965). He has been married to Roselyn Sanchez since 29 November 2008. They have two children. He was previously married to Allison Ford.

Ryan Robbins was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Sanctuary (2008), Apollo 18 (2011) and Spectral (2016). He has been married to Karyn Michelle Baltzer since 2014. They have one child. He was previously married to Rebecca Reichert.

Mike Dopud can be seen on the STARZ hit show POWER. He plays Jason Micic, Serbian leader of a huge drug cartel. (Series Regular). He is also recurring on the CW series THE 100 where he plays, the intense Vinson. Mike Dopud just finished his first season on ARROW where he plays the volatile Viktor.

Mike Dopud starred in the critically acclaimed, award winning feature film VIRTUAL REVOLUTION a dark, futuristic movie about the technological revolution. Mike plays shadow Agent Nash for which he has garnered several Best Actor awards at various Film Festivals. Mike plays "Agent Roth" a lead role in the movie PROJECT EDEN. Mike was also in the blockbuster sequel DEADPOOL 2 and THE PREDATOR.

Mike has had lead roles on such Television series as STARGATE UNIVERSE as Varro, LETHAL WEAPON, CRIMINAL MINDS and DARK MATTER. Mike has also had recurring roles on ABC's MISTRESSES, and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, IZOMBIE and THE STRAIN.

Mike can also be seen in the features released in the last couple of years called. THIS MEANS WAR, and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL. Some of his other film credits include 300, SKIN TRADE, S.W.A.T., WHITE NOISE AND ROLLERBALL.

Courtenay grew up in the shadow of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. He studied theatre at Vancouver's Studio 58 and clown at École Philippe Gaulier in France.

His varied stage career has taken him all over the world including Asian and European tours of the silent, solo show 'The Pianist' (Chaplin mixed with Mr. Bean trying to play the piano). He performed two different clown roles in Cirque du Soleil's 'Dralion' touring with them for four years to over 100 cities through North and Central America, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, parts of Africa and the Middle East.

In 2019 he was asked to create the physical performance for AJ Carmichael in season 2 of the Umbrella Academy.

Matt Long was born and raised in Winchester, Kentucky and started acting early on in school plays in elementary school. He continued to act throughout his college years and after graduating from Western Kentucky University, Matt moved to New York. While playing at the Williamstown Theater Fest in Massachusetts he was spotted by his current manager and soon after that he was set to star as alpha bro Jack McCallister in his television-debut in Jack & Bobby (2004). Matt currently resides in Los Angeles, loves the outdoors and enjoys hiking and backpacking when he is not working.

Matt Mercer was born on 17 March 1980 in Newport News, Virginia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Contracted (2013), Jimmy and Stiggs (2024) and Dementia: Part II (2018).

Cory Michael Smith was born on 14 November 1986 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Mountainhead (2025), Saturday Night (2024) and May December (2023).

Nicholas D'Agosto was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. He is the son of Alan and Deanna D'Agosto, and the middle of five children (two older brothers, two younger sisters). He began acting when he was eleven years old, and was a senior at Creighton Preparatory School when he was cast in L'Arriviste (1999), which filmed in Omaha in 1997. He later moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to attend college at Marquette University, graduating cum laude with degrees in History and Theatre. He is an active member at Antaeus Company in Los Angeles, and supports the charity "The Life You Can Save". He lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and young son.

Chris Wood was born in Dublin, Ohio. During childhood, Wood spent all of his free time writing plays and putting them on with his sister and their friends. Once he got his first super-8 camera at eleven years old, he began writing and directing short films which he entered into local film festivals. This included PROBLEM: SOLUTION, the story of a boy who drops his contact lens, only to discover that he is out of contact solution. Critics said it was "...pretty good."

Wood attended public school at Dublin Jerome High School, where he was encouraged by his drama teacher to pursue acting and writing professionally. In his senior year, his school theater program mounted a play that he wrote about a talking dead body that is discovered on a business' rooftop. His mom didn't love it.

Wood attended Elon University in North Carolina, where he received a B.F.A. in Music Theatre. Weeks before graduation, he was cast as the lead role in the national tour of Spring Awakening, which brought him to Los Angeles for the first time. The show earned Wood his first representation, and soon after the completion of tour he was cast in a comedy pilot from Amazon Studios. After the pilot was not picked up to series, Wood began to work on television in shows such as Girls (2012), The Carrie Diaries (2013), Major Crimes (2012), Vampire Diaries (2009), and the Civil War mini-series Mercy Street (2016).

His first leading role in a series came in the limited event series, Alerte contagion (2016), where he played an Atlanta-based cop trapped in the quarantine zone of a dangerous viral outbreak. Wood then joined the comic-book series Supergirl (2015) for a two season arc, portraying the superhero 'Mon-el'. He then returned to his filmmaking roots with a short film, which he wrote and directed, and is in development on his first feature film.

Wood's mother works in finance and his father worked in banking. He has one sister, who is a dancer and dance instructor. In 2017, Wood launched the non-profit campaign IDONTMIND, a mental health awareness program working to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness by getting people to talk openly about their minds.

Michael Stahl-David was born on 28 October 1982 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Cloverfield (2008), In Your Eyes (2014) and Person of Interest (2011). He is married to Camila Diaz Samper.

Jeremy Jordan was born on November 20, 1984 in Corpus Christi, Texas as Jeremy Michael Jordan. He's best known for his roles in Smash (2012) & Supergirl (2015).

He graduated from Ithaca College w/ a degree musical theater in 2007. Afterwards, he landed his 1st role on Broadway in Rock of Ages. In December 2009, he left the show to play Tony in West Side Story. In 2011, he originated the role of Clyde Barrow in Bonnie & Clyde. This earned him the Theatre World Award. Later that season, he went on to star in Newsies, receiving Tony & Grammy nominations for his role as Jack Kelly.

4 months into the run, he landed the role of Jimmy Collins in season 2 of Smash (2012). For a few months, he would film the series during the day while starring in Newsies during the evening. He soon left to film Smash (2012) full-time.

His films include Joyful Noise (2012) & The Last Five Years (2014). He has guest starred on New York - Unité spéciale (1999) & Elementary (2012). Other shows include Supergirl (2015) & Raiponce, la série (2017).

Joseph Maxwell Dempsie is an English actor, best known for his roles as Chris Miles in the E4 teen comedy-drama Skins (2007-2008) and Gendry Baratheon in Game of Thrones (2011-2013; 2017-2019). Dempsie's earlier acting credits include the medical dramas Peak Practice (2000), Doctors (2001-2003), and Sweet Medicine (2003), as well as the films One for the Road and Heartlands (2003). He also appeared in This is England '86 (2010) and This is England '90 (2015), Born and Bred, a BBC documentary-drama about Tony Martin, and as the villainous John in The Fades (2011).