York Alec Shackleton

Born and raised in Southern California, York Shackleton took up snowboarding and skateboarding at age 10. By 19 he was on the professional snowboarding circuit, where he wowed legions of young fans and popularized a move called the "rodeo flip." Inspired to tap into the commercial aspect of the sport, York and a friend started the company groove snowboards. In the late 1990s, York took his tricks in front of the camera, appearing in several national commercials for Mountain Dew and Taco Bell. York got his first taste of straight acting the next year, when he turned up alongside Dominique Swain as a teenage skater in Johnathan Kahn's "Girl".

York's movie career began in earnest when he landed a lead role in Emilio Ferrari's "White Out" (at his very first audition, according to Ferrari). While the film was almost universally panned, York received high marks from critics and audiences for his turn as "a cocky king of the mountain" Kelly Powers. Ferrari was so pleased with York that he wrote a part for him in his next film, "I Know What You Did Last Winter".

After appearing in several Indies and the MTV series "Undressed", York crossed over into mainstream circles with his directorial debut. "Las Paraditas", a feature documentary exposing the violence and corruption that surrounds the prostitutes of Tijuana. In 2005, York wrote and directed the critically acclaimed cult film, "Kush" Starring William Atherton, Mike Erwin and Lyn Shea.

York maintains a relatively low profile, but cohorts insist that he's one of the funniest and most gentlemanly directors in the business.