JASON PRIESTLEY
Date of Birth: August 28, 1969
Cursed with the stigma of always being known as a teen hearthrob, Jason Priestley began his career as a child actor in TV commercials. After dropping out of acting in his teens to concentrate on high school sports, Vancouver-born Priestley got back in the professional swim following graduation, accepting one-shot roles on TV series such as 21 Jump Street, Quantum Leap and MacGyver.
His first American TV assignment was the regular role of teen orphan Todd Mahaffey on the 1989 sitcom Sister Kate. When Aaron Spelling's daughter Tori spotted Priestley on the show, she suggested that her father audition him for a role in the upcoming Fox series Beverly Hills, 90210. Priestley was cast as Brandon Walsh, twin brother of Brenda (Shannen Doherty) who move with their parents to the glamorous Hills from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Unlike many of his young series costars, Priestly was intent on laying the groundwork for life after 90210. Despite lack of fanfare with his first major film role in Penny Marshall's Calendar Girl (1993), he enjoyed some success as a 90210 director and producer. Priestley encountered further success and even critical vindication with his turn as Ronnie Bostock, the B movie hunk who steals John Hurt's heart in Love and Death on Long Island (1997). Critics warmed to Priestley's performance, noting that his days of idolatry had given him overly adequate preparation for his portrayal.
Unlike other teen idols who rue the day when the fan mail will cease, Priestley claimed he was happy when his idoldom took a downward slide: "It's like having a big cancerous lesion on your shoulder. Because people are fickle, man."
After directing some music videos and taking on roles in small, low budget films, he returned to series television with a regular role as baddie Jack Harper in Tru Calling, starring Eliza Dushku.
In his spare time, Priestley enjoys taking part in car racing, even though he was seriously injured when his car slammed into a wall during a practice run in 2002. He was literally dead for 45 seconds before medics on the scene brought him back. His injuries included a fractured spine, broken foot bones and a concussion. Priestley, who has no memory of the crash, spent several months in rehabilitation. He is currently separated from his wife, actress Ashlee Petersen, whom he married in 1999.
Filmography
Going the Distance (2004)
Chicks with Sticks (2004)
Die, Mommie, Die (2003)
Darkness Falling (2002)
Fancing Dancing (2002)
Time of the Wolf (2002)
Cover STory (2002)
Cherish (2002)
The Fourth Angel (2001)
Zigs (2001)
The Highwayman (2000)
Eye Of The Beholder (1999)
Barenaked in America (1999)
Dill Scallion (1999)
The Highwayman (1999)
Standing on Fishes (1999)
Zigs (1999)
Conversations in Limbo (1998)
Hacks (1997/I)
Love and Death on Long Island (1997)
Coldblooded (1995)
Tombstone (1993)
Calendar Girl (1993)
Nowhere to Run (1989)
Watchers (1988)
The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)