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Shawn Ashmore
Canadian actor (born 1979) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor known for roles in film, television, and interactive media.
He began acting in his youth, notably portraying Jake Berenson on Nickelodeon's Animorphs (1998–1999), Tyler Connell in Disney Channel's In a Heartbeat (2000–2001), and Brad Rigby in the Disney Channel Original Movie Cadet Kelly (2002). At age 14, Ashmore received a Gemini nomination for Best Performance in a Children's/Youth Program for his starring role in the TV film Guitarman (1994).
Ashmore gained international recognition as Bobby Drake / Iceman in the 20th Century Fox X-Men films (2000–2014), winning the 2004 MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male Performance for X2. His later film roles include portraying Canadian hero Terry Fox in Terry (2005), as well as leading parts in the horror films The Ruins (2008) and Frozen (2010).
On television, Ashmore portrayed FBI agent Mike Weston in The Following (2013–2015), and since 2018, he has starred as attorney Wesley Evers on police-procedural drama The Rookie. He has also headlined several video games, providing voice and performance capture for prominent titles such as Quantum Break (2016), The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan (2019), and Alan Wake II (2023).
Ashmore received a Leo Award for Legend of Earthsea (2004) and has earned multiple Gemini and Saturn Award nominations. He is the identical twin of actor Aaron Ashmore.
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Early life and education
Shawn Robert Ashmore was born on October 7, 1979, in Richmond, British Columbia, to Linda Davis, a homemaker, and Rick Ashmore, a senior manager in the floor-covering industry.[1][2] When he was a few weeks old, his family moved to St. Albert, Alberta, where he spent much of his early childhood. Around age ten, Ashmore relocated with his family to Brampton, Ontario, where he later attended Turner Fenton Secondary School.[3][4]
Ashmore and his identical twin brother, Aaron, began appearing in television commercials while still in elementary school. According to Ashmore, the brothers began acting after a talent agent approached their mother, inviting the twins to audition for a commercial. Aaron was initially cast, but when he fell ill on the day of filming, Shawn stepped in, effectively landing his first acting role.[5] Early in their careers, casting directors sometimes resolved the challenge of choosing between the identical twins by flipping a coin.[6]
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Career
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Early work and breakthrough (1990s–2004)
At age nine, Ashmore made his screen debut on the CTV series Katts and Dog (1990).[7] The following year, he and his brother appeared in minor roles in the feature film Married to It (1991).[8] Ashmore's first starring role was the family TV film Guitarman (1994), which earned him a Gemini Award nomination for Best Performance in a Children's/Youth Program at age 14.[9] In his late teens, he chose to pursue acting full-time after realizing he was happiest when working on set.[5]
Ashmore’s first regular television role was Jake Berenson in Animorphs (1998–1999), a Nickelodeon series adapted from K. A. Applegate's popular children's science fiction books. Reflecting on the series in 2022, Ashmore remarked that its enduring popularity "is so crazy to me", adding he is "always amazed" when fans still recognize him from the show.[10] He then starred as EMT cadet Tyler Connell in the Disney Channel series In a Heartbeat (2000–2001) and portrayed cadet major Brad Rigby in the Disney Channel Original Movie Cadet Kelly (2002).[11] He later described this phase of his career as "a real Nickelodeon/Disney moment" during his late teens and early twenties.[10]
Ashmore debuted as Bobby Drake / Iceman in X-Men (2000). The film was a commercial success, grossing $296.3 million worldwide[12] and launching a franchise in which Ashmore reprised his role in multiple sequels. He guest-starred as Eric Summers in two episodes of Smallville (2002, 2004), a series in which his brother later portrayed Jimmy Olsen.[13] Ashmore returned as Iceman with an expanded role in X2 (2003), receiving the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Male Performance in 2004.[14] During the lead-up to the film's release, Ashmore reflected on the growing public attention, saying his family "were a little freaked out when they started realizing that my face was going to be on buses and at movie theatres".[15]
In December 2004, Ashmore starred as the young wizard Ged in the Syfy miniseries Legend of Earthsea, adapted from Ursula K. Le Guin's novels.[16] Although the production received mixed reviews, Tom Shales of The Washington Post wrote that "Ashmore makes a likable and modest hero."[17] His performance earned him the 2005 Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama.[18]
Film and television (2005–2015)
In 2005, Ashmore portrayed Canadian icon Terry Fox in the CTV biographical film Terry (2005), dramatizing Fox's Marathon of Hope. Reflecting on the role, Ashmore noted that "the roughest part is the physicality, learning the skip-hop to make it real, and remembering and knowing the movement".[19] His performance earned him a Gemini Award nomination for Best Actor.[20] That same year, Ashmore appeared in three diverse feature films. He played Rob Donovan, a prep school student coerced into a stolen-car ring, in the action comedy Underclassman.[21] He also headlined one of three intersecting stories in the HIV/AIDs drama 3 Needles, anchoring the Canadian segment, which depicted the ripple effects of a hidden HIV diagnosis.[5] He closed 2005 with psychological thriller The Quiet, portraying basketball player Connor Kennedy, who befriends a social outcast named Dot.[22]
In May 2006, Ashmore reprised his role as Iceman in X-Men: The Last Stand, the third installment of 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series.[23] He also voiced the character in the tie-in video game X-Men: The Official Game, bridging the events between X2 and The Last Stand.[24] In 2008, he starred as Eric in the horror film The Ruins,[25] portraying an American tourist in Mexico enticed to visit a remote Mayan ruin in the jungle. The following year, Ashmore starred in the CTV telefilm Diverted (2009), playing an air‑traffic manager dealing with grounded flights in Newfoundland during the September 11 attacks.[26] He also voiced Iceman again in several episodes of the animated series The Super Hero Squad Show.[27]
In 2010, Ashmore portrayed Joe Lynch in Adam Green's dramatic thriller Frozen[28] and co‑starred as George Barnum in the ensemble horror remake Mother's Day.[29] Subsquently, he starred as Fitz, a hard-living air-ambulance doctor in the eight-part miniseries Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, adapted from Vincent Lam's Giller Prize–winning stories. Ashmore also served as an executive producer on the series, which received nine Gemini nominations.[30][31] That November, Ashmore and his brother Aaron guest-starred in the Fringe episode "Amber 31422". Den of Geek praised their performances, describing both actors as "rather good".[32] The episode marked the first project the brothers had collaborated on in fifteen years. Discussing their decision to work together, Ashmore explained, "It's usually because the stuff that came along is kind of hokey, but I think the quality of Fringe is really high and the episode is done well and our characters are intelligent. We're going to have some fun."[33]
In 2011, Ashmore played Adam, one of five survivors besieged by cannibals, in the post-apocalyptic thriller The Day. The film premiered in the Midnight Madness programme at Toronto International Film Festival and was later acquired for U.S. distribution by WWE Studios.[34][35] He next starred in the bilingual road-movie romance Mariachi Gringo (2012), portraying an aimless Kansan who relocates to Guadalajara to become a mariachi singer. The film premiered as the opening-night gala of the 29th Miami International Film Festival.[36] From 2013 to 2015, Ashmore starred as FBI special agent Mike Weston on Fox's crime thriller series The Following. Weston remained a central character throughout the show's three-season run.[37] In 2014, Ashmore reprised his role as Iceman in X-Men: Days of Future Past, appearing alongside both returning cast members from the first three films and the cast of the prequel film X-Men: First Class. He praised the decision to unite the original and prequel casts into one film, calling it "a very interesting and smart way to continue telling this story".[38]
Continued screen work and video game debut (2016–2020)
In 2016, Ashmore transitioned into interactive media, starring in Microsoft and Remedy Entertainment's action-adventure game Quantum Break. Using full-body performance capture and voice acting, he portrayed the time-manipulating protagonist Jack Joyce in both gameplay sequences and the game's live-action companion episodes.[39][40] Upon release, Quantum Break became Microsoft Studios' best-selling new Xbox One IP and the platform's most-played new title in its launch week.[41] Game Informer praised Ashmore for giving Jack Joyce "the scope and complexity to be interesting for such long periods of time", highlighting his natural banter and effective escalation of tension during action sequences.[42] That same year, Ashmore returned to network television as Assistant District Attorney Sam Spencer in the American legal drama Conviction.[43]
Ashmore subsequently appeared in several genre films. He starred as Deputy Conrad "Colt" Salter in the sci-fi horror film Devil's Gate, which premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival,[44] and portrayed troubled brother Officer Darryl Tarasoff in the Canadian mystery Hollow in the Land (2017).[45] In 2018, he appeared in the action thriller Acts of Violence as a Cleveland police officer pursuing a human‑trafficking ring.[46] That same year, Ashmore began a recurring role as defense attorney Wesley Evers on the police-procedural series The Rookie.[47] In 2019, he appeared in Hulu's anthology series Into the Dark, playing migrant‑rights activist Thomas in the Independence Day–themed episode "Culture Shock".[48] He also continued his interactive media work by providing voice, likeness, and motion capture for the playable character Conrad in the horror game The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan (2019).[49]
In 2020, Ashmore had a recurring role in the second season of the Amazon Prime Video superhero series The Boys as Lamplighter, a former member of the superhero group the Seven.[50] Reflecting on the role, Ashmore noted the contrast with his earlier portrayal of Bobby Drake / Iceman, whom he described as "the quintessential good guy", suggesting that his casting as Lamplighter "wasn't a coincidence". He explained, "One of the things I liked about The Boys is that they subvert the genre, and I really got to lean into that."[51] Series creator Eric Kripke revealed Ashmore initially auditioned for another part, but Kirpke "really wanted to get him into the show" and considered him "perfect" for Lamplighter due to Ashmore's "X-Men pedigree" and strong acting. Ashmore himself enjoyed the irony, stating it was fun to play "both sides of a superhero".[52]
Television main cast and expanded game work (2021–present)
In 2021, Ashmore appeared in two thriller features. He portrayed Kevin Dadich in the Netflix release Aftermath[53] and starred as Nick Miller, an increasingly controlling husband, in the psychological‑horror film The Free Fall, which premiered at Grimmfest on October 7.[54] That same year, his recurring role as defence attorney Wesley Evers on ABC's The Rookie was upgraded to a main cast position at the start of the third season.[47][55] He later reprised the role in the 2022 episode "Standoff" of the spin‑off The Rookie: Feds.[56]
In 2023, Ashmore provided voice acting and motion capture for Sheriff Tim Breaker in Remedy Entertainment's survival horror game Alan Wake II.[57] In the game's Night Springs DLC, he portrayed an alternate-reality version of himself filming a time-travel game scene, a sequence one described by one reviewer as "a real fourth wall break", filled with references and in-jokes about Ashmore's earlier role in Quantum Break.[58] Remedy's Sam Lake noted that this character was written specifically for Ashmore as a nod to their previous collaboration.[59]
Ashmore continued working in interactive media by voicing Timmy LeBlanc in Sons of the Forest. GamesRadar+ reported that Ashmore joined the cast as side character Timmy LeBlanc, noting that the game's February 2024 update would expand his character's role in the story.[60] In 2025, Ashmore starred as Randall Harris in the supernatural-horror film It Feeds, directed by Chad Archibald.[61]
Ashmore is set to star in the psychological thriller The Huntsman, directed by Kyle Kauwika Harris. Based on Judith Sanders's novel, the film features Ashmore as a repressed ICU nurse who volunteers to read to a coma patient suspected of serial murders.[62] He will also co-star in Just Breathe, a crime thriller marking the feature debut of director Paul Pompa III. The film was in post-production as of late 2024,[63] and in June 2025, Shout! Studios acquired its North American distribution rights.[64]
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Personal life
On July 27, 2012, Ashmore married Dana Renee Wasdin in Los Angeles, whom he met on the set of the thriller Frozen, where Wasdin served as an assistant director.[65] They have one son, Oliver, born in 2017.[66][67]
Ashmore and his twin brother Aaron have matching "GMA" tattoos on their wrists. According to Aaron, the initials stand for "Good Man Ashmore," honoring their step-grandfather, Gangu Jagtiani, who married their grandmother before the twins were born and was regarded as their grandfather.[68] Ashmore has also supported breast‑cancer awareness causes. In October 2021, he participated in a virtual meet‑and‑greet auction run by the nonprofit A Cause for Entertainment, with proceeds funding breast cancer research and patient support.[69]
Filmography
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
Film
Television
Video games
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Awards and nominations
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References
External links
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