Ari Millen (born January 19, 1982) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his performance as numerous clones in the

Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually cons ...

and

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary seri ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

television series ''

Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identical ...

'' (2014–2017), for which he won a

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series ...

in 2016.

Early life

Millen was born in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...

. As a child he aspired to play in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

until, at the age of 17, a friend offered him a part in a small play and he decided to pursue performing arts instead. In secondary school at Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute , he spent his

Ontario Academic Credit The Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) (which may also be known as 12b) (french: Cours préuniversitaire de l'Ontario or CPO) was a fifth year of secondary school education that previously existed in the province of Ontario, Canada, designed for students ...

year studying theatre. He subsequently attended

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Tor ...

's Theatre School and graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Career

Millen signed with a

talent agency Talent has two principal meanings: * Talent (measurement), an ancient unit of mass and value * Talent (skill), a group of aptitudes useful for some activities; talents may refer to aptitudes themselves or to possessors of those talents Talent may ...

in his fourth year of university, and one of his first roles was in a 2008 episode of the television series ''

ReGenesis ''ReGenesis'' is a Canadian science-fiction television series produced by The Movie Network and Movie Central in conjunction with Shaftesbury Films. The series, which ran for four seasons from 2004 to 2008, revolves around the scientists of No ...

''. In September 2008 he appeared in a Halifax production of

Vern Thiessen Vern Thiessen (born c. 1964) is a Canadian playwright. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thiessen studied at the University of Winnipeg and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He later attended the University of Alberta, where he obtained a Master of ...

's play ''Vimy'', and in December 2008 he was cast in ''The Veil'', a play written by Shahin Sayadi. ''The Veil'' opened in Halifax before relocating to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

in January 2009, where the play was featured in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Fajr International Theater Festival Fajr International Theater Festival (est. 1983) occurs annually in Iran, featuring local and international theatrical works and performers. Among the participants: el-Warsha (Egypt) and Teatro Potlatch (Italy). Some of the events take place in the ...

. From 2010 to 2013, Millen appeared in a variety of small roles in the television series ''

Nikita Nikita may refer to: * Nikita (given name) * Nikita, Crimea, a town in Crimea * Nikita the Tanner, a character in East Slavic folklore Film and television *''Little Nikita'', a 1988 film * ''La Femme Nikita'' (film), also known as ''Nikita'', a 19 ...

'', ''

Rookie Blue ''Rookie Blue'' is a Canadian police drama television series starring Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith. It was created by Morwyn Brebner, Tassie Cameron, and Ellen Vanstone. The series premiered on June 24, 2010, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/8 ...

'' and '' State of Syn'', as well as the horror films ''

Monster Brawl ''Monster Brawl'' is a 2011 independent Canadian horror comedy film. Plot The film depicts a wrestling-style fight to the death set inside an abandoned and cursed graveyard, shown in a pay-per-view style atmosphere. The fighters are eight class ...

'' and '' Exit Humanity''. In August 2013 he successfully auditioned for a role on the second season of the science fiction series ''

'', after two unsuccessful auditions during the show's first season. It was announced in October 2013 that he had got the role of Mark. He spent six months filming ''Orphan Black'' second season, which aired in 2014, and returned for the third season in 2015. He now has multiple roles on the show, being upgraded to the main cast. At PaleyFest on October 18, 2015, it was confirmed that Millen would be returning for season four. He made a guest appearance in

Reign A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, List of Belgian monarchs, Belgium, Co-prince of Andorra, Andorra), of a people (e.g., List of Frankish kings, the Franks, List of ...

in 2014. In 2016, Millen won a Canadian Screen Award for his work on ''Orphan Black''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Millen, Ari Living people 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors Male actors from Kingston, Ontario Toronto Metropolitan University alumni 1982 births Best Actor in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners