Avan Tudor Jogia (; born February 9, 1992) is a Canadian actor. He first received recognition for portraying Danny Araujo in the

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

'' A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story'' (2006). After moving to the United States in his late teens, he landed various television roles within series such as '' Caprica'' (2009–2010). Jogia had his breakthrough for playing Beck Oliver in the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

Victorious ''Victorious'' (stylized as ''VICTORiOUS'') is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider (TV producer), Dan Schneider that originally aired on Nickelodeon, debuting on March 27, 2010, and concluding on February 2, 2013 after four seasons. Th ...

'' (2010–2013), and rose to mainstream prominence for his roles as Danny Desai in the

drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-ge ...

'' Twisted'' (2013),

Tutankhamun Tutankhamun (, egy, twt-ꜥnḫ-jmn), Egyptological pronunciation Tutankhamen () (), sometimes referred to as King Tut, was an Egyptian pharaoh who was the last of his royal family to rule during the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ruled ...

in the

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

'' Tut'' (2015), Roman Mercer in the

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...

action series Action fiction is a literary genre that focuses on stories that involve high-stakes, high-energy, and fast-paced events. This genre includes a wide range of sub-genres, such as spy novels, adventure stories, tales of terror and intrigue ("cloak a ...

'' Ghost Wars'' (2017–2018) and Ulysses Zane in the

comedy series Television comedy is a category of broadcasting that has been present since the early days of entertainment media. While there are several genres of comedy, some of the first ones aired were variety shows. One of the first Television in the United ...

Now Apocalypse ''Now Apocalypse'' is an American comedy television series that aired for one season of ten episodes from March 10 to May 12, 2019, on Starz. The series was written by Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino. Araki also was director and executive produc ...

'' (2019). Numerous credits in television and cinema include ''

Spectacular! ''Spectacular!'' is a 2009 musical comedy-drama film that aired on Nickelodeon and YTV. It stars Canadian singer Nolan Gerard Funk, Australian singer Tammin Sursok, Victoria Justice and Simon Curtis with Matthew Bennett, Andrea Lewis, Shannon ...

'' (2009), ''

Finding Hope Now ''Finding Hope Now'' is a 2010 Gang/Crime film starring Stelio Savante, Michael Badalucco, Avan Jogia, Rolando Monge and Nick Rey Angelus. Cast * Michael Badalucco as Roger Minassian ** Mick Wingert as Young Roger Minassian * Avan Jogia as Santos ...

'' (2010), ''

Rags Rag, rags, RAG or The Rag may refer to: Common uses * Rag, a piece of old cloth * Rags, tattered clothes * Rag (newspaper), a publication engaging in tabloid journalism * Rag paper, or cotton paper Arts and entertainment Film * ''Rags'' (1915 ...

'' (2012), ''

Ten Thousand Saints ''Ten Thousand Saints'' is a 2015 American drama film written and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini. It is based on the novel of the same name by Eleanor Henderson. The film stars Asa Butterfield as Jude Keffy-Horn, the protagon ...

'' (2015), '' I Am Michael'' (2015) and '' Zombieland: Double Tap'' (2019). His directorial debut came in 2011 with the short film ''Alex''. He stars as

Leon S. Kennedy is a character in ''Resident Evil'' (''Biohazard'' in Japan), a survival horror video game series created by Japanese company Capcom. He debuted as one of the two player characters of the video game ''Resident Evil 2'' (1998), alongside Claire ...

in the 2021 film '' Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City''. In 2011, Jogia co-founded the

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

online organization '' Straight But Not Narrow'', which seeks to shape the viewpoints of teenagers and adults on matters pertaining to the LGBT community. In 2019, he published his first book, ''Mixed Feelings'', a series of short stories and poems about multiracial identity. He and his brother Ketan make up the band Saint Ivory. They released an album to complement the book also titled ''Mixed Feelings''.

Early life

Avan Tudor Jogia was born on February 9, 1992, in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, the son of Wendy and Mike Jogia. His father is a British Indian

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

, and his mother is of English, German, and Welsh descent. He is the younger brother of Ketan, a music producer in London. Besides English, Jogia speaks some

and French. According to ''The Start'', Jogia was a student at

Killarney Secondary School Killarney Secondary School is a public secondary school in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest public secondary school in the city by area. The school and the neighbourhood it is located in is named after Killarney, Ireland. ...

until age 17 when he left to pursue acting full-time, having already gained a number of small television credits. In an interview, he said that his parents withdrew him from

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

in favor of home schooling. He moved to Los Angeles, California on the trial-basis ultimatum that he would land a role within a six-month period – or return to schooling. Jogia has cited British actor

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

as one of his early acting inspirations, particularly Curry's role as

Long John Silver Long John Silver is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the novel ''Treasure Island'' (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson. The most colourful and complex character in the book, he continues to appear in popular culture. His missing l ...

in the 1996 musical adventure comedy film, ''

Muppet Treasure Island ''Muppet Treasure Island'' is a 1996 American musical swashbuckler comedy film directed by Brian Henson. It is the fifth theatrical film in ''The Muppets'' franchise. Adapted from the 1883 novel ''Treasure Island'' by Robert Louis Stevenson, ...

''. British actor

Sir Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and two ...

is another of Jogia's inspirations; the two would later appear in the 2015 miniseries '' Tut'', and work together on the 2016 short film ''Of Dogs and Men''.

Career

2006–2013: ''Caprica'' and ''Victorious''

His first role came in 2006 when he portrayed Danny Araujo–the younger brother of teenage

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

woman

Gwen Araujo Gwen Amber Rose Araujo (February 24, 1985 – October 4, 2002) was an American trans teenager who was murdered in Newark, California at the age of 17. She was murdered by four men, two of whom she had been sexually intimate with, who beat a ...

–in the biographical television film '' A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story'', directed by

Agnieszka Holland Agnieszka Holland (born 28 November 1948) is a Polish film and television director and screenwriter, best known for her political contributions to Polish cinema. She began her career as assistant to directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej Wajda, ...

. In 2007, he had a recurring role in

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

television sitcom ''

Aliens in America ''Aliens in America'' is an American teen sitcom created by David Guarascio and Moses Port that aired on The CW for one season from October 1, 2007, to May 18, 2008. Guarascio and Port also served as executive producers of the show alongside Tim ...

'' as the character Sam, and appeared in the Canadian horror television movie ''

Devil's Diary ''Devil's Diary'' is a Canadian horror television film directed by Farhad Mann and written by John Benjamin Martin.Nickelodeon network original film '' Gym Teacher: The Movie'', as Champ Sinclair, a role opposite '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' actor

Christopher Meloni Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' for its first 12 seasons and its spin-off ...

. He returned to the network the following year, starring in the 2009 film ''

'' as Tajid, alongside future ''Victorious'' co-star

Victoria Justice Victoria Dawn Justice (born February 19, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She has received several accolades, including two Young Artist Awards and nominations for three Imagen Awards, an NAACP Image Award, and three Kids' Choice Awar ...

. From 2009 to 2010, Jogia had a recurring role in the television series '' Caprica'', a spin-off of ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...

'', on

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

. Cast as the role of

Ben Stark Benjamin "Ben" Stark is an American Magic: The Gathering player. His career accomplishments include back to back Pro Tour Top 8s in 2004 and winning Pro Tour Paris in 2011. In 2013, he was voted into the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame. Ma ...

in August 2008, with production of the series' pilot episode completed by the conclusion of that year. In late 2009, he joined the cast of Nickelodeon television series ''

''.(October 27, 2009). Starring alongside

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

, and

Elizabeth Gillies Elizabeth Egan Gillies (born July 26, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She gained prominence for her starring roles as Jade West in the Nickelodeon series ''Victorious'' (2010–2013), and as Fallon Carrington on The CW revival of ''D ...

, Jogia played Beck Oliver, the boyfriend of Jade West (played by Gillies).(December 17, 2010). This was the actor's first main role in a television series; a role, which lasted from the series'

inception ''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced the film with Emma Thomas, his wife. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infiltr ...

in March 2010, through to the conclusion of the 4th and final season of the show in 2013. Jogia sang background vocals on several cast songs in the show's soundtrack, and had a brief prominent part in the song "Finally Falling" in the episode "Tori the Zombie". Jogia also appeared as Beck in the Nickelodeon film, ''

iParty with Victorious ''iParty with Victorious'' is a 2011 television movie that acts as a crossover of the television series '' iCarly'' and ''Victorious''. It premiered on Nickelodeon June 11, 2011. The crossover's theme song mash-up, "Leave It All to Shine", pre ...

'', a ''Victorious''

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

movie with '' iCarly''. Throughout his tenure on ''Victorious'', Jogia starred in various films. In 2010, he appeared in the drama film '' Triple Dog'', and the gang-crime film ''

'' (filmed back in 2009) as the lead character, Santos Delgado. Jogia later directed and starred in ''Alex'', a short film; this marked his first project he directed.(October 31, 2011). During the following year, he appeared in the 2012 Nickelodeon television movie ''

'', along with

Keke Palmer Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer (born August 26, 1993) ( ) is an American actress, singer and television personality. Known for playing leading and character roles in comedy and drama productions, she has received a Primetime Emmy Award, five NAACP I ...

and

Drake Bell Jared Drake Bell (born June 27, 1986) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and musician. Born in Newport Beach, California, he began his career as an actor in the early 1990s at the age of five with his first televised appearance on ''Hom ...

, portraying Finn Covington.(May 24, 2012).

2013–2016: ''Twisted'', ''Tut'' and other projects

Jogia was cast in the lead role of Danny Desai on the

ABC Family The American cable television, cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and s ...

mystery–thriller series '' Twisted'' (originally titled ''Socio''), in October 2012. The role saw Jogia opposite main cast members

Maddie Hasson Madelaine Hasson (born January 4, 1995) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Willa Monday on Fox's television series ''The Finder''. She also co-starred in the ABC Family series '' Twisted''. She starred in the YouTube Premium s ...

and

Kylie Bunbury Kylie Bunbury (born January 30, 1989) is a Canadian-American actress. Life Bunbury was born in Montreal, Canada, to Kristi Novak and Alex Bunbury, a soccer player. Her father is Guyanese-Canadian. She spent her childhood in England (for two yea ...

, and supporting cast members including

Denise Richards Denise Richards (born February 17, 1971) is an American actress, television personality, and former fashion model. Her most recognized roles are Carmen Ibanez in ''Starship Troopers'' (1997), Kelly Van Ryan in '' Wild Things'' (1998) and Bond gi ...

Sam Robards Samuel Prideaux Robards (born December 16, 1961) is an American actor, best known for his role as Henry Swinton in the film ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence''. Early life and education Robards was born in New York City, the son of actor Jason Roba ...

and Kimberly Quinn. The series pilot was greenlit in August 2012, and was filmed in October in New York City. In February 2013, ABC Family ordered the show as a series and production commenced in

Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...

the following month, on April 3, 2013. On the themes of the series, Jogia remarked, "''Twisted'' is similar to ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

'' in that it's about trying to find out who did it, but it's more about the human relationships between characters and the strain that things can put on them. It's also a little bit of a social commentary piece, because it covers very timely issues." The series premiered on June 11, 2013, and ran for 19 episodes; for his role as Desai, Jogia received two nominations at the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

and 2014 Teen Choice Awards, in the categories "Summer TV Star: Male" and "Actor: Drama", respectively. ABC Family opted not to renew ''Twisted'' for a second season, in August 2014. In 2014, Jogia was cast in the

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was o ...

, '' Tut'', alongside English actor

. In the lead role of the titular Pharaoh

, Jogia was reunited with ''Twisted'' actress Kylie Bunbury, who portrayed Suhad –Tutankhamun's love interest. On the casting of Bunbury, Jogia noted that, " was cool to be able to work with someone unburyyou have built-in chemistry with. Going into this situation, I had no idea what it was going to be like, so knowing I was taking this on with someone I knew really helped." The miniseries, filmed in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, premiered on Spike on July 19, 2015, and concluded on July 21, 2015. Jogia returned to cinema after joining the cast of multiple films throughout 2014. In February of that year, ''

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a British ...

'' reported that Jogia would star in ''

'', an adaption of the 2011 novel of the same name by Eleanor Henderson. Released in 2015, the film also starred

Asa Butterfield Asa Bopp Farr Butterfield (; born Asa Maxwell Thornton Farr Butterfield on 1 April 1997) is an English actor. He has received nominations for three British Independent Film Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, two Saturn Awards, and three Young ...

, Hailee Steinfeld and

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...

. In August 2014, he landed a role in '' I Am Michael''. Based on Benoit Denizet-Lewis' '' New York Times Magazine'' article "My Ex-Gay Friend" in 2011, the film's cast includes

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...

Zachary Quinto Zachary John Quinto (; born June 2, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'' (2006–2010); Spock in th ...

and

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991 Additional on October 9, 2016) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television projects of the horror film, horror and thriller (genre), thriller genres, she has received List of awar ...

, along with Jogia who portrays Nico, a gay Buddhist the protagonist (Franco) briefly falls in love with. Principal photography on the film commenced on August 11, 2014, in New York City and concluded later that month. The film was released at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, before a

limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

and through

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...

in January 2017. Later in 2015, Jogia appeared as Dark in the short film, ''Here Now''. Further in 2015, he released a trailer for a horror–thriller short film he directed, entitled ''Of Dogs and Men''. The short film had appearances by Sir Ben Kingsley, who previously worked with Jogia on ''Tut''. Jogia's next credit was the 1970s–based crime drama film ''Shangri–La Suite'' (also known as ''Killing the King''), together with

Luke Grimes Luke Timothy Grimes (born January 21, 1984) is an American actor. He is known for his role as real life Navy SEAL Marc Alan Lee in the acclaimed film ''American Sniper''. He played Christian Grey's brother, Elliot, in the film '' Fifty Shades of ...

and Emily Browning. The film follows two young lovers (Grimes and Browning) who go on a journey to Los Angeles with the intent of killing

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

; Jogia starred as Teijo Littlefoot, an old friend of the protagonist (Grimes), who joins the duo's journey in search of medical transition. The film was released in late 2016. He appeared as Bones, in the 2016 web series short ''Last Teenagers of the Apocalypse''. The four-part series, which was released on April 21, 2016, was produced and directed by Jogia.

2017–present: Films, ''Now Apocalypse'' and ''Mixed Feelings''

Avan Jogia and Kelli Berglund March 2019

In 2017, he starred in the psychological thriller ''The Drowning'' (previously, ''Border Crossing''), directed by Bette Gordon, with

Julia Stiles Julia O'Hara Stiles (born March 28, 1981) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Stiles began acting at the age of 11 as part of New York's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. Her film debut was a small role in ''I'' ''Love Yo ...

and Josh Charles. Adapted from

Pat Barker Patricia Mary W. Barker, (née Drake; born 8 May 1943) is an English writer and novelist. She has won many awards for her fiction, which centres on themes of memory, trauma, survival and recovery. Her work is described as direct, blunt and pl ...

's 2001 novel ''

Border Crossing Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...

'', Jogia portrayed the central character,

Danny Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to the male name Daniel. It may refer to: People * Danny Altmann, British immunologist *Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer *Danny Baker (born 1957), English journal ...

, who was rescued from drowning by the man (Charles) who aided his conviction for murder 12 years earlier. Jogia starred in the comedy film '' The Outcasts'', alongside lead actress Victoria Justice. Later, Jogia appeared in ''

The Year of Spectacular Men ''The Year of Spectacular Men'' is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Lea Thompson in her feature film directorial debut. It stars Thompson's daughters Madelyn Deutch (who also wrote the screenplay and composed the score) and Zoey Deu ...

'', a film directed by

Lea Thompson Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961) is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Lorraine Baines-McFly in the ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy (1985–1990) and Beverly Switzler in '' Howard the Duck'' (1 ...

. Thompson is the mother of

Zoey Deutch Zoey Francis Chaya Thompson Deutch ( ; born November 10, 1994) is an American actress. She is daughter of director Howard Deutch and actress-director Lea Thompson. She gained recognition for her roles in the film '' Everybody Wants Some!!'', t ...

, who also appears in the film opposite Jogia. He played Sebastian, the "loving boyfriend" of a movie star (Deutch), followed by a role in ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'', a contemporary film adaption of the comedy of the same name written by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. Jogia starred in Syfy's 13-episode series titled '' Ghost Wars'' that premiered in 2017, and it was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, but it was canceled at the beginning of 2018. Jogia also landed a co-lead role with

Eve Hewson Eve Hewson (born Memphis Eve Sunny Day Iris Hewson; 7 July 1991) is an Irish actress, whose father is the singer Bono. Her first major role was in the 2011 drama film '' This Must Be the Place'', and she made her television debut as Nurse Lucy E ...

Rebecca Addelman Rebecca Addelman (born 1981) is a Canadian comedian, writer, director and actress living in Los Angeles, California. She was a contributing staff writer on Fox's sitcom ''New Girl''. Background and education Addelman is from Ottawa, Ontario.She ...

's directorial debut, ''Paper Year''. Production on the project commenced in October 2016, and was released in 2018. He portrays Matt in the 2018 romantic comedy, ''

The New Romantic ''The New Romantic'' is a 2018 Canadian romantic comedy-drama film, written and directed by Carly Stone. The film stars Jessica Barden as Blake Conway, a journalism student whose romance column receives attention when she begins to write about ...

'', which stars

Jessica Barden Jessica Amy Barden (born 21 July 1992) is an English actress. She began her career as a child actress. She is best known for her role as Alyssa in the Channel 4 comedy-drama ''The End of the F***ing World'' (2017–2019). She received a British ...

and Camila Mendes. That year, Jogia was also cast in the upcoming dramatic film ''

The Artist's Wife ''The Artist's Wife'' is a 2019 American drama film directed by Tom Dolby. The film, shot in New York City and East Hampton, stars Lena Olin, Bruce Dern, Juliet Rylance, Avan Jogia, Catherine Curtin, Tonya Pinkins and Stefanie Powers. The fi ...

'', together with

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has often played supporting villainous characters of unstable natures. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver B ...

and

Lena Olin Lena Maria Jonna Olin (; born 22 March 1955) is a Swedish actress. She has received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Mentored by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, she made her screen de ...

. The film is scheduled to premiere at the

Hamptons International Film Festival The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1992, by Joyce Robinson. The festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October a ...

in December 2019. In June 2018, Jogia was chosen to lead the Starz comedy series ''

'', alongside

Kelli Berglund Kelli Berglund (born February 9, 1996) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Bree Davenport in the Disney XD series '' Lab Rats'', and its spinoff '' Lab Rats: Elite Force''. In 2014 she starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie ...

Beau Mirchoff William Beau Mirchoff (; born January 13, 1989) is a Canadian-American actor best known for his role in the MTV series ''Awkward'', his role as Jamie Hunter in '' Good Trouble'', and his role in ''Now Apocalypse'' on Starz. Early life Mirchoff ...

, and

Roxane Mesquida Roxane Mesquida (born 1 October 1981) is a French-American actress and model based in Los Angeles. Mesquida grew up in Le Pradet, a little town located in southern France. Her mother, writer Françoise Mesquida, is French/Spanish and her father ...

. Jogia portrayed Ulysses Zane, who, along with his friends "are on various quests pursuing love, sex and fame while navigating the strange and oftentimes bewildering city of Los Angeles." The series, which marked Jogia's second project with writer and director

Gregg Araki Gregg Araki (born December 17, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is noted for his heavy involvement with the New Queer Cinema movement. His film ''Kaboom (film), Kaboom'' (2010) was the first winner of the Cannes Film Festival Queer Palm. Ear ...

(after ''Here Now''), aired in March 2019, and was later cancelled after one season. That same year, he appeared in the action comedy '' Shaft'', and had a bigger role, as a laid-back musician, in the sequel '' Zombieland: Double Tap''. In September 2019, Jogia published a book, ''Mixed Feelings'', on growing up with a

mixed-race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...

, and whether there is a correlation in the experiences of those of mixed race. The book comprises a series of personal stories and poems about Jogia's life. He noted, "there was a massive appetite for this conversation", and having reached out to his social media following, he "was able to sort of communicate with these people, interview with them, sort of to take parts of their stories ..and mash them up within the book."

Personal life

Jogia describes himself as " spiritual," having spent months as a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and has roots in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. Jogia maintains that he has ''"looked at all kinds of ways of being, because I'm curious about what it takes to be human."'' Jogia is also a

dual citizen Dual or Duals may refer to: Paired/two things * Dual (mathematics), a notion of paired concepts that mirror one another ** Dual (category theory), a formalization of mathematical duality *** see more cases in :Duality theories * Dual (grammatical ...

of Canada and the United Kingdom. Jogia has a number of tattoos; one on his chest, leg, upper leg, shoulder, back, and his lower arm. Jogia uses he/they pronouns.

Activism

Jogia co-founded the online PSA organization ''Straight But Not Narrow'' (SBNN) in 2011, with Heather Wilk and Andre Pochon in conjunction with the support of fellow actor,

Josh Hutcherson Joshua Ryan Hutcherson (born October 12, 1992) is an American actor and producer. Hutcherson began acting in the early 2000s and appeared in several commercials and minor film and television roles before landing his first major role in 2002 in ...

. The non-profit organization aims towards changing the attitudes and viewpoints of heterosexuals about the LGBTQIA+ community. Jogia believed that: ''" ere was no one making straight youth responsible for their apathy. When you see a bully beating up a kid and you stand idle, that's as loud, or louder, than the actual oppression"'', and thus established the organization. In 2019, during an interview with

Attitude Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value * Metaphysics of presence * Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a pro ...

, Jogia stated he does not feel comfortable labeling his sexuality.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Web

Director

Discography

Albums

with Saint Ivory

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jogia, Avan 1992 births Living people 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male singers Asian-Canadian filmmakers Canadian Buddhists Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States Canadian Hindus Canadian male actors of Indian descent Canadian male child actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male singers Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian people of English descent Canadian people of German descent Canadian people of Indian descent Canadian people of Welsh descent Canadian philanthropists English people of Canadian descent English people of German descent English people of Indian descent English people of Welsh descent Film directors from Vancouver LGBT rights activists from Canada Male actors from Vancouver Musicians from Vancouver