Johnathon Schaech ( ; born September 10, 1969) is an American actor and screenwriter. He has been working as an actor since the early '90s.
Early life
Johnathon Schaech was born in
Edgewood, Maryland
Edgewood is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 25,562 at the 2010 census, up from 23,378 in 2000.
Geography
E ...
, in 1969 to Joe, a Baltimore City law enforcement officer, and Joanne Schaech, a human resources executive.
He is Catholic. Schaech has a sister, Renée.
He went to
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a public research university in Baltimore County, Maryland. It has a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 undergraduate majors, over 92 graduate programs (38 master, 25 doctoral, ...
, where he studied economics and took one acting class.
Career
In 1989, Schaech signed with Wilhelmina West and worked for three years doing commercials and bit parts in movies.
He studied under acting teacher
Roy London
Roy London (March 3, 1943 – August 8, 1993) was an American actor, acting coach and teacher.
Early life
London was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. A math prodigy at age five, London was on the radio show, ...
for three and half years until London's death in 1993.
1991–2000
In 1993, Schaech played the lead role in
Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
's period drama ''
Sparrow'' ( it, Storia di una capinera).
Schaech then played drifter Xavier Red in the
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 ...
film ''
The Doom Generation
''The Doom Generation'' is a 1995 black comedy thriller film written and directed by Gregg Araki. The film follows two troubled teenage lovers, Amy Blue (Rose McGowan) and Jordan White (James Duval), who pick up a young handsome drifter named Xavi ...
''.
In 1995, Schaech's character Leon romanced
Winona Ryder
Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...
's character Finn in ''
How to Make an American Quilt
''How to Make an American Quilt'' is a 1995 American drama film based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Whitney Otto. Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, the film features Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Nelligan and Alfre Wo ...
''
which received a nomination for the
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In 1996, Schaech played the ambitious but self-absorbed lead singer of The Wonders in
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
' ''
That Thing You Do!
''That Thing You Do!'' is a 1996 American comedy film co-starring, written, and directed by Tom Hanks, in his feature writing and directorial debut. It tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional 1960s one-hit wonder pop band, and sta ...
''
Schaech next starred opposite
Jessica Lange
Jessica Phyllis Lange (; born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. She is the 13th actress to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having won two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, along with a Screen Actors G ...
and
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...
in the 1998 thriller ''
Hush
Hush may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young
* ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow
* ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi
* ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...
'', which "promptly bombed".
Also in 1996, he was on the cover of
''Vanity Fair's'' annual "Hollywood" issue.
In 1997, Schaech starred in the Australian comedy ''
Welcome to Woop Woop
''Welcome to Woop Woop'' is a 1997 Australian comedy film directed by Stephan Elliott and starring Johnathon Schaech and Rod Taylor. The film was based on the novel ''The Dead Heart'' by Douglas Kennedy. "Woop Woop" is an Australian colloquiali ...
'' directed by
Stephan Elliott
Stephan Elliott (born 27 August 1964) is an Australian film director and screenwriter. His best-known film internationally is ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' (1994).
Career
Elliott began his career as an assistant direct ...
.
Playing a British military man, Schaech was in the independent feature ''
Woundings
''Brand New World'', also called ''Woundings'', a UK film based on Jeff Noon's play ''Woundings'' and released in 1998. It was filmed in Cregneash, Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, ...
'' in 1998, for which he won Best Supporting Actor at the 2001 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. In 1998, Schaech portrayed
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...
in TNT's ''
Houdini
Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...
''. Schaech received praise not only for a convincing dramatic portrayal, but for learning and performing all the magic tricks and stunts himself. In 1999, Schaech appeared with
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...
in ''
Finding Graceland
''Finding Graceland'' is a 1998 American film starring Harvey Keitel, Johnathon Schaech, Bridget Fonda, and Gretchen Mol. The film features a character who claims to be an alive-and-well Elvis, years after staging his death.
Premise
An eccentr ...
'' and in 1999, Schaech reunited with Araki in ''
Splendor'', which premiered at the 1999
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
. In 1999, he played the love interest of
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel series ''Kids I ...
in the ''
Party of Five
''Party of Five'' is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by Sc ...
'' spin-off, ''
Time of Your Life''. In 2000, Schaech performed in his first major play,
David Rabe
David William Rabe (born March 10, 1940) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1972 (''Sticks and Bones'') and also received Tony award nominations for Best Play in 1974 (''In the Boom Boom Room''), 19 ...
's ''A Question for Mercy'', playing a Colombian-born gay Manhattanite dying of AIDS. He lost for the role. In 2000, Schaech played a small part in the comedy ''How To Kill Your Neighbor's Dog''.
2001–2010
In 2001, Schaech played the title character in the ABC television film ''
Judas
Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betr ...
''. In 2002, he played Seattle cop and detective named Daniel Pruitt in the movie ''
Blood Crime''. In 2005, he co-starred with his then-wife
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. As a child actress, she gained recognition for starring as Kelly Bundy in the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children'' (1987–1997). Applegate established a successful film a ...
, in ''
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas'' for CBS. In 2006, Schaech starred in ''
Little Chenier
''Little Chenier'' is a 2006 American drama film directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf and written by Jace Johnson and Wolf. It is set in the bayous of Louisiana, and stars Johnathon Schaech, Frederick Koehler, Tamara Braun, Jeremy Davidson, Clifton Co ...
''. The film won best picture and best ensemble at the Phoenix film festival. In 2006, he co-starred opposite
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear (born September 25, 1961) is an American actress famous for her role as Amanda Woodward on ''Melrose Place'' (1993–1999), for which she received four consecutive Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Television ...
in the Lifetime television film ''
Angels Fall
''Angels Fall'' is a play by Lanford Wilson. It premiered off-Broadway at the Circle Repertory Company in 1982. The play ran on Broadway in 1983 and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play.
Characters
*Niles Harris: a cynical, middle-aged ...
''. In 2007, Schaech was nominated for an MTV award for best villain for his performance in Sony's remake of ''
Prom Night''. In 2009, Schaech played Captain Rezo Avaliani in the
Renny Harlin
Renny Harlin (born 15 March 1959) is a Finnish film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter who has made his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood and Cinema of China, China. His best-known films include ''A Nightmare on Elm ...
directed war film ''
5 Days of War''. In 2009, Schaech guest starred in a Cold Case, playing Julian Bellows, a good man who kept a dark secret.
2011–present
In 2013, Schaech played a Soviet political officer, in the submarine thriller ''
Phantom
Phantom may refer to:
* Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things
** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living
Aircraft
* Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy un ...
''. He appeared in five episodes of the first season of the Showtime series ''
Ray Donovan
''Ray Donovan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Ann Biderman for Showtime. The twelve-episode first season premiered on June 30, 2013.
The pilot episode broke viewership records, becoming the biggest premiere of all t ...
'' as an eccentric movie star, Sean Walker, and played the Egyptian mercenary Tarak in ''
The Legend of Hercules
''The Legend of Hercules'' is a 2014 American 3D action fantasy film directed by Renny Harlin, written by Daniel Giat and Sean Hood, and starring Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins, Roxanne McKee, and Liam Garrigan. It was distributed by Lio ...
'', gaining of muscle for the role. In 2014, Schaech played Colonel Sherman in the miniseries ''
Texas Rising''. Between 2016 and 2018, Schaech appeared in the first three seasons of the television series ''
Legends of Tomorrow
''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klem ...
'' as the DC Comics bounty hunter
Jonah Hex
Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the ...
. He returned in 2019 to reprise the role in the
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 ...
event ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...
''. In 2016, Schaech shot the heist movie ''
Marauders'', playing a possibly corrupt cop whose wife is dying of cancer. The film would make it to Netflix's U.S. platform's top two in December 2020. In 2018, Schaech appeared in noir crime drama ''
The Night Clerk'' opposite
Ana de Armas
Ana Celia de Armas Caso (; born 30 April 1988) is a Cuban and Spanish actress. She began her career in Cuba and had a leading role in the romantic drama '' Una rosa de Francia'' (2006). At age 18, she moved to Madrid, Spain, and starred in t ...
. In 2018, Schaech starred opposite
Frank Grillo
Frank Anthony Grillo (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor and martial artist. He played Brock Rumlow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' (2014), '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016), '' Avengers: ...
in the action flick ''
Reprisal
A reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of international law to punish another sovereign state that has already broken them. Since the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (AP 1), reprisals in the laws of war are extreme ...
''. Years after its release, the film made Netflix's US platform's top five in October 2021.
Writing
Schaech has co-written several screenplays with Richard Chizmar, including ''Heroes'' (2002), ''Road House 2'' (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2006), based on a story by Miles Chapman, ''Masters of Horror The Washingtonians'' (Showtime, 2007), based on a story by Bentley Little and ''The Poker Club'', based on the story by Ed Gorman. They have also co-written screenplays based on stories by Peter Crowther (''Fear Itself: Eater'', NBC/AXN Sci-Fi, 2009), Lewis Shiner (''Fear Itself: The Circle'', NBC/AXN Sci-Fi, 2009) and Stephen King (''From A Buick 8'' and ''Black House'', both in production 2009).
Schaech's book, ''
Rick Dempsey
John Rikard Dempsey (born September 13, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player.[Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom ''Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". Sh ...](_bl ...<br></span></div>'s Caught Stealing: Unbelievable Stories From a Lifetime of Baseball'', was published in 2014.
<h1><br><p> Personal life </h1></p>
During the mid-1990s, Schaech often accompanied actress <div class=)
, who had not yet come out as a lesbian, to public events. Schaech was scheduled to appear in the 1997
episode of ''Ellen'' in which DeGeneres' character also came out as gay but could not participate in the filming.
Schaech married actress
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. As a child actress, she gained recognition for starring as Kelly Bundy in the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children'' (1987–1997). Applegate established a successful film a ...
in October 2001. In December 2005, he filed for a divorce citing irreconcilable differences, which became final in August 2007.
Schaech's next marriage was to
Jana Kramer
Jana Rae Kramer (born December 2, 1983) Gives birthplace as Detroit, Michigan, of which Rochester Hills is a suburb. is an American country music singer and actress. She is known for her role as Alex Dupre on the television series ''One Tree Hil ...
on July 4, 2010, after announcing their engagement the previous December, but announced their separation one month later. Their divorce was finalized in June 2011.
In 2013, Schaech spoke on Capitol Hill about the importance of arts education.
Schaech's third marriage was to Julie Solomon, in July 2013. They have a son born in September 2013, and a daughter born in July 2020.
On January 11, 2018, Schaech wrote an article in People Magazine, in which he stated that director
Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
sexually assaulted him during the filming of ''
Sparrow'' (1993). Schaech wrote that the assault dented his confidence and caused trauma that led to his addictions to sex, drugs, and alcohol.
In 2019, Schaech took part in the
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is an American nonprofit anti-sexual assault organization, the largest in the United States. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, as well as the Department of Defense Safe Helpline ...
(RAINN) PSA, "Won't Stay Quiet" as a survivor of sexual violence.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaech, Johnathon
1969 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Male actors from Maryland
American male film actors
American male television actors
American television writers
American male television writers
People from Edgewood, Maryland
University of Maryland, Baltimore County alumni
American people of German descent
American writers of Italian descent
Catholics from Maryland
Screenwriters from Maryland