Kenny Johnson
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Kenneth Allen Johnson (born July 13, 1963) is an American actor, producer, and model. He is known for his roles as Detective Curtis Lemansky in ''
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...
'', Butch "Burner" Barnes in '' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'', Detective Ham Dewey in '' Saving Grace'', Herman Kozik in ''
Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008 to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club ...
'', Matt Webb in '' Prime Suspect'', Caleb Calhoun in '' Bates Motel'', Dominique Luca in the CBS drama series '' S.W.A.T.'', and Tommy Welch on '' Chicago Fire'' (2014–2015).


Early life

Johnson was born in
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
and was raised on a 30-acre farm in Weathersfield, Vermont. For his college education, he attended Central Connecticut State University, where he played football and basketball. Prior to starting his acting career, Johnson spent approximately four years modelling for agencies including Wilhelmina and
Ford Models Ford Models, originally the Ford Modeling Agency, is an American international modeling agency based in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford. Company Ford Models was started in 1946 by Eilee ...
. This path led to him living for a year in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, before finally settling in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, where he eventually found acting.


Career

Johnson got his start in
television commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
s, including one of the first ads for
LA Gear LA Gear (or L.A. Gear) is an American shoe company based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1983, the brand is currently owned by ACI International. History LA Gear was started by Robert Greenberg, Ernest Williams, and Stephen Williams. Gr ...
. A former champion arm wrestler, he appeared as bit characters in various television programs, such as ''
Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers, ...
'', ''
Grace Under Fire ''Grace Under Fire'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 29, 1993, to February 17, 1998. The show starred Brett Butler as a single mother learning how to cope with raising her three children alone after finally divorcing her ...
'', '' Caroline in the City'', '' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'', ''
Sliders Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * ''The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...
'', '' 18 Wheels of Justice'', ''
Just Shoot Me! ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive ...
'', '' NCIS: Los Angeles'', '' Lie to Me'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and '' The Protector''. In 1998, he appeared in the first several minutes of the first ''
Blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Histor ...
'', as Heatseeking Dennis, who was saved from a vampire played by
Traci Lords Traci Lords (born Nora Louise Kuzma; May 7, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She entered the adult film industry using a fake birth certificate to conceal that she was two years under the legal age of eighteen. Lords starred in adult f ...
. In October 2005, he appeared in the ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar/G ...
'' season 5 episode "
Mortal Mortal means susceptible to death; the opposite of immortal. Mortal may also refer to: * Mortal (band), a Christian industrial band * The Mortal, Sakurai Atsushi's project band * ''Mortal'' (novel), a science fiction fantasy novel by Ted Dekke ...
" as metahuman Tommy Lee. He also appeared in the 2006
Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies a ...
original film ''
Desolation Canyon Desolation Canyon is a remote canyon on the Green River in eastern Utah, United States that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is said to be one of the most remote areas in the contiguous United States. Descriptio ...
'', with
Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fiction ...
and
Patrick Duffy Patrick Duffy (born March 17, 1949) is an American actor and director widely known for his role on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas'', where he played Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of Miss Ellie, and the nicest brother of J.R. Ewing (pla ...
. Johnson then starred in the 2005 film '' Zzyzx'', a thriller about two friends who take a detour on their way to Las Vegas. Johnson originally auditioned for the role of ill-fated Terry Crowley in ''
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...
'', which ultimately went to
Reed Diamond Reed Edward Diamond (born July 20, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for the roles of Det. Mike Kellerman on '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', Jason Pillar in season 8 of '' 24'', and recurring character Laurence Dominic on ''Dollhouse' ...
. Casting directors were so impressed with his audition that they asked Johnson to come in for the role of Curtis Lemansky. He was unsure of how to go about the character, as the role was not very developed at that point. During the audition, Johnson made some choices for the character that he initially thought ruined his chances of winning the role. However, the audition turned out to be successful and he was cast. Lemansky quickly became a major player in the first season because of the chemistry Johnson shared with his castmates. After ''
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...
'', Johnson had recurring roles in '' Cold Case'', first as a supposed murder victim, and later as a love interest for Lilly Rush. He was later cast in the TNT series '' Saving Grace'', as Detective Hamilton "Ham" Dewey. Johnson also appeared during the second, third and fourth seasons of ''
Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008 to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club ...
'' as Sgt. At Arms and biker Herman Kozik. He also directed and starred in the short film ''I Heard the Mermaids Singing''. In August 2010, Johnson appeared in the Fox series '' Lie to Me'', along with several fellow cast members from ''The Shield''. In 2011, Johnson appeared in Lifetime's series '' The Protector'', with fellow ''Sons of Anarchy'' co-star Ally Walker. Johnson also appeared as a regular in NBC's crime drama series '' Prime Suspect'', playing the contractor boyfriend of the lead character, Detective Jane Timoney ( Maria Bello). Also in 2011, Johnson starred as Frank Connor, a convicted drug smuggler who leaves prison after 22 years for one youthful mistake, in '' Few Options''. In 2012, he guest starred as Tyler Gray in the sixth season of ''
Burn Notice ''Burn Notice'' is an American espionage television series created by Matt Nix, which originally aired on the USA Network for a total of seven seasons from June 28, 2007, to September 12, 2013. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar ...
'', and as Greg Marshall in the fourth season of ''
The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show f ...
''. That following year, Johnson portrayed U.S. Marshal Max Clayton in the eighth and final season of ''
Dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series '' Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British web series ''Diary of a Bad Man'' * Dext ...
''. Johnson appeared as Caleb Calhoun, the estranged brother of Norma Bates (
Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films ''The Conjuring'' (2013), ''The Conjuring 2'' (2016), ''Annabelle Comes ...
), in the A&E drama-thriller series '' Bates Motel''. He recurred in the second season, became a main cast member for the third season, and guest starred in the fourth and fifth seasons. He was then a recurring cast member in the fifth season of ''
Covert Affairs ''Covert Affairs'' is an American action drama television series filmed in Toronto, Canada, starring Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham that premiered on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. On January 6, 2015, USA Network canceled ''Covert Affairs'' afte ...
'', playing former CIA paramilitary operative James Decker. Johnson co-starred in the 2015 thriller film ''
Solace Consolation, consolement, and solace are terms referring to psychological comfort given to someone who has suffered severe, upsetting loss, such as the death of a loved one. It is typically provided by expressing shared regret for that loss and ...
''. In August 2015, it was reported that Johnson would be part of the main cast for the second season of ABC's anthology series '' Secrets and Lies''. As of autumn 2017, Johnson portrays Officer Dominique Luca in the CBS drama series '' S.W.A.T.'', based on the 2003 film of the same name, but the series also closely follows the original 1975-76 ABC series, also of the same name.


Personal life

He married his long-term girlfriend, Cathleen Oveson on December 21, 2005. They have one child, Angelica Scarlet (born 7 May 2009). Angelica is also an actress, most notably in a recurring role on '' S.W.A.T.'' as Kelly, where the character played by the elder Johnson, Dominique Luca, becomes her mentor. On July 18, 2018, Johnson suffered unspecified injuries while filming the premiere episode of the second season. The scene involved Johnson simulating Luca hanging from the landing gear of a helicopter while the helicopter flies away. Johnson later sued the production company,
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
, over the incident, the case, as of July 2022, is still pending.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


Audio Interview (2010) with 'The Rafferty/Mills Connection' podcastAudio Interview (2010) with 'Rex Sikes/Movie Beat' podcastAudio Interview (2011) with 'Rex Sikes/Movie Beat Pt2' podcast


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Kenny 1963 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Central Connecticut State University alumni Living people Male actors from Connecticut Male actors from New Haven, Connecticut Male actors from Vermont Male models from Connecticut People from Weathersfield, Vermont Film producers from Connecticut