Maximillion Drake Thieriot (; born October 14, 1988) is an American actor and director. He made his acting debut in the 2004 adventure comedy film ''
Catch That Kid
''Catch That Kid'' is a 2004 family action comedy film directed by Bart Freundlich, written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, and starring Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu, Max Thieriot, Jennifer Beals, Sam Robards, John Carroll Lynch, and James ...
''. Thieriot has since appeared in the action comedy ''
The Pacifier
''The Pacifier'' is a 2005 American family action comedy film directed by Adam Shankman, written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant and stars Vin Diesel.
After a failed rescue mission, Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe is assigned as babysitter to the ...
'' (2005), the mystery comedy ''
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a Fictional character, fictional character appearing in several Mystery fiction, mystery book series, movies, and a TV show as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwriter, ghostwritten by a number of authors and published ...
'' (2007), the sci-fi ''
Jumper
Jumper or Jumpers may refer to:
Clothing
*Jumper (sweater), a long-sleeve article of clothing; also called a top, pullover, or sweater
**A waist-length top garment of dense wool, part of the Royal Navy uniform and the uniform of the United State ...
'' (2008), the erotic thriller ''
Chloe
Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root ', which relates to the colors yellow and green. T ...
'' (2009), the supernatural horror ''
My Soul to Take
''My Soul to Take'' is a 2010 American slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven. It is his first film since 1994's ''Wes Craven's New Nightmare'' that he wrote, produced, and directed. The film stars Max Thieriot as Adam "Bug" Hellerman, ...
'' (2010), the drama ''
Disconnect'' (2012), the psychological horror-thriller ''
House at the End of the Street
''House at the End of the Street'' is a 2012 American psychological thriller film directed by Mark Tonderai that stars Jennifer Lawrence. The film's plot revolves around a teenage girl, Elissa, who along with her newly divorced mother Sarah, moves ...
'' (2012), and the action-thriller ''
Point Break
''Point Break'' is a 1991 American action crime film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The film's title refers to the surfing term "point break", where ...
'' (2015).
From 2013 to 2017, Thieriot starred as Dylan Massett in
A&E's drama-thriller series ''
Bates Motel''. He appeared as
John Coffee "Jack" Hays in
History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
's miniseries ''
Texas Rising'' (2015). In 2017, Thieriot began playing Navy SEAL Clay Spenser in the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
drama series ''
SEAL Team''.
Early life
Thieriot was born in
Los Altos Hills, California
Los Altos Hills (; ''Los Altos'', Spanish for "The Heights") is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 8,489 at the 2020 census. The town is known for its affluence and expensive residential rea ...
, the son of Bridgit Ann (née Snyder) and George Cameron Thieriot. He has one older sister and one younger brother.
He was raised in the small town of
Occidental
Occidental may refer to:
* Western world (of or pertaining to)
Places
*Occidental, California, a town in Sonoma County, California, US
* Occidental Park (Seattle)
Other uses
* Interlingue, a constructed language formerly known as Occidental
* Oc ...
in
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...
. Thieriot was educated at the Sonoma Country Day School in
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area ...
for middle school, and went on to attend
El Molino High School
El Molino High School was a public four-year comprehensive high school located at 7050 Covey Road in Forestville, California, United States.
El Molino High School serves the West Sonoma County Union High School District. Matt Dunkle is the princ ...
in
Forestville, California
Forestville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States. It was settled during the late 1860s and was originally spelled Forrestville after one of its founders. The spelling long ago became standardized with one ...
, from which he graduated in 2006.
Thieriot's ancestors once owned the ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
''. His great-great-grandfather,
M. H. de Young, who was of
Dutch Jewish
The history of the Jews in the Netherlands began largely in the 16th century when they began to settle in Amsterdam and other cities. It has continued to the present. During the occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany in May 1940, the J ...
descent and later converted to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, co-founded the paper with his brother
Charles de Young
Charles de Young (January 8, 1846 – April 23, 1880), along with his younger brother M. H. de Young, founded the newspaper The Daily Dramatic Chronicle, which became the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', and was its editor-in-chief. He was murdered b ...
,
and his relatives, Charles and Richard Thieriot, were the editors and publishers of the paper. Thieriot's paternal grandparents, Frances Harrison (née Dade) and Ferdinand Melly Thieriot, died in the sinking of the
SS ''Andrea Doria'' in 1956.
Career
Thieriot was signed to talent manager Don Gibble after taking his
improvisation
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
class. He modeled for
Gap and appeared in two short films, before being cast in his first feature film role, 2004's adventure film ''
Catch That Kid
''Catch That Kid'' is a 2004 family action comedy film directed by Bart Freundlich, written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, and starring Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu, Max Thieriot, Jennifer Beals, Sam Robards, John Carroll Lynch, and James ...
''. He was subsequently cast in 2005's action comedy film ''
The Pacifier
''The Pacifier'' is a 2005 American family action comedy film directed by Adam Shankman, written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant and stars Vin Diesel.
After a failed rescue mission, Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe is assigned as babysitter to the ...
'', portraying one of the family members protected by a
Navy SEAL
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...
(
Vin Diesel
Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Diesel began audition ...
). He was nominated for the
Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor for his role. Thieriot then appeared in the drama ''
The Astronaut Farmer
''The Astronaut Farmer'' is a 2006 American drama film directed by Michael Polish, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Mark. The film stars Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen, Bruce Dern and Max Thieriot. The plot is about a Texas rancher ...
'' (2007) and the film adaptation of ''
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a Fictional character, fictional character appearing in several Mystery fiction, mystery book series, movies, and a TV show as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwriter, ghostwritten by a number of authors and published ...
'' (2007).
In 2008, he played a younger version of
Hayden Christensen
Hayden Christensen (; born April 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in the ''Star Wars'' media franchise. He first appeared in the prequel trilogy films, '' Star Wars: Episode ...
's character in ''
Jumper
Jumper or Jumpers may refer to:
Clothing
*Jumper (sweater), a long-sleeve article of clothing; also called a top, pullover, or sweater
**A waist-length top garment of dense wool, part of the Royal Navy uniform and the uniform of the United State ...
''. That same year, he appeared in ''
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl'', for which he won the
Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast with his co-stars. In 2009, Thieriot co-starred in the erotic thriller ''
Chloe
Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root ', which relates to the colors yellow and green. T ...
''. ''Chloe'' enjoyed commercial success and became director
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan (; hy, Աթոմ Եղոյեան, translit=Atom Yeghoyan; born July 19, 1960) is a Canadian filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. Egoyan m ...
's biggest ever box office earner. The following year, he played the lead role in
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...
's horror film ''
My Soul to Take
''My Soul to Take'' is a 2010 American slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven. It is his first film since 1994's ''Wes Craven's New Nightmare'' that he wrote, produced, and directed. The film stars Max Thieriot as Adam "Bug" Hellerman, ...
''.
In 2011, he starred in the independent comedy ''
The Family Tree'' and played the lead role in the drama film ''Foreverland''. Thieriot then co-starred in the
Mark Tonderai
Mark Tonderai (born 1974) is a British-ZimbabweanPress Book House at the End of the Street, 2012 entrepreneur, director, writer, actor and former disc jockey. He is co-founder of the London-based production company Shona Productions with his wif ...
–directed psychological horror-thriller ''
House at the End of the Street
''House at the End of the Street'' is a 2012 American psychological thriller film directed by Mark Tonderai that stars Jennifer Lawrence. The film's plot revolves around a teenage girl, Elissa, who along with her newly divorced mother Sarah, moves ...
'' (2012). That same year, he starred in the drama film ''
Disconnect''. Also in 2012, Thieriot was cast in a leading role in
Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich (; born 10 November 1955) is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is widely known for his science fiction and disaster films and has been called a "master of disaster" within the industry. His films, most of wh ...
's drama pilot for ABC, ''Dark Horse'', but the project was not picked up to series. From 2013 until its ending in 2017, he portrayed Dylan Massett, the half-brother of
Norman Bates
Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main antagonist in his 1959 thriller novel '' Psycho''. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, wh ...
, in the critically acclaimed drama series ''
Bates Motel''. He made his directorial debut on the series with the fifth season episode "Hidden".
In 2015, he starred in the
History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
event miniseries ''
Texas Rising'' as
Jack Hays
Christopher John Hays (12 December 1918 – 23 February 1983) was an English association footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are assoc ...
, a captain of the
Texas Rangers, and appeared in the remake of the action-thriller film ''
Point Break
''Point Break'' is a 1991 American action crime film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The film's title refers to the surfing term "point break", where ...
''. In 2017, Thieriot began starring as Navy SEAL Clay Spenser in the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
drama series ''
SEAL Team'' until 2022. In 2022, Thieriot began portraying Bode Donovan in the CBS drama series ''
Fire Country
''Fire Country'' is an American action drama television series created by Max Thieriot, Tony Phelan and Joan Rater and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer for CBS, starring Thieriot. It premiered on October 7, 2022. In January 2023, the series was re ...
'', for which he also serves as a producer.
Personal life
In 2012, Thieriot became engaged to Alexis Murphy, his girlfriend of seven years. He proposed during a trip to the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, where the pair met as teenagers. On June 1, 2013, they were married in
Lake Tahoe, California
Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake ...
.
The couple announced the birth of their first child, a boy, in 2015. They had a second son in 2018. Through his sister's marriage, Thieriot is the brother-in-law of former
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
baseball pitcher
Michael Stutes.
As well as being an actor, Thieriot is also a
vintner
A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes:
*Cooperating with viticulturists
*Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to deter ...
. He, along with childhood friends Christopher Strieter and Myles Lawrence-Briggs, owns
vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
s in his hometown of Occidental and distributes wine through their label Senses. In the third season of ''
Bates Motel'', the main characters can be seen drinking Senses during a family-dinner scene.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Director
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thieriot, Max
1988 births
21st-century American male actors
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American television directors
American winemakers
Living people
Male actors from California
People from Los Altos Hills, California
People from Occidental, California