Scott David Mechlowicz (born January 17, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in the films ''

Mean Creek ''Mean Creek'' is a 2004 American coming-of-age psychological drama film written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes and starring Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, and Carly Schroeder. It was produced by Susa ...

'' (2004), '' EuroTrip'' (2004) and ''

Peaceful Warrior ''Peaceful Warrior'' is a 2006 drama film directed by Victor Salva and written by Kevin Bernhardt based on the 1980 novel '' Way of the Peaceful Warrior'' by Dan Millman. Set at U.C. Berkeley, the film stars Scott Mechlowicz as a troubled but ta ...

'' (2006).

Early life and education

Mechlowicz was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, the son of Susan (Lehrman), a

respiratory therapist A respiratory therapist is a specialized healthcare practitioner trained in critical care and cardio-pulmonary medicine in order to work therapeutically with people who have acute critical conditions, cardiac and pulmonary disease. Respirator ...

, and Morris Mechlowicz. He also has one brother, M. Steven Neal. He was raised in a tight-knit Jewish family. He grew up in

Plano, Texas Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. History European settlers came to the area near ...

, where he graduated from

Plano Senior High School Plano Senior High School (commonly Plano, Plano Senior High, or PSHS) is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas, serving students in grades 11– 12. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primar ...

in 1999, and attended the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

for one semester. He subsequently moved to

Los Angeles, California 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' ...

, where he studied at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

and graduated in 2003 from the Conservatory Acting Program.

Career

Mechlowicz made his film debut in the teen comedy '' EuroTrip''. The same year, he also starred in the independent film ''

'', which was filmed in 2003 but not given a limited theatrical release until August 20, 2004. In the film, which was a dark teenage drama, Mechlowicz played the oldest of a group of teenagers. The film received a positive critical reception. He received an

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...

for his acting in ''Mean Creek''. In 2004, he made a small appearance in the video for Gavin Degraw's song "

I Don't Want to Be "I Don't Want to Be" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw from his 2003 debut album, '' Chariot''. The song gained exposure after being featured as the opening theme to The CW teen drama series ''One Tree Hill'', and it was relea ...

", in which he plays the romantic interest of

Shiri Appleby Shiri Freda Appleby (born December 7, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her leading roles as Liz Parker in the WB/UPN science fiction drama series '' Roswell'' (1999–2002) and Rachel Goldberg in the L ...

. Also in 2004, Mechlowicz guest starred in a season one episode of the television series '' House''. Mechlowicz also starred, opposite

Nick Nolte Nicholas King Nolte (born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1991 film ''The Prince of Tides''. He received ...

and

Amy Smart Amy Lysle Smart (born March 26, 1976) is an American actress. A native of Los Angeles, Smart began her career modelling in Italy and subsequently enrolled in acting school. Her first role in film was in director Martin Kunert's anthology horror ...

, in the drama ''

'' (based on the book ''Way of the Peaceful Warrior''), in which he plays the lead role of

Dan Millman Daniel Jay Millman (born February 22, 1946) is an American author and lecturer in the personal development field. He is best-known for the movie Peaceful Warrior, which is based on his own life and taken from one of his books. Early life Millman ...

, a rings gymnast who is an olympic hopeful. The story is based on the life of the book's author. His next film was the thriller ''Gone'', filmed in 2005 and released in 2007, co-starring

Amelia Warner Amelia Warner (born Amelia Catherine Bennett; 4 June 1982) is an English musician, composer, and former actress. Early life Warner was born Amelia Catherine Bennett in Birkenhead, Merseyside, the only child of actors Annette Ekblom and Alun Lew ...

. In 2010, Mechlowicz appeared in two films, ''Waiting for Forever'', co-starring

Rachel Bilson Rachel Sarah Bilson (born August 25, 1981) is an American actress. Born to a Californian show-business family, Bilson made her television debut in 2003, and then landed the role of Summer Roberts on the prime-time drama series '' The O.C.'' B ...

, Blythe Danner,

Richard Jenkins Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947) is an American actor who is well known for his portrayal of deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher on the HBO funeral drama series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005). He began his career in theater at the Tr ...

, and

Tom Sturridge Thomas Sidney Jerome Sturridge is an English actor. His early films include ''Being Julia'' (2004), ''Like Minds'' (2006), and ''The Boat That Rocked'' (2009). He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performances in ...

, and the dark suspense drama ''Undocumented'' starring Mechlowicz and Peter Stormare. On April 1, 2011, ''

Cat Run ''Cat Run'' is a 2011 American comedy action film directed by John Stockwell. Plot Andorran prostitute and single mother Catalina "Cat" Rona is hired to participate in an orgy in Montenegro along with other escorts, for powerful men including ...

'' opened in theaters, starring Mechlowicz,

Paz Vega María de la Paz Campos Trigos (born 2 January 1976), known professionally as Paz Vega (), is a Spanish actress. She became popular for her performance in comedy television series '' 7 vidas''. Her film credits include '' Sex and Lucia'' (2001 ...

, and

Janet McTeer Janet McTeer (born 5 August 1961"Ms Janet McTeer, OBE"
. ''Derbrett's P ...

. In March 2012, ''Eden'' debuted at the South by Southwest Film Festival in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. In ''Eden'', Mechlowicz played the boyishly charming bait luring young girls into a sex trafficking ring, based on a true story. ''Eden'' costars Beau Bridges and

Jamie Chung Jamie Jilynn Chung (born April 10, 1983) is an American actress and former reality television personality. She began her career in 2004 as a cast member on the MTV reality series '' The Real World: San Diego'' and subsequently through her app ...

and was directed by

Megan Griffiths Megan Griffiths (born April 22, 1975) is a film and television director who resides in Seattle, Washington, U.S., and is a board member of Northwest Film Forum. Early life and education Megan Griffiths was born in Ohio, lived in Moscow, Idaho ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
M. Steven Neal (brother)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mechlowicz, Scott 1981 births 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Jewish American male actors Living people Male actors from New York City People from Plano, Texas UCLA Film School alumni Male actors from Texas American people of Polish-Jewish descent 21st-century American Jews