Jonathan Bennett (actor)
| Jonathan Bennett | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Jonathan D. Bennett June 10, 1981 Rossford, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, model |
| Years active | 1997–present |
Jonathan D. Bennett (born June 10, 1981) is an American actor and model. He is known for his roles as Aaron Samuels in the 2004 comedy film Mean Girls[1] and the title character in the 2009 direct-to-DVD comedy Van Wilder: Freshman Year and his recurring roles as Casey Gant in the UPN mystery drama Veronica Mars and J. R. Chandler in the ABC soap opera All My Children.
Early life
Bennett was born in Rossford, Ohio to David Bennett, a Toledo physician, and Ruthanne Bennett (née Mason). He has two half-brothers, Brian and Brent and one half-sister, Lisa.[2][3] Both of Jonathan's parents have died. His mother died November 30, 2012, at the age of 67,[2] and his father died of brain cancer on April 28, 2014 at age 73.[3]
Jonathan attended Eagle Point Elementary School in Rossford. His first acting experience was in a play in the seventh grade while living in North Carolina. Shortly after that, he moved back to Rossford, where he attended and graduated from Rossford High School.[4] He graduated in 1999 and attended Otterbein College, where he was a student of the theatre program. After dropping out of college, he moved to New York to pursue acting.
Career
After moving to New York, he was cast on the ABC soap opera All My Children as J.R. Chandler from 2001 to 2002. Since then, he has appeared in various television dramas, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Deception, Smallville, and Veronica Mars. Bennett co-starred in the hit comedy Mean Girls with Lindsay Lohan[4] where he played Aaron Samuels, the love interest of Lohan's character Cady Heron. He subsequently co-starred in the family comedy Cheaper by the Dozen 2 with Piper Perabo and the romantic comedy Lovewrecked with Amanda Bynes. Bennett appeared in the direct-to-video prequel The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning where he played Bo Duke. Also in 2009, he appeared as Nick in the Hallmark original movie Elevator Girl with his Mean Girls co-star Lacey Chabert and Ryan Merriman.
In 2009, Bennett starred as the title character in Van Wilder: Freshman Year,[4] which was released straight to DVD.
As of 2015, he is hosting a cooking competition on the Food Network called Cake Wars.[5]
Modelling and political activism
Bennett posed for a bondage-themed print advertising campaign by Declare Yourself, a campaign encouraging voter registration among youth for the 2008 United States presidential election. In the ads by photographer David LaChapelle, Bennett has three screws through his upper and lower lips, symbolically pinning his mouth shut. The ads drew some media attention.
Dancing with the Stars
On September 4, 2014, Bennett was announced as one of the celebrities competing on the 19th season of Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with professional dancer Allison Holker.[4][6] Bennett's personal motivation for joining the DWTS cast was in memoriam of his parents; his father having recently died from brain cancer, and his mother died the year prior, and they were both fans of the show.[4] Bennett and Holker were eliminated on Week 6 of competition and finished in 9th place.[7]
Personal life
Bennett supports the Love is Louder project and uploaded a video of himself talking about the bullying that he had gone through. Bennett stated, "Of all people, I know how mean people can be to each other. I mean, we made a whole movie about it [referencing Mean Girls]. It happened to me in high school, it happened to me in college [and] it still happens to me today. And I’m not gonna lie, it sucks. Sometimes it really sucks. But it doesn’t have to forever because there are people out there who love you, and love is a lot louder than hate.”[8] Jonathan Bennett stays in shape by working with top Celebrity Sports Nutritionist Edwina Cheer, touting, "Don't let Edwina's pretty face and big boobs fool you, she is hardcore!"[9]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Season of Youth | Taylor | Palm Beach International Film Festival Award for Best Actor |
| 2004 | Mean Girls | Aaron Samuels | Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Chemistry (shared with Lindsay Lohan) Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout Movie Star - Male |
| 2005 | Love Wrecked | Ryan Howell | |
| 2005 | Cheaper by the Dozen 2 | Bud McNulty | |
| 2006 | Bachelor Party Vegas | Nathan | |
| 2009 | Assistants, TheThe Assistants | Zack Cooper | |
| 2009 | Van Wilder: Freshman Year | Van Wilder | |
| 2012 | Memorial Day | SSgt Kyle Vogel | |
| 2012 | Music High | Jasper "Jazz" Poland | |
| 2012 | Divorce Invitation | Michael | |
| 2012 | Slightly Single in L.A. | Seven | |
| 2013 | Pawn | Aaron | |
| 2013 | Anything Is Possible | George | |
| 2013 | Secret Village, TheThe Secret Village | Greg | |
| 2013 | Misogynist | Harrison | Nominated — Best Actor - Los Angeles Underground Film Festival |
| 2014 | Authors Anonymous | William Bruce | |
| 2014 | Mining for Ruby | Andrew | |
| 2015 | Paid in Full | Jack | |
| 2015 | Cats Dancing on Jupiter | Ben Cross | |
| 2015 | Dogwalker's Christmas Tale, AA Dogwalker's Christmas Tale | Dean Stanton | |
| 2015 | Submerged | Matt | |
| 2016 | Do Over | Anthony Campana | |
| 2016 | Romantically Speaking | Nathan | |
| 2016 | Deadly Retreat | Mike | |
| 2016 | Do You Take This Man | Christopher | In post-production |
| TBA | Day Six | Alex Parsons | In post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Dad | N/A | Episode: "Habadadery" |
| 1998 | Bill, TheThe Bill | Youth | Episode: "Racer" |
| 2001–02 | All My Children | JR Chandler | Role held: November 2001 – September 13, 2002 |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Kyle Fuller | Episode: "Deception" |
| 2003 | Boston Public | Ethan Guest | Episode: "Chapter Sixty-Three" |
| 2004–05 | Veronica Mars | Casey Gant | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Smallville | Kevin Grady | Episode: "Blank" |
| 2007 | Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, TheThe Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning | Bo Duke | Television film |
| 2007 | Cane | Brad | Episode: "Time Away" |
| 2010 | Elevator Girl | Nick Sweeney | Television film |
| 2012 | Fred: The Show | Lash Landridge | Episode: "Freddy and the Figglettes, Part 2" |
| 2012 | Holiday High School Reunion | Ben Oliver | Television film |
| 2013 | Wrong Woman, TheThe Wrong Woman | Ben | Television film |
| 2013 | The Glades | Drew Green | Episode: "Killer Barbecue" |
| 2014 | Copycat[10] | Himself (host) | |
| 2014 | Sweet Surrender | Jerry | Television film |
| 2014 | Dancing with the Stars | Himself (contestant) | Finished in ninth place |
| 2014 | Christmas Kiss II, AA Christmas Kiss II | Sebastian | Television film |
| 2015 | Romantically Speaking | Nathan | Television film |
| 2015–present | Cake Wars | Himself (host) | |
| 2016 | Hit the Floor | Lucas | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Awkward | Ethan | 5 episodes |
References
- ↑ Maltin, Leonard (2008-08-05). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. Penguin. p. 893. ISBN 978-0-452-28978-9. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- 1 2 "Ruthanne Bennett Obituary". Legacy.com. also published in Toledo Blade. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- 1 2 "David Bennett Obituary". Legacy.com. also published in Toledo Blade. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Toledo Native Dances in Parents' Memory". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ↑ "Cake Wars on Food Network Canada".
- ↑ "'Dancing With The Stars' 2014: Season 19 Couples Ready to Tango". Good Morning America/Yahoo News. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ↑ Reiher, Andrea (20 October 2014). "'Dancing With the Stars' Season 19 week 6 scores and elimination results". Zap2It.com. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ↑ Ziegbe, Mawuse. "'Mean Girls' Jonathan Bennett Declares 'Love Is Louder' Than Hate". MTV. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ↑ "Jonathan Bennett trains with Top Celebrity Sports Nutritionist Edwina Cheer". Jonathan Bennett trains with Top Celebrity Sports Nutritionist Edwina Cheer.
- ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (15 October 2013). "'Mean Girls' Alum Set to Host MTV's 'Copycat' (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 June 2015.