Background:

“I was being put into this very limited category, this teen-idol box. It was terrifying. I thought, ‘If I get stuck in here, what do I have left? I might as well just marry Victoria Principal right now and then they can cart me off to Betty Ford.’ The teen thing could’ve killed my career. There are things you want to do with your career; you want to be at the National Theater doing an Oscar Wilde play...” Jason Priestley

Canadian film and TV actor Jason Priestley is best known for his role as honest Brandon Walsh in Fox’s well-liked series “Beverly Hills 90210” (1990-98), in which he received a 1993 and 1995 Golden Globe nomination. Before his big breakthrough, the veteran commercial child actor won notice for portraying regular teen orphan Todd Mahaffey in the short-lived sitcom “Sister Kate” (1989). He also became a series regular on “Tru Calling” (2004) and stars in the comedy series “Love Monkey” (2006-?). He will soon play roles in the upcoming TV movie Shades of Black: The Conrad Black Story (2006) and the miniseries “Above and Beyond” (2006).

On the big screen, the Beverly Hills 90210 star is well-remembered as a teen idol in Love and Death on Long Island (1997). Since then, he has appeared in numerous projects, including The Big Twist (1997), The Thin Pink Line (1998), Conversations in Limbo (1998), Choose Life (1999), Dill Scallion (1999), Standing on Fishes (1999), Eye of the Beholder (1999), Zigs (2001), The Fourth Angel (2001), Darkness Falling (2002), Cherish (2002), Cover Story (2002), Time of the Wolf (2002), Fancy Dancing (2002), Die, Mommie, Die (2003), Chicks with Sticks (2004) and Going the Distance (2004).

Off screen, Jason Priestley was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World “in 1991 and in 1992, and was listed as the 11th of TV Guide’s “25 Greatest Teen Idols on TV” in 2005. He enjoys race cars and in 1999, he took part in the first Gumball 3000 rally, driving a Lotus Esprit V-8. Three years later, in 2002, he drove for Kelley Racing in the new Indy Racing’s new Infiniti Pro Series, where he was seriously injured during a practice run at the Kentucky Speedway when his automobile crashed into a wall at nearly 180 miles per hour. As for his private life, Priestley, who was once married to Ashlee Peterson (together 1999-2000), is now married to Naomi Lowde. His romantic life has also been linked with such actresses as Robin Lively (relationship ended in 1991), Christine Elise (dated in 1992), and Tiffani Thiessen (dated in 1997).


Sporty Jay

Childhood and Family:

Son to a former ballerina/choreographer/actress and real estate agent mother, Sharon, and a manufacturer’s representative father, Lorne, Jason Bradford Priestley was born on August 28, 1969. He spent his childhood with his older sister Justine Priestley, an actress who was born on January 1968, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he was also born.

Jason Priestley, who carried the nickname Jay, told his mom he wanted to be an actor when he was 5 and tried to fulfill his dream by working in commercials during his early years. At age 13, however, Jason decided to drop out of acting to concentrate on high-school spots. After high school graduation, he gave acting a second try. He studied acting under the guidance of Howard Fine and June Whitaker.

Jason has been married twice. He first tied the knot with the 90210 hair and make-up artist Ashlee Petersen on February 2, 1999, but the marriage ended in divorce on January 2, 2000. On May 2004, he became engaged to girlfriend Naomi Lowde, also a makeup artist, and the couple exchanged wedding vows in the Bahamas on May 14, 2005.


Love and Death on Long Island

Career:

“I didn’t want to think about my looks all the time. It’s not healthy for a young kid to go and worry about a scratch who could ruin your whole career. So I quit.” Jason Presley on leaving acting

Vancouver-born and raised Jason Priestley launched his career in his native Vancouver as a child actor in TV commercials until he quit acting in favor of high-school spots when he was 13. After high school graduation, he began to take drama classes and made his return to the business in 1986 with an uncredited part in the television movie Nobody’s Child. The same year, he also landed his first film role as Gary in the family movie The Boy Who Could Fly, which starred Lucy Deakins and Jay Underwood, and did not make another film until two years later when he got a bit part as a boy on a bike in Watchers (1988). A year later he landed a bigger part as Howard in Nowhere to Run (1989). In the meantime, the teen Priestley was also seen doing one-shot appearances in several Canada-based TV series like “Danger Bay,” “Airwolf,” “21 Jump Street,” “MacGyver” and “Quantum Leap.”

In 1989, Priestley starred in his own short-lived series, “Teen Angel,” before receiving a regular role as teenage waif Todd Mahaffey in the sitcom “Sister Kate” (1989), a role that put him on the radar of Tori Spelling, the daughter of the renowned producer Aaron Spelling, who advised her father to cast the young actor for a role in the Fox new series “Beverly Hills 90210.” Priestley soon made it big as he won the starring role of Brandon Walsh, the twin brother of the laudable Brenda (Shannen Doherty) on the Spelling-produced show. During 1990-98 portraying the honorable Brandon, Priestley was nominated for a Golden Globe two times, once in 1993 for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama and in 1995 for the same category. When he eventually left 90210 in 1998, Priestley, who also directed 15 episodes of 90210 (1993-97), continued his work as an executive producer for the series.

While working on the popular show, Priestley continued to pursue film work. In 1993, he got his first major film role as Roy Darpinian in Penny Marshall’s Calendar Girl (1993), was cast as Deputy Billy Breckinridge in Tombstone (1993), and appeared as Cosmo Reif in Coldblooded (1995). He did not find success until in 1997 when director Richard Kwietniowski cast Priestley as B-movie Ronnie Bostock in the drama film Love and Death on Long Island. It was followed by roles in The Big Twist (1997), The Thin Pink Line (1998) and Conversations in Limbo (1998). A year after his departure from 90210, Priestley was even busier. Within a year, he made four different movies, including Choose Life (1999), Dill Scallion (1999), Standing on Fishes (1999) and Eye of the Beholder (1999).

Entering the new millennium, Priestley maintained his hectic schedule by voicing the animated movies Lion of Oz (2000) and Herschel Hopper: New York Rabbit (2000), appeared in the film The Highwayman (2000), as well as made three television films: Common Ground, Homicide: The Movie, and Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (all in 2000). After having a guest role in the hit series “Spin City (2001), Priestley was seen in many films such as Zigs (2001), The Fourth Angel (2001), Darkness Falling (2002), Cherish (2002), Cover Story (2002), Time of the Wolf (2002), Fancy Dancing (2002), Die, Mommie, Die (2003), Chicks with Sticks (2004) and Going the Distance (2004). On the small screen, he acted in a series of TV movies like Warning: Parental Advisory (2002), The True Meaning of Christmas Special (2002), I Want to Marry Ryan Banks (2004) and Sleep Murder (2004). He returned to a TV series in 2004 as a regular in “Tru Calling,” playing Jack Harper until 2005. In 2005, he focused his work on television movies by playing roles in Colditz (2005), Murder at the Presidio (2005) and Snow Wonder (2005).

Recently, Priestley costarred with Randy Spelling, Diora Baird and Carmen Electra in the Michael Damian-directed Hot Tamale (2006). He also stars opposite Thomas Cavanagh in the comedy series “Love Monkey” (2006-?). The actor is set to play Jeff Riley in the forthcoming telefilm Shades of Black: The Conrad Black Story (2006) and Sir Frederick Banting in the upcoming TV miniseries “Above and Beyond” (2006).

Awards:
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