Nathan Fillion
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Canadian actor Nathan Fillion had already made a name for himself in the daytime television world with a three-year stint on ABC's "One Life to Live" (1968-2013) when "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (Fox, 1997-2003) creator Joss Whedon introduced him to primetime audiences in the cult sci-fi Western, "Firefly" (Fox, 2002-03). Fillion reprised his role in the big-screen spin-off, "Serenity" (2005). Mild-mannered with a subtle sense of humor and a guy-next-door realism about him, Fillion earned notice for co-starring in independent features, including the horror comedy "Slither" (2006) and the indie romantic comedy "Waitress" (2007), opposite Keri Russell. Fillion was courted to star in a number of TV projects, including the action series "Drive" (Fox, 2007) and the romantic comedy/drama "Castle" (ABC, 2009-16), and while the former vehicle proved short-lived, his glowing reviews and appeal with female audiences on the latter show revealed that if paired with the right project, he exuded an undeniable star quality.
Born March 27, 1971, Fillion grew up the son of English teachers in Alberta, Canada. He attended Concordia University College of Alberta and the University of Alberta where he became active in local theater, especially improv comedy, and performed with the Rapid Fire Theater Company. He made his screen debut in the 1993 ABC TV movie "Ordeal in the Arctic," a disaster drama filmed in Edmonton. Ironically, Fillion was performing regularly with the improvised soap-opera show, "Die Nasty," when he landed a cast role on a real-life soap opera, "One Life to Live." Fillion relocated to New York and for three years played the role of Joey Buchanan, son of the show's heroine Victoria, who endured uniquely precarious situations including a forbidden romance with the decades-older Dorian, his mother's arch-nemesis. The program showcased not only the husky-voiced actor's leading-man potential, but his humor and affability as he more than capably handled both the requisite melodramatic scenes and lighthearted comic ones. For his efforts, he garnered a 1996 Daytime Emmy nomination as Outstanding Younger Leading Man.
Fillion made the move to features after he left the soap, heading to Hollywood where he snared a memorable cameo in Steven Spielberg's hard-hitting World War II drama "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), playing the other Private James Ryan - not the one who is the focus of the search. The following year, he appeared in the comedy "Blast from the Past" in a contemptible turn as Alicia Silverstone's shallow ex-boyfriend. The comic actor then put his skills to use in the recurring role of Johnny Donnelly, the likable jukebox repairman boyfriend of Traylor Howard's Sharon on the ABC sitcom "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place" (ABC, 1998-2000). In the fall of 1999, "Two Guys and a Girl" (ABC, 1999-2001) left the pizza place behind and Fillion joined the cast as a regular, moving in with Sharon and planning their upcoming wedding while attempting to bond with the difficult "Two Guys," scattered Berg (Ryan Reynolds) and jealous Pete (Richard Ruccolo).
In 2002, Fillion was recruited by Joss Whedon to star in Fox's "Firefly" as Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, the cynical, seemingly mercenary captain of the spaceship Serenity in the futuristic space opera that drew more inspiration from classic Westerns than typical sci-fi. The show managed to garner a devoted following, but not enough to keep it on the air. Whedon held on to Fillion, giving him a recurring role as Caleb, the final villain faced by the Slayer on the last season of "Buffy." The following year, he was tapped by NBC to re-team with Alicia Silverstone on the series "Miss Match" (NBC, 2003). The hour-long comedy met with a swift demise, after which Fillion reprised Mal in a big-budget feature spin-off of "Firefly" entitled "Serenity" (2005), where his performance proved to be the core of the film's human story. Meanwhile, his voice-over career ramped up with roles in animated offerings such as "Justice League" (Cartoon Network, 2001-06).
Fillion became a big-screen leading man in 2006 with his starring role in James Gunn's horror-comedy hybrid, "Slither" (2006), in which he gave a critically lauded performance as the would-be hero and chief-of-police of a small town invaded by alien parasites that transform the citizenry into zombies. He earned less attention for a starring role in the low-budget thriller "White Noise: The Light" (2006), but the following year enjoyed glowing reviews for "Waitress" (2007), in which he co-starred as a doctor who falls in love with a pregnant patient who is enduring an abusive marriage. The film showcased Fillion's light comedic touch and appeal as a sincere, romantic leading man. That fall he was cast in a brief role as Katherine Mayfair's ex-husband, Dr. Adam Mayfair, on the campy Sunday night mainstay "Desperate Housewives" (ABC, 2004-2012). The actor's luck as a primetime lead continued to elude him however, when the action series "Drive," about a high-stakes, cross-country road race, lasted only half a dozen episodes.
Re-teaming with Whedon, Fillion starred as an unscrupulous superhero in "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" (2008), a 45-minute web-only musical movie that earned a great deal of Internet buzz and a People's Choice Award for Best Web Sensation. He also joined Keri Russell a second time - in voice only - to co-star in the 2009 animated direct-to-video release "Wonder Woman," and his voice work continued in his role as Green Lantern in various straight-to-video cartoon productions, including "Green Lantern: Emerald Knights" (2011). In the spring of 2009, Fillion returned to the network that gave him his start for the title role as a novelist who joins forces with a lovely detective (Stana Katic) to solve mysteries in the romantically tinged series "Castle," and the show proved to be remarkably successful. Outside of this and his various superhero adventures, Fillion reunited with his old buddy Whedon once again for a fittingly light adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy "Much Ado About Nothing" (2012), and the following year he was featured in two major Hollywood films, first as a smug frat-boy in the Pixar hit sequel "Monsters University" and then as the messenger god Hermes in the underwhelming fantasy movie "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters."
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1993
Made first TV appearance in the ABC movie "Ordeal in the Arctic"
1994
Played Joey Buchanan on the ABC soap opera, "One Life to Live"
1998
Made his feature film debut in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan," playing a soldier with the same name as the sought after James Ryan
1999
Appeared in an episode of "The Outer Limits" (Showtime) as a futuristic freedom fighter
1999
Joined the sitcom "Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place" in a supporting role; became a regular cast member in the second season
1999
Was featured as the jealous ex-boyfriend of Alicia Silverstone in "Blast From the Past"
2002
Starred as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the Joss Whedon series "Firefly"
2003
Had a recurring role as Caleb in the final season of Joss Whedon's series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
2005
Reprised his role as Captain Reynolds in "Serenity," Whedon's feature-length sequel to "Firefly"
2006
Starred as the local sheriff in the horror film "Slither"
2007
Co-starred with Keri Russell in the indie, "Waitress"; helmed by Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered before the films release
2007
Cast in the lead role of Alex Tully in the short-lived series, "Drive" (Fox)
2007
Reprised his role as Joey on two episodes of ABC's "One Life to Live"
2007
Joined the cast of ABC's "Desperate Housewives" as Dr. Adam Mayfair
2008
Appeared in Joss Whedon's Internet-distributed short "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" as Captain Hammer
2009
Played the title character of Richard Castle, a mystery novelist who helps the NYPD solve crimes in ABC's "Castle"
2012
Appeared in Whedon's adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing"
2013
Voiced Johnny Worthington in "Monsters University"
2013
Appeared in the sequel "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"
2014
Had a vocal cameo in Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy"
2014
Had a recurring role on "Gravity Falls"
2015
Appeared as Wernher Von Braun on "Drunk History"
2015
Played Jack Moore on "Con Man"
2016
Cast as weatherman Rainer Shine on "Modern Family"
2017
Had a recurring role on "Santa Clarita Diet"
2017
Appeared in the pilot for Netflix's gross-out comedy/drama "Santa Clarita Diet"
2017
Voiced Sterling in Disney/Pixar sequel "Cars 3"
2018
Played video game icon Nathan Drake in the "Uncharted: Live Action Fan Film"
2018
Played Jacques Snicket on "A Series of Unfortunate Events"
Family
Companions
