Kip Pardue
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
A handsome blond actor with all-American athletic good looks and magnetic charisma onscreen, Kip Pardue was a ready-made heartthrob with the acting abilities to set him apart from other pretty faces. Having been discovered in 1996 while working as a production assistant on the short-lived ABC series "Townies" on a summer break from Yale, the college football quarterback left the team in his senior year in order to work as a model and pay his bills. With credits including Abercrombie & Fitch, Polo and Armani campaigns, Pardue became a familiar face in the industry.
After earning his economics degree, he segued into acting in 1999 with a guest role on "7th Heaven" (The WB), which led to his being cast in the pilot of the high school set-series "Popular" in the role of jock Josh Ford. Being replaced for the actual run of the series by actor Bryce Johnson proved a positive development in Pardue's career, with the lack of work freeing him up for movie roles. A supporting turn in the off-beat comedy "But I'm a Cheerleader" (1999) as a gay teen enrolled in a program designed to "straighten" him out marked the actor's big screen debut. He followed up with a turn in the less funny "Whatever it Takes" (2000), an uninspired reworking of "Cyrano de Bergerac" for the teen set. Pardue gained more notice for his co-starring role as 'Sunshine', the long-haired California import who helps unite a school and community as the quarterback of the newly desegregated football team in the 1970s Virginia-set drama "Remember the Titans" (2000). Here his high school and college football past served him well, and audiences took notice of the charming character and his more-than-capable portrayer.
Noted as one to watch by both Variety and E! Online following this turn, Pardue was poised to make his breakthrough, taking his debut starring role opposite Sylvester Stallone in "Driven" (2001), the action-packed Renny Harlin-directed look at the CART racing circuit. As the dashing rookie Jimmy Bly, he caught the attention of an even wider audience, and brought the right mixture of fire and apathy to the hot property reveling in his success and facing burnout. Turns in the less-flashy features "The Glass House" (2001) and "Rat in the Can" (lensed 2000) would prove Pardue's versatility, while his reputation as a grounded and professional person off screen would open ever more doors. In 2002 Pardue joined the young ensemble cast of writer-director Roger Avary's edgy and provocative film adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis' bestseller "The Rules of Attraction," playing a shallow 1980s college student caught up in a variety of sexcapades. In "This Girl's Life," Pardue goes on a blind date with a young woman (Juliette Marquis) he later finds out is a porn star.
Then after appearing as a 20-something neighbor who is tempted by the prospect of a threesome with two thirteen year-olds in the acclaimed drama "Thirteen" (2003), Pardue played a high school swimming champion tired of the pressure and attention in "Imaginary Heroes" (2005), co-starring Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels and Emile Hirsch. The low-budget indie was seen at a few festivals, including Toronto in 2004 and Santa Barbara in early 2005, before being released in a couple dozen theaters. Pardue then appeared in "Undiscovered" (2005) co-starring Pell James, Ashlee Simpson and Shannyn Sossamon. Thanks to poor reviews and limited advertising, the insipid romantic drama about wannabe singers guided by random fate and superficial ambitions remained true to its name by failing to crack seven figures in wide release opening weekend.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1999
Acted on an episode of "7th Heaven" (The WB)
1999
Cast as Josh Ford in the series pilot of "Popular" (The WB), replaced by actor Bryce Johnson when show went to series
1999
Played a gay teen undergoing 'treatment' in the comedy "But I'm a Cheerleader"
2000
Breakthrough screen role as a high school football player in "Remember the Titans"
2000
Featured in "Whatever it Takes", a high school-set reworking of "Cyrano de Bergerac"
2001
Played a young racecar driver opposite Sylvester Stallone in Renny Harlin's "Driven"
2001
Cast in the independent drama "Rat in the Can" (aka "Strange Hearts")
2001
Had a supporting role in the thriller "The Glass House"
2002
Co-starred in writer-director Roger Avary's edgy adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis' "The Rules of Attraction"
2002
Starred with Rose McGowan and Chevy Chase in the offbeat comedy "Vacuums"
2003
Cast in the critically acclaimed teen drama "Thirteen" starring Holly Hunter
2004
Co-starred with Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels in "Imaginary Heroes"
2005
Co-starred with Shannyn Sossamon and Ashlee Simpson in "Undiscovered"
2006
Cast in a recurring role on "ER" (NBC) as a male nurse who becomes involved with Samantha Taggart (Linda Cardellini)
Companions
