Jake McLaughlin Biography

(Actor)

Birthday: October 7, 1982 (Libra)

Born In: Paradise, California, United States

Jacob Adam McLaughlin is an American actor known for portraying Gordon Bonner in Paul Haggis's film ‘In the Valley of Elah’, Tate in the NBC series ‘Believe’, and Ryan Booth in the ABC thriller series ‘Quantico’. He is also a highly decorated US Army veteran who has been to Iraq. Originally from central California, McLaughlin studied at Notre Dame Catholic School and Chico High School before relocating to southern California, where he earned his GED from North Hollywood High School. He enlisted in the US Army as a Dismount Infantry Squad Automatic Weapon Gunner in 2002. As part of the 3rd Infantry Division, he saw combat in Baghdad and sustained critical injuries. For his accomplishments, he received several military honours. After returning to America, he held various jobs and studied to become a truck driver, but he had always been interested in acting. He made his screen debut in the critically acclaimed film ‘In the Valley of Elah’ in 2007. Since then, he has established himself as one of the most promising TV stars. Besides ‘Believe’ and ‘Quantico’, he also appeared in television shows like ‘Criminal Minds, ‘Heroes,’ ‘Crash’, and ‘Scorpion’.
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Quick Facts

Also Known As: Jacob Adam McLaughlin

Age: 42 Years, 42 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Stephanie McLaughlin (m. 2004)

father: John P. McLaughlin

mother: Rebecca Kay De Victoria

children: Logan McLaughlin, Reagan McLaughlin

Born Country: United States

Actors Soldiers

Height: 1.85 m

U.S. State: California

Military Career
In 2002, Jake McLaughlin was recruited into the US Army as a Dismount Infantry Squad Automatic Weapon Gunner. He served with the 3rd Infantry Division. He was part of a unit that was one of the first to arrive in Baghdad. NBC reporter David Bloom was killed while he was travelling with McLaughlin’s unit. During his time in Iraq, he sustained severe injuries. For his service, McLaughlin has received the Army Commendation Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and Army Good Conduct Medal. He has also been awarded the Army Achievement Medal four times for his efforts during Operation Iraqi Freedom. However, despite the critical injuries he had suffered, he has not received the Purple Heart yet. ‘Soldier of Fortune’ magazine did a piece on him. Journalist and author David Zucchino wrote about him in his 2004 book ‘Thunder Run’.
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Acting Career
After Jake McLaughlin came back to US, he did a variety of jobs. He was part of a crab-boat crew in Oregon and served as a security guard at Universal Studios. He had acting aspirations but providing for his young family was more important. While residing in Chico, California, he worked in construction and learned about truck driving. It was during this period that he came to know from his neighbour that filmmaker Paul Haggis was looking for veterans for his next project. He subsequently gave an audition and was selected to play Specialist Gordon Bonner in the 2007 crime drama film ‘In the Valley of Elah’. Later that year, he appeared on the small screen for the first time in the season-three premiere of the CBS military action-drama series ‘The Unit’, portraying a prison guard. He also guest-starred as Matt Bartley in an episode of ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ in 2007.
In 2008, he appeared in two films: found-footage monster movie ‘Cloverfield’ and science fiction drama ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’. In the former, he played a helicopter pilot, while in the latter, he was cast as a soldier. In J. J. Abrams’ nostalgia-inducing science fiction monster thriller film ‘Super 8’, he was cast as Merrit. McLaughlin shared the screen space with the likes of Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte in the 2011 family sports drama ‘Warrior’.
He has made guest appearances in several TV shows throughout his career, including ‘CSI: Miami’ (2008), ‘Leverage’ (2008), ‘Criminal Minds’ (2008), ‘Heroes’ (2009), ‘The Philanthropist’ (2009), ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ (2010), ‘The Mentalist’ (2011), ‘The Whole Truth’ (2011), and ‘Scorpion’ (2014).
In 2009, he portrayed the recurring character James Addison in the CBS police procedural drama series ‘Cold Case’. In the same year, he joined the cast of Starz’s ‘Crash’ in its second season as Bo Olinville. In 2012, he worked alongside Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, and Vera Farmiga in the action thriller ‘Safe House’. He then played a supporting character in Oliver Stone’s crime thriller ‘Savages’, which was also released in 2012.
He played William Tate Jr. in the short-lived NBC fantasy drama series ‘Believe’. Between 2015 and 2018, he essayed the role of the undercover FBI agent Ryan Booth in ABC’s thriller drama show ‘Quantico’. The series garnered positive reviews and enjoyed modest ratings but ultimately was cancelled after the third season. McLaughlin appeared in the indie films ‘Black Dog, Red Dog’ (2015), ‘Forever’ (2015), and ‘Another Time’ (2018). He is set to star in the upcoming drama film ‘Home’.
Family & Personal Life
Jake McLaughlin was born on October 7, 1982, in Paradise, Butte County, California, USA, to John P. McLaughlin and Rebecca Kay De Victoria. His father is of Irish descent while his mother is of Cheyenne and Irish ancestry.
He was a student at Notre Dame Catholic School and Chico High School in Chico, Butte County, California. He then relocated to Southern California and attended North Hollywood High School, Los Angeles, California, obtaining a GED from there.
In 2004, McLaughlin married a woman named Stephanie. The couple has three daughters, Rowan, Reagan, and Freya, and one son, Logan.
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