Who is Johnathon Schaech? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Age: 54 Years, 54 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Julie Solomon, Christina Applegate (m. 2001–2007), Jana Kramer (m. 2010–2011)

father: Joe

mother: Joanne Schaech

Actors American Men

Height: 5'11" (180 cm), 5'11" Males

Ancestry: German American, Italian American

Notable Alumni: University Of Maryland, Baltimore County

U.S. State: Maryland

More Facts

education: University Of Maryland, Baltimore County

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Childhood & Early Life

Johnathon Schaech was born on September 10, 1969, in Edgewood, Maryland, USA. His father, Joe Schaech, was a law enforcement officer. His mother, Joanne Schaech, worked as a human resource executive. He has one sister.

After graduating from high school, he went on to study economics at the University of Maryland. During this time, he also took one acting class, and decided to pursue his dream of making it big in Hollywood. He dropped out of college during his junior year.

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Career

Johnathon Schaech was offered a job by a dance troupe called Chippendales in 1989. However, acting upon his father’s advice to aim higher, he signed up with Wilhelmina West instead.

He joined Roy London’s acting classes to improve his acting and vocal techniques. Meanwhile, he began taking up modeling and commercial assignments to support himself.

His first role was in a TV movie called ‘The Webbers’ (1993), starring David Arquette and Jennifer Tilly. The movie did nothing to boost his career, and the same was true for his next movie ‘Storia Di Una Capinera’ (Sparrows) as well.

His first big break came in Gregg Araki’s ‘The Doom Generation’ (1995). The very same year, he made his presence felt in ‘How to Make an American Quilt,’ in which he played Winona Ryder’s love interest.

His good looks and acting talent won him a leading role in Tom Hanks’ directorial debut ‘That Thing That You Do!’ (1996). In 1996, ‘Vanity Fair’ featured him along with Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Benicio del Toro as the most promising leading men of tomorrow.

The year 1998 was a good one for him. That year, he was seen in ‘Hush,’ opposite Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Lange, ‘Houdini’ and ‘Wounding.’ At the 2001 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival, Johnathon Schaech received the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in ‘Wounding.’

The films ‘Finding Graceland’ and ‘Splendor’ in 1999 were two of his movies that did moderately well at the box office. However, it was his role of a Columbian-born homosexual Manhattanite dying of AIDS in David Rabe’s play ‘A Question of Mercy’ (2000) that earned him respect for his acting credential.

In 2001, he got to play the title role in ‘Judas,’ a television movie for ABC. As the name suggests, the movie tells Judas’ side of the Biblical story and this did not go down well with a lot of Christians. The movie became so controversial that its premiere was delayed till 2004.

In 2002, Johnathon Schaech, in collaboration with Richard Chizmar, wrote, directed and acted in ‘Heroes.’ He went on to write the screenplays of ‘Roadhouse 2’ (2006) and ‘The Washingtonians (The Masters of Horror Series)’ (2007). Richard Chizmar was the co-writer for both the movies.

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His roles in the films ‘Little Chenier’ (2006), ‘Prom Night’ (2007), ‘Quarantine’ (2008), ‘Five Days of War’ (2011), ‘The Legend of Hercules’ (2014), ‘Texas Rising’ (2015), and ‘Reprisal’ (2018) were noted for his fine acting.

One of his upcoming film projects is ‘The Night Clerk,’ in which he would be seen opposite Helen Hunt, Ana de Armas, and John Leguizamo.

In 2014, he wrote a book titled ‘Rick Dempsey’s Caught Stealing,’ which is fun to read.

Ever since he made his acting debut in 1993, Johnathon Schaech has made regular appearances on television as well. The TV series ‘Ray Donovan’ (2013), ‘Quantico’ (2015), and DC’s ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ (2016-18) are some of the programs he has appeared in.

Major Work

Johnathon Schaech appeared as Jimmy Mattingly in the film ‘That Thing You Do!’ The comedy musical that revolved around the rise and fall of a fictional 1960s one-hit wonder pop band was well-received by the critics.

Family & Personal Life

Johnathon Schaech married Christina Applegate in 2001 and separated in 2005. Their divorce was finalized in 2007.

In 2008, he started dating Jana Kramer, a singer and actress, and was engaged in 2009. They separated just a month after their marriage in 2010.

He married Julie Solomon in July 2013, and their son, Camden Quinn Schaech, was born in September 2013.

He has also dated Heather Locklear, Gabrielle Anwar, Natasha Henstridge, and Madonna in the past.

Trivia

It is rumored that he once dated Ellen DeGeneres.

Johnathon Schaech Biography