Childhood & Early Life
Johnny Whitworth was born on October 31, 1975, in Charleston, South Carolina. He had five brothers; he was the third son in the family.
He lived at his birthplace, Charleston, during the first few years of his life, with his mother. Since his parents were separated, he opted to live with his father in Plano, Texas.
He later moved to Los Angeles with his mother. He began his acting career with a guest appearance on ‘Party of Five,’ in 1994.
He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in LA and also took acting lessons as a teenager. He performed in many theatrical productions to hone his skills as an actor. He also became a lifelong member of the ‘Actors Studio,’ New York.
In 1991, at the age of 16, he participated and won the 1st ‘Young and Modern Man’ contest. He did not pursue college and chose to pursue full-time acting right after his high school and began auditioning for roles in films and television.
Continue Reading Below
Career
In 1994, Johnny made his acting debut in a guest role in the episode ‘Sons and Mudders’ on ‘Birdland.’ He then appeared in a small role as ‘P.K. Strickler’ in 2 episodes of the teen drama series ‘Party of Five.’
He made his film debut in 1995, in a supporting role as ‘Max Cooper’ in the romantic comedy drama film ‘Bye Bye Love.’ The film mostly received below average reviews, but turned out to be a decent commercial success.
In 1995, he appeared in the coming of age comedy drama ‘Empire Records.’ He played ‘A.J.’ in the film, which was a huge critical and commercial debacle. However, overtime, the film gained a huge cult following and is currently known as one of the most remarkable films of the 1990s. The film also launched the career of many of its stars, including Johnny.
In 1996, he starred as one of the main characters in the drama film ‘Somebody is Waiting,’ which turned out to be a commercial and critical failure.
Francis Ford Coppola signed Johnny to play one of the key roles as ‘Donny Ray Black’ in the legal drama film ‘The Rainmaker.’ He played a young cancer patient in the film, which was a big critical success, but only a moderate commercial success.
In the next few years, he appeared in supporting roles in films such as ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ ‘Out in Fifty,’ and ‘Bullslinger.’ In addition to films, was also active in television and appeared in guest roles on ‘The Shield,’ ‘Providence,’ and ‘NYPD Blue.’
In the early 2000s, he appeared in films such as ‘The Anarchist Cookbook’ and ‘Valentine.’ He also appeared in the Swiss film ‘Birdseye,’ a low budget comedy film.
After appearing in a supporting role in the 2002 film ‘Kiss the Bride,’ Johnny took a long break. He wanted to focus on getting better roles, as despite receiving critical appreciation for his performances, he was mostly limited to playing small or supporting roles.
In the meantime, he appeared in a few television series’ such as ‘Cold Case’ and ‘Numb3rs,’ playing guest roles.
Continue Reading Below
In 2006, he made his television breakthrough when he appeared playing a recurring role in the police procedural series titled ‘CSI: Miami.’
He made his film comeback in 2006 in the biographical drama film ‘Factory Girl.’ He played a supporting role in the film, which was a huge critical and commercial debacle.
In the late 2000s, he did not get better roles and continued playing supporting roles in films, such as ‘Pathology,’ ‘Reach for Me,’ and ‘Gamer.’
In 2011, he appeared in a major role as ‘Vernon Gant’ in the science fiction thriller film ‘Limitless.’ The film was a big critical and commercial success. Thereafter he appeared in supporting roles in films such as ‘Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance’ and ‘Bad Hurt.’
In 2014, he appeared in a recurring role as ‘Cage Wallace’ on ‘The 100,’ followed by another recurring role on ‘Blindspot.’
He has also played supporting roles in films such as ‘The Adventures of Thomasina Sawyer’ and ‘Finding Her.’
Family & Personal Life
Johnny Whitworth has been open about his romantic life. During the early phase of his career, he dated actress Dana Daurey.
After his breakup with Dana, he dated Gina Phillips and Megan Pepin.
He has mentioned that waiting for the right opportunity is the most difficult part about being an actor.
