For all those all-star athletes studying Marine Biology...you might want to find a fall back career...like acting.
Halifax native making a mark with Tron: LegacyHalifax native John Reardon, now living in Los Angeles, is part of the big-budget Tron reboot.
The 35-year-old is starring in Tron: Legacy as Young Kevin Flynn and Clu Performance Double. Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges, who starred as Kevin Flynn in the original Tron, is reprising his roles as Kevin Flynn and Clu from the 1982 movie.
Reardon has a B.Sc. from Mount Allison University where he was a receiving star for the football Mounties for five years.
The six-foot-one actor’s credits include the movies White Chicks (2004) with the Wayans brothers, Scary Movie 4 (2006) and Merlin’s Apprentice with Sam Neill. .
Next up is the TV movie Bringing Ashley Home with A. J. Cook, formerly of Criminal Minds.
John Reardon
Biography
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, John Reardon is one of three children, and is part of a large extended family. In fact, he estimates he has over 300 cousins living in Canada’s Maritimes. He returns to his hometown as often as his busy schedule allows, but spends much of his time working in Hollywood and Vancouver.
During his school years, John performed in many plays, but he had never considered going into acting professionally until he saw a riveting cinematic performance. “I was just finishing high school when I saw Paul Newman in the movie ‘Cool Hand Luke’ and decided he had the best profession in the world, “says John. “Paul Newman has definitely been a very big idol for me--not only in acting, but also in the way he lives his life. He is an incredibly talented performer with great range and can do comedy and drama. He also has been married to the same woman for the last 40 years, runs a charity that makes over $200 million a year and is also a professional race car driver at the age of 75. He is pretty cool.”
Although motivated to follow in the footsteps of his idol, John choose to complete his education first. He studied marine biology at Mount Allison University where he was an all-star football player, an academic All-Canadian and Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Upon graduation, John pursued his ambition of becoming an actor. He performed with a few improv comedy groups, and then studied acting at Second City in Toronto. His first break in showbiz came in 2001 when he was cast in an episode of “The Chris Isaak Show,” in which he was credited as John Henry Reardon. He followed that by appearing in an episode of “The Twilight Zone” and in the TV series “Andromeda” as well as in the TV movie “1st to Die.”
After shortening his name to John Reardon, he found continued success, playing the recurring character Josh Wyatt in the CBC series “Edgemont” and playing Randall Thompson in three episodes of the series “Tru Calling.” In 2004, he also landed his first movie role, playing Heath in the Wayans Brothers’ outlandish comedy, “White Chicks.” After a turn the lead character, Greg, in the horror movie “Severed,” John went on to spoof the genre, appearing in “Scary Movie 4,” along with a star-studded cast that included Leslie Nielson, Bill Pullman, Molly Shannon, and Michael Madsen.
Meanwhile, John began to land major roles on TV, playing the title character in “Merlin’s Apprentice,” a Hallmark mini-series that also starred Sam Neill and Miranda Richardson. In the series, “Painkiller Jane,” John had a continuing role as Brian, the boyfriend of the tile character, played by Kritanna Lokens (“Terminator 3”).
A leading man in the TV movies “Valentine’s Carol” and “7 Things to do Before I’m 30,” John also played the lead in another mini-series, “Son of the Dragon,” filmed on location in China and set to air on the Hallmark Channel in April of 2008. Here he demonstrates his athletic skills in his convincing portrayal of D.B, a young man who trains under a martial arts master played by David Carradine.
In the upcoming dance movie, “Make It Happen,” starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John plays her brother, Joel. The conflict centres on his disapproval of her desire to be a dancer.
As a working professional, John has continued to hone his acting skills, studying with Michael David Simms and Jeff Seymour in Vancouver and Chris Fields in Los Angeles. A great humanitarian, John supports a number of charities including Save the Oceans, Sharkwater, Amnesty International, the Canadian Wildlife Fund, and he also sponsors a child in Africa. For many years he was a volunteer in an aviary to help save and rehabilitate injured birds.
An all around athlete, John has competed in several adventure racing events in Vancouver, including the Nike Five Peaks and Sea to Summit races. John has traveled to more than 30 countries and has a passion for SCUBA diving. He would like to explore all five oceans of the world. Meanwhile, John is riding the wave of success in his acting career and spends much of his spare time writing. He is currently trying to develop a TV series he’s written to be shot in Halifax and is also looking to produce his screenplay about the civil war in Cambodia.
News
Actor John Reardon stars in the mini series ‘Son of the Dragon’, premiering on the all-new Hallmark Movie Channel HD April 2nd
Watch for John this summer in the feature film ‘Make It Happen’.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 2008 - An accomplished actor, John Reardon, continues his surging success in 2008 as the lead character in the exciting mini-series ‘Son of the Dragon’ scheduled to premiere on the all-new Hallmark Movie Channel HD April 2nd. Filmed on location in Hengdian, China, this Asian martial arts epic borrows its storyline from ‘The Tales of the Arabian Nights.’ The U.S. television premiere of ‘Son of the Dragon’ HD will be featured on two nights: night one, Wednesday, April 2 (8/7 c) and night two, Thursday, April 3 (8/7 c).
In this lavish production, John portrays the youthful hero, D.B., who studies the skills of deadly combat under the guidance of the master, played by David Carradine. The
international cast includes Rupert Graves, Desiree Siahan, Eddy Ko, and Bollywood star, Nitin Gantatra.
Later this summer, John can be seen on the big screen as one of the leads in the upcoming feature film ‘Make It Happen.’ The movie depicts the trials and tribulations of an aspiring young dancer, Lauryn, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Lucy McClane in the Bruce Willis thriller ‘Live Free or Die’). Produced by The Mayhem Project and the Weinstein Company, ‘Make It Happen’ is a fine vehicle for John Reardon, who is cast as Lauryn’s older brother Joel who stands in her way as she pursues a dancing career. John’s other feature film appearances include ‘White Chicks,’ ‘Severed’ and ‘Scary Movie 4.’
Now in the prime of his career, John has already delivered stellar performances with leading roles in romantic comedies and TV movies such as ‘7 Things to do Before I’m 30,’ and ‘Valentine’s Carol.’ He has also appeared in the title role of the 2006 mini-series ‘Merlin’s Apprentice.’ Other television appearances and recurring roles include ‘Painkiller Jane,’ the role of Josh Wyatt in the CBC series ‘Edgemont,’ ‘Tru Calling,’ ‘The Chris Isaak Show,’ ‘The Twilight Zone’ and the TV series ‘Andromeda.’
When not on set, John loves to travel, has a passion for scuba diving and supports a number of charities, including sponsoring a child in Africa. John also spends much of his spare time writing and is currently trying to develop a TV series he’s written to be shot in Halifax. He is also looking to produce his screenplay about the civil war in Cambodia.
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