Jackson Ryan Hurst (born February 17, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Grayson Kent on the Lifetime comedy series ''

Drop Dead Diva ''Drop Dead Diva'' is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that aired on Lifetime from July 12, 2009, to June 22, 2014. The series was created by Josh Berman and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It stars Brooke Elliott ...

'' (2009–2014).

Early life and education

Hurst was born and raised in the Houston area of Texas as the middle of three sons, his brothers are Colin and Michael. He attended St. Pius X High School (and during high school he played football, soccer, basketball, and baseball) and

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...

, where he majored in

international economics International economics is concerned with the effects upon economic activity from international differences in productive resources and consumer preferences and the international institutions that affect them. It seeks to explain the patterns and ...

and

management information systems A management information system (MIS) is an information system used for decision-making, and for the coordination, control, analysis, and visualization of information in an organization. The study of the management information systems involves pe ...

with a minor in Spanish. After college, Hurst spent a year in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

working for a transport company before beginning a finance career in Houston.

Career

Hurst kept his day job in the finance industry, juggling it with acting gigs, until he was offered a role in '' The Mist'' in 2007. He appeared in episodes of the television series ''Inspector Mom'' in 2006, ''

The Closer ''The Closer'' is an American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a c ...

'' in 2009 and '' NCIS'' in 2010. Since 2009, Hurst has played Grayson Kent on the Lifetime original comedy series ''Drop Dead Diva''. He also appeared in the films ''Have Dreams, Will Travel'' (2007), ''The Mist'' (2007) and ''

Shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ...

'' (2009). In 2011, Hurst starred in his first leading role in the film ''

A Bird of the Air ''A Bird of the Air'' is a 2011 American romantic drama film directed by Margaret Whitton and starring Rachel Nichols and Jackson Hurst. It is based on the novel ''The Loop'' by Joe Coomer. Synopsis Lyman is a highway worker who spends most ...

''.

Personal

Hurst became engaged to actress Stacy Stas in October 2013. They were married in

San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano (Spanish for " St. John of Capistrano") is a city in Orange County, California, located along the Orange Coast. The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census. San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when St ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, on June 7, 2014. They have three children together: two sons born in 2015 and 2018, and a daughter born in 2020.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

Jackson Hurst Bio

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, Jackson 1979 births 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Baylor University alumni Living people Male actors from Houston