Joseph "Clayne" Crawford (born April 20, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Martin Riggs on the Fox series ''

Lethal Weapon ''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American action film directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love, and Mitchell Ryan. In ''Lethal Weapon'', a pai ...

'' (2016–2018) and Teddy Talbot on the SundanceTV series '' Rectify'' (2013–2016), the latter earning him a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He has also had supporting roles in the films '' A Walk to Remember'' (2002), '' Swimfan'' (2002), '' A Love Song for Bobby Long'' (2004), '' The Great Raid'' (2005), and '' Wristcutters: A Love Story'' (2006).

Early life

Joseph Crawford was born in Clay, Alabama, on April 20, 1978, the son of Lennie and design engineer Brian Crawford. He graduated from Hewitt-Trussville High School, where he was on the football and wrestling teams.

Career

In 1996, Crawford moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to look for acting work. He took construction jobs to support himself while appearing in small theaters. In 2000, to distinguish himself from others with a similar name, he stopped using the name "Joey Crawford" and began appearing with the name "Clayne Crawford". He created his new first name by taking the name of his hometown ( Clay, Alabama) and combining it with the word "clan" in honor of an ancestor. He had a recurring role in the first season of ''

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'' as Mitchell "Mitch" Cafferty. In 2008, he appeared on ''

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'' in the episode "Evil ... and His Brother Ziggy". Crawford was the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

in the 2010 straight-to-DVD prequel to '' Smokin' Aces'', '' Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball''. In 2010, he had a recurring role in the eighth season of '' 24'' as Kevin Wade, a young, mysterious man. He also appeared in the first and second season of the A&E series '' The Glades''. Crawford played the role of Ted "Teddy" Talbot Jr. in the first SundanceTV original series, '' Rectify'', which was aired for four seasons from 2013 to 2016. The series, exploring a man who is released from prison after 19 years on death row after DNA evidence appears to support his innocence, also looks at the effects on his family and town. It received critical praise and won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

in 2014, also receiving notice for its treatment of issues in criminal justice. In 2015, Crawford played the role of Cade LaSalle, older brother to Christopher LaSalle on '' NCIS: New Orleans''. Beginning in 2016, Crawford portrayed Martin Riggs in the Fox television reboot ''

''. In May 2018, during reports of bad behavior and hostility between cast and crew on the show's set, Crawford was fired after two seasons and replaced with a new character played by

Seann William Scott Seann William Scott (born October 3, 1976) is an American actor. In film, Scott is best known for his breakout role as Steve Stifler in the ''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012). He also starred in a lead role as Doug Glatt in '' Goon'' (2 ...

. His career also includes different projects aimed at streaming services, such as a supporting actor role in

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original film '' Spectral'', and the role of protagonist in one of the episodes of

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

'' Into the Dark''. From 2019 to present, Crawford has started focusing mostly on independent filmmaking, starring in acclaimed drama films '' The Killing of Two Lovers'' and '' The Integrity of Joseph Chambers'', action movie '' The Channel'', and thriller films '' Finestkind'' and '' The King Tide''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

2016 Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (nominated)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Clayne 1978 births Living people People from Clay, Alabama Male actors from Alabama American male film actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Actors from Jefferson County, Alabama