Devon Sawa

Devon Edward Sawa (born September 7, 1978) is a Canadian actor. Born and raised in Vancouver, Sawa began his career as a children's action toy spokesman. He made his film debut with a supporting role in '' Little Giants'' (1994) and received wide recognition for playing the title role as a human boy in '' Casper'' (1995). Sawa also had starring roles in the films '' Wild America'' (1997), ''SLC Punk!'' (1998), '' Idle Hands'' (1999), and ''Final Destination'' (2000).

Following his lead roles in the poorly-received films '' Slackers'' and '' Extreme Ops'' (both 2002), Sawa acted in various direct-to-video independent film productions. He also played the title character of the Eminem music video " Stan"; and was cast as Owen Elliot / Sam Matthews on the CW action drama series '' Nikita'' (2010–2013). Sawa experienced a career resurgence in the 2020s. He played multiple roles on the Syfy and USA Network horror series '' Chucky'' (2021–2024); and had a starring role in the horror film '' Heart Eyes'' (2025).

Early life

Devon Sawa was born on September 7, 1978, in Vancouver, the son of Joyce and Edward Sawa, a mechanic. He has two older siblings. His father was of Polish descent, and his mother is "a little bit of everything".

Career

Sawa began his career in 1992 at age 14 as a children's action toy spokesman. He made his film debut in '' Little Giants'' in 1994 and received wide recognition for playing the title role as a human boy in '' Casper'' the following year. In '' Now and Then'' (1995), Sawa played the town bully, Scott Wormer. He subsequently appeared in the films '' Wild America'' (1997), ''SLC Punk!'' (1998), '' Idle Hands'' (1999), and ''Final Destination'' (2000). In 2000, Sawa played the title character of the Eminem music video " Stan". He later did voice acting, voicing Flash Thompson in '' Spider-Man: The New Animated Series''. Sawa continued to work steadily in the 2000s by appearing in several independent films, including ''Extreme Dating'', ''Shooting Gallery'', '' Devil's Den'', ''Creature Of Darkness'', ''Endure'', '' 388 Arletta Avenue'', '' The Philly Kid'', and '' A Resurrection''.

In 2010, Sawa portrayed Owen Elliott on The CW action drama series '' Nikita''. In July 2012, he was promoted to series regular in the third season of ''Nikita''; the show ended after four seasons in 2013. In 2016, Sawa played the lead role in '' Punk's Dead'', a sequel to ''SLC Punk!'' by the same director James Merendino. In 2017, he portrayed the role of Nico Jackson in '' Somewhere Between''; the show ended after one season. In 2019, Sawa appeared as Lester Clark Jr. in '' Escape Plan: The Extractors''. He also starred in the thriller '' The Fanatic'', where he played Hunter Dunbar, an actor who is stalked by a character named Moose (John Travolta). The movie was directed by Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst. Sawa later starred in the films '' Hunter Hunter'' (2020) and '' Black Friday'' (2021), which received favorable reviews.

Personal life

Sawa married Canadian producer Dawni Sahanovitch in 2013. They have two children together, a son born in 2014 and a daughter born in 2016.

Sawa has described himself as being irreligious, an atheist, and supportive of religious freedoms.

In June 2022, Sawa gave a lengthy interview to ''The Independent'', where he said that he sought out roles in which the character smoked marijuana to help get away from his teen heartthrob status which began with ''Casper''. Sawa also said that between 2004 and 2009, he "drank a lot" until going sober after meeting his wife in Vancouver.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards

Notes

References

External links

*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawa, Devon
1978 births
20th-century Canadian male actors
21st-century Canadian male actors
Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States
Canadian male child actors
Canadian male film actors
Canadian people of Polish descent
Canadian male television actors
Canadian male voice actors
Canadian atheists
Living people
Male actors from Vancouver