Jadrien Ford Steele (born November 22, 1974, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

) is an American actor, author, and film director. As an author, he writes under the name J M Steele.

Biography

Steele graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, and later obtained a master's degree in Cinematography at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

. He is the son of two New Yorkers, Walanne Steele (a broker) and Jerry Steele (an academic). As an infant he was cast in the long-running television

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

Ryan's Hope ''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in ...

'' as the Little John Ryan from 1975 to 1985 when he turned 11 years old. Steele received his first major role the following year, playing Jerry Fox in the film '' The Mosquito Coast'', where he starred alongside

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has starred in Harrison Ford filmography, many notable films over seven decades, and is one of List of highest-grossing actors, the highest-gr ...

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...

, and

River Phoenix River Jude Phoenix (; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor. He was known as a teen actor before taking on leading roles in critically acclaimed films and becoming one of the most preeminent talents of his generation. Pho ...

. He married Sarah Elizabeth Bagley in 2009.

Authorship

Steele has written two books for young adult readers. He has also written several short plays. One of these, "Silent Mercury", was made into a short film, which Steele himself directed, and premiered at the 2001

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. In 2008 he both directed and acted in his own production of another of his short dramas, "Just Make Believe".

Filmography

Cinema

* '' The Mosquito Coast'' (1986) - Jerry * '' Approaching Union Square'' (2006) - Brad's Friend (segment "The Ex-Girlfiriend") * '' Just Make Believe'' (2008, Short) - Gavin * ''Victoriana'' (2012) - Tim Becker

Television

* ''

'' (1975-1985) - Little John Ryan * ''

The Hogan Family ''The Hogan Family'' (originally titled ''Valerie'' and later ''Valerie's Family: The Hogans'') is an American sitcom television series that began airing on NBC on March 1, 1986, and finished its run on CBS on July 20, 1991, for a total of si ...

'' (1 episode, 1986) - Max * ''

Crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an Elasticity (physics), elastic launching device consisting of a Bow and arrow, bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar f ...

'' (1 episode, 1987) - Simon * ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is seen as a classic of English c ...

'' (1987, TV Movie) - Colin Craven * ''

American Playhouse ''American Playhouse'' is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It premiered on January 12, 1982, with ''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'', written and narrated by John Cheever and direc ...

'' (1 episode, 1988) - Gordon Aged 11 * '' A Father's Homecoming'' (1988, TV Movie) - Miles

As director

* "Silent Mercury" (2001) * "Just Make Believe" (2008) * "Winter Fugue'" (2010)

Bibliography

* ''The Taker'' (as J M Steele, 2006) * ''The Market'' (as J M Steele, 2008)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steele, Jadrien 1974 births Male actors from New York (state) American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors Living people