Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is an American and Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayals of
Pacey Witter on
The WB
The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...
's teen drama ''
Dawson's Creek
''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...
'' (1998–2003),
Peter Bishop in the
Fox
Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush").
Twelve species ...
science fiction series ''
Fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts and music
* "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* Purple fri ...
'' (2008–2013), a troubled married man on
Showtime's ''
The Affair'' (2014–2018), and
Christopher Duntsch
Christopher Daniel Duntsch (born April 3, 1971) is a former American neurosurgeon who has been nicknamed Dr. Death for 33 incidents of gross neurosurgical malpractice while working at hospitals in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, which maimed ...
in the
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
crime drama series ''
Dr. Death'' (2021-present). For the last of these, he was nominated for a
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor. His other credits include ''
When They See Us
''When They See Us'' is a 2019 American crime drama television miniseries created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay for Netflix, that premiered in four parts on May 31, 2019. It is based on events of the 1989 Central Park jogger cas ...
'' (2019), ''
Little Fires Everywhere'' (2020), and ''
Doctor Odyssey'' (2024).
Outside of television, he came to prominence with his role in the
''Mighty Ducks'' film series (1992–1996). His other film appearances include ''
Apt Pupil
''Apt Pupil'' (1982) is a novella by Stephen King subtitled "Summer of Corruption", originally published in the 1982 novella collection '' Different Seasons'' with a more dramatic bent, rather than the horror fiction for which King is famous. ''A ...
'' (1998), ''
Urban Legend
Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not.
These legends can be e ...
'' (1998), ''
Cruel Intentions'' (1999), ''
The Skulls'' (2000), ''
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling.
Etymology
The word is from Old English ''godsibb'', from ''god (word), god'' and ''sibb'', the term for the ...
'' (2000), ''
The Safety of Objects
''The Safety of Objects'' is a 2001 American drama film based upon a collection of short stories of the same name written by A. M. Homes and published in 1990. It features four suburban families who find that their lives become intertwined. The ...
'' (2001), ''
The Laramie Project
''The Laramie Project'' is a 2000 American play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project (specifically, Leigh Fondakowski, writer-director; Stephen Belber, Greg Pierotti, Barbara Pitts, Stephen Wangh, Amanda Gronich, Sar ...
'' (2002), ''
Cursed'' (2005), ''
Bobby'' (2006), and ''
Shutter'' (2008). For his performance in the Canadian independent drama ''
One Week'' (2008), Jackson won the
Genie Award for Best Actor.
Early life
Jackson was born on June 11, 1978, in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
to parents John and Fiona. His mother is a casting director. Jackson's father is from Texas,
and his mother is a native of Ballyfermot, a surburb of Dublin, Ireland. She immigrated to North America in the late 1960s. He has a younger sister, Aisleagh, and two older half brothers, Jonathan and Lyman. He was raised Roman Catholic.
Jackson lived in California until the age of 8 when he moved to Vancouver with his mother and younger sister; he has said that his father was a bad parent and husband and abandoned the family when they were in the U.S. He attended
Ideal Mini School
Ideal Mini School is a Public education, public Secondary school, secondary School District 39 Vancouver#Mini schools, mini school in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is a complete grade 8–12 high school program. It is generally accepted as the "s ...
and later switched to
Kitsilano Secondary School. He attended high school with actor
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...
.
Career
Jackson started acting in a small role in the film ''Crooked Hearts'' in 1991. The next year, he played the role of Charlie in a musical version of ''Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory''. At this point, with the help of the play's casting director Laura Kennedy, he joined the William Morris Agency. Soon after, he landed the role of Charlie (#96) in ''
The Mighty Ducks'' series, playing a young and aspiring hockey player.
Jackson went on to appear as Pacey Witter on ''
Dawson's Creek
''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...
'', which was created by
Kevin Williamson and ran on the WB network from 1998 to 2003, and also starred
James Van Der Beek
James David Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery on The WB's ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), he also played a fictionalized version of himself on the cult ABC sitcom '' Don't Trus ...
,
Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to:
* Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar
* Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child
* Michelle Williams (actr ...
, and
Katie Holmes
Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003).
Holmes made her film debut with a supporting role in Ang Lee's '' The Ice Sto ...
. While the show was on hiatus, he appeared in several movies including ''
Cruel Intentions'' (an adaptation of ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' that also starred
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American actress. After being spotted by a talent agent as a young child, she made her film debut at age six in the television film ''An Invasion of Privacy'' (1983). She had her first lead ...
and
Ryan Phillippe
Matthew Ryan Phillippe ( ; born September 10, 1974) is an American actor. After appearing as Billy Douglas (One Life to Live), Billy Douglas on the soap opera ''One Life to Live'' (1992–1993) and making his feature film debut in ''Crimson Tide ...
), ''
The Skulls'', ''
The Safety of Objects
''The Safety of Objects'' is a 2001 American drama film based upon a collection of short stories of the same name written by A. M. Homes and published in 1990. It features four suburban families who find that their lives become intertwined. The ...
'', ''
The Laramie Project
''The Laramie Project'' is a 2000 American play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project (specifically, Leigh Fondakowski, writer-director; Stephen Belber, Greg Pierotti, Barbara Pitts, Stephen Wangh, Amanda Gronich, Sar ...
'' and a short cameo in the remake of ''
Ocean's Eleven
''Ocean's Eleven'' is a 2001 heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Ted Griffin. A remake of the 1960 film of the same name, it serves as the first installment in the ''Ocean's'' franchise. The film features an ense ...
'' in which he appears as himself in a poker scene with Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Holly Marie Combs. In 2000, he also guest-starred in Season 12 of ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'', voicing the character of Jesse Grass, a "hunky environmentalist" and love interest for
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television sitcom series ''The Simpsons''. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa was born as a character in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' short ...
in the episode "
Lisa the Tree Hugger". He also was cast as "Beau" in the movie ''
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling.
Etymology
The word is from Old English ''godsibb'', from ''god (word), god'' and ''sibb'', the term for the ...
'' in 2000 with actors James Marsden, Kate Hudson and Norman Reedus.
Shortly after ''Dawson's Creek'' ended in 2003, Jackson played the lead role in films alongside
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. He was considered one of the key figures of New Hollywood. He earned prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Internatio ...
(''
Americano''),
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and film producer, known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running associatio ...
(''
Shadows in the Sun''), and
Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, he received List of awards and nominations received by Donald Sutherland, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award ...
(''
Aurora Borealis
An aurora ( aurorae or auroras),
also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
''). In 2005, Jackson moved to the UK and made his stage debut on the
London West End with
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor. With a career spanning over seven decades of Patrick Stewart on stage and screen, stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Patrick Stewart, variou ...
in
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker.
He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...
's two-man play, ''
A Life in the Theatre''. The play was a critical and popular success, and ran from February to April of that year. Jackson said that he would consider returning to the stage, to try his hand on Broadway. His next film role was in ''
Bobby'', directed by
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez (; born May 12, 1962) is an American actor and filmmaker. The son of actor Martin Sheen and the older brother of Charlie Sheen, he made his film debut with an uncredited role in '' Badlands'' (1973). He later received his first ...
, Jackson's co-star from ''
The Mighty Ducks''. He played a lead role in ''
Shutter'', a U.S. remake of
film of the same name. He starred and acted as executive producer in the Canadian independent film ''
One Week'', which opened on March 6, 2009.

From 2008 to 2013, Jackson played the lead role of
Peter Bishop in the science-fiction series ''
Fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts and music
* "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* Purple fri ...
'', created by
J. J. Abrams,
Roberto Orci
Roberto Gaston Orcí (July 20, 1973 – February 25, 2025) was a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer.
Born in Mexico City, Orci began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Toge ...
and
Alex Kurtzman
Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for co-writing the scripts to ''Transformers'' (2007), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)'', ''Star Trek'' (2009), ''Star Trek Into Darkness ...
. The series was the second-highest rated new show of the 2008–2009 season after ''
The Mentalist
''The Mentalist'' is an American procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, t ...
''. BuddyTV ranked him #9 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2010" list, #19 in 2011 and #14 in 2012.
Jackson was nominated for a
Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the film ''
One Week''. He won the award on April 12, 2010. He held and hosted the satirical Pacey-Con in 2010, directly across the street from the
Comic-Con
A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events h ...
, sporting a bowling shirt and giving out
fan fiction
Fan fiction or fanfiction, also known as fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF, is fiction typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized by, but based on, an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted ...
, written by ''Dawson's Creek'' fans, to those waiting in the Comic-Con entrance line. Footage of the event was recorded for a video, entitled 'Pacey-Con', which he was filming for
Will Ferrell
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...
's
Funny or Die
Funny or Die, Inc. is a comedy video website and production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a regular staf ...
celebrity humor website. In 2013, Jackson appeared in the IFC film ''
Inescapable'' with
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei ( , ; born December 4, 1964) is an American actress.
She gained prominence for her comedic performance in '' My Cousin Vinny'' (1992), which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She received further nominations ...
and
Alexander Siddig
Siddig el-Fadil (born 21 November 1965) is a British actor and director, known professionally as Alexander Siddig. Siddig is best known for his roles as Dr. Julian Bashir in the television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', former terrori ...
. Jackson wrote the first story from the comic book trilogy ''Beyond the Fringe'', titled "Peter and the Machine". Jackson starred in the successful television show ''
The Affair'', where he played Cole Lockhart, the protagonist husband of the unfaithful Alison Lockhart.
In March 2018, Jackson made his theatrical debut on Broadway in ''
Children of a Lesser God'', where he played James Leeds, an unconventional teacher at a school for the deaf who gets in a conflicted professional and romantic relationship with a deaf former student, Sarah Norman (
Lauren Ridloff). The play ran through May 2018.
In 2019, Jackson starred as defense attorney Mickey Joseph in the miniseries ''
When They See Us
''When They See Us'' is a 2019 American crime drama television miniseries created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay for Netflix, that premiered in four parts on May 31, 2019. It is based on events of the 1989 Central Park jogger cas ...
''.
In 2020, Jackson co-starred with
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Reese Witherspoon, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Aw ...
and
Kerry Washington
Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fil ...
in the miniseries
''Little Fires Everywhere'' based on the novel by
Celeste Ng.
Jackson was cast as Dr.
Christopher Duntsch
Christopher Daniel Duntsch (born April 3, 1971) is a former American neurosurgeon who has been nicknamed Dr. Death for 33 incidents of gross neurosurgical malpractice while working at hospitals in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, which maimed ...
, a neurosurgeon who was convicted of intentionally maiming his patient, in
''Dr. Death'' which was based on the podcast of the same name, replacing
Jamie Dornan
James Peter Maxwell Dornan (; born 1 May 1982) is an actor, model, and musician from Northern Ireland. The recipient of two Irish Film and Television Awards, he has been nominated for a BAFTA Television Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 202 ...
.
In 2023, Jackson played the lead in the series ''
Fatal Attraction
''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. It follows Dan Gallagher ( Michael Douglas), an attorney who cheats on his ...
'' with Lizzy Caplan, inspired by the 1980s thriller film of the same name.
Personal life
Jackson was in a relationship with ''
Dawson's Creek
''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...
'' co-star
Katie Holmes
Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003).
Holmes made her film debut with a supporting role in Ang Lee's '' The Ice Sto ...
during the first two seasons of the show's run. Holmes said that Jackson was her first love.
From 2006 to 2016, he was in a relationship with German actress
Diane Kruger
Diane Kruger (; Heidkrüger; ; born 15 July 1976) is a German actress. Early in her career, she gained worldwide recognition and received the Trophée Chopard from the Cannes Film Festival.
Kruger became known for her roles in films such as ...
.
Jackson began a relationship with actress
Jodie Turner-Smith
Jodie Turner-Smith (born 7 September 1986) is a British actress. She made her feature film debut in '' The Neon Demon'' (2016) and has since acted in '' Queen & Slim'' (2019), ''After Yang'' (2022), and ''White Noise'' (2022). She is also known f ...
in 2018. They married on August 18, 2019.
On April 13, 2020, the couple welcomed their daughter. In October 2023, it was revealed that Turner-Smith had filed for divorce from Jackson.
In December 2023, Jackson and fellow actor
Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Amondi Nyong'o ( , , ; born 1 March 1983) is an actress who has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Daytime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, a ...
confirmed they are dating. In October 2024, Nyong'o announced they were no longer together.
Jackson owns his childhood home in
Topanga, California
Topanga (Tongva language, Tongva: ''Topaa'nga'') is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga C ...
.
In 2025, the house burned down during the
Palisades Fire
The Palisades Fire was a highly destructive wildfire that began burning in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County on January 7, 2025, and grew to destroy large areas of Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, P ...
. He previously lived in
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
, where ''Dawson's Creek'' was filmed, and in New York City, where ''
Fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts and music
* "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* Purple fri ...
'' filmed its first season. In 2009, he moved back to Vancouver to shoot four seasons of the show before the last episode was aired on January 18, 2013.
Jackson is a fan of the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
hockey team.
and he is also a fan of the San Francisco 49ers football team.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Ity_9DNtk]
Filmography
Film
Television
Stage
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
Joshua Jackson on ''
The Hour'' with
George Stroumboulopoulos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Joshua
1978 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
20th-century Canadian male actors
21st-century American male actors
21st-century Canadian male actors
American comics writers
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American people of Canadian descent
American people of Irish descent
American Roman Catholics
American television directors
Best Actor Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners
Canadian comics writers
Canadian male child actors
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
Canadian male voice actors
Canadian people of American descent
Canadian people of Irish descent
Canadian Roman Catholics
Canadian television directors
Male actors from California
Male actors from North Carolina
Male actors from Seattle
Male actors from Vancouver
People charged with assault
Entertainers from Topanga, California
Writers from Los Angeles County, California
Writers from Seattle
Writers from Vancouver