Scott Kellerman Foley (born July 15, 1972) is an American actor, director and producer, who is known for roles on shows such as ''
The Unit
''The Unit'' is an American action-drama television series created by David Mamet that aired on CBS from March 7, 2006, to May 10, 2009, with the total of four seasons and 69 episodes. The series focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled ...
'', ''
Scrubs'', ''
Felicity'', and ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...
''. In film, he's most known as Roman Bridger in ''
Scream 3
''Scream 3'' is a 2000 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette, Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Lance Henriksen, Matt Keeslar, ...
''. He has also guest starred on ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', and ''
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
''.
Early life
Foley was born on July 15, 1972, in
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...
, the first of three boys for Constance and Hugh Foley.
His father was an international banker, and the family lived in Japan and Australia during Foley's childhood.
The family settled in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
, when Scott was 15 years old. That same year, his mother died from
ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...
. Foley attended
Ladue High School, before graduating from
Clayton High School. His ancestry is Northern European: English, German, Irish and Scottish.
Career
Foley's breakthrough role was playing
Noel Crane on ''
Felicity''. He had recurring guest appearances on ''
Scrubs'' as
Elliot Reid's boyfriend,
Sean Kelly, and 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 ...
'' as Cliff.
In 2000, Foley appeared as
Roman Bridger in ''
Scream 3
''Scream 3'' is a 2000 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette, Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Lance Henriksen, Matt Keeslar, ...
'' (2000), a role that saw him nominated for a
Teen Choice Award
The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...
. In January 2025, it was announced Foley would appear in the upcoming ''
Scream 7''; it is unknown if he'll reprise his role or play a new role.
Aside from acting, Foley directed one episode of ''Felicity'' (called "The Graduate") and three episodes of ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...
''. In addition, he had a starring role as Sergeant First Class Bob Brown in the CBS military drama ''
The Unit
''The Unit'' is an American action-drama television series created by David Mamet that aired on CBS from March 7, 2006, to May 10, 2009, with the total of four seasons and 69 episodes. The series focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled ...
'', during its four-season run, and directed one episode. He guest-starred as a drug-addicted baseball pitcher on ''
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
''. He also produced the sitcom ''
A.U.S.A.'', on which he appeared.
Foley appeared in three episodes of ABC's comedy ''
Cougar Town
''Cougar Town'' is an American television sitcom that ran for 102 episodes over six seasons, from September 23, 2009, until March 31, 2015. The first three seasons aired on ABC, with the series moving to TBS for the remaining three seasons. AB ...
''. He signed on to play a businessman being shown houses by the show's resident
real estate agent
Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...
, Jules, played by
Courteney Cox, reuniting with her nine years after ''
Scream 3
''Scream 3'' is a 2000 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette, Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Lance Henriksen, Matt Keeslar, ...
''. Foley and Cox's characters began dating, but it ended quickly.
After appearing on ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'', Foley appeared as a guest star on the second season of the hit show ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...
'' as Captain Jake Ballard. Later that year he was added as a regular to the cast.
Foley portrayed the lead character in ABC's drama ''
Whiskey Cavalier'', which ran for one season starting on February 27, 2019, and guest starred in the
ABC police drama ''
The Rookie'' in 2020.
Directing
Foley made his feature film writing and directing debut in 2013 with ''
Let's Kill Ward's Wife''. Foley's wife,
Marika Domińczyk, his sister-in-law
Dagmara Domińczyk
Dagmara Domińczyk ( , ; born 17 July 1976) is an American actress. She has appeared in the films ''Rock Star (2001 film), Rock Star'' (2001), ''The Count of Monte Cristo (2002 film), The Count of Monte Cristo'' (2002), ''Kinsey (film), Kinsey'' ...
, and brother-in-law
Patrick Wilson
Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty (musical), The Full Mont ...
star in the film, along with
Donald Faison,
Amy Acker
Amy Louise Acker (born December 5, 1976) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Winifred Burkle and Illyria (Angel), Illyria on the supernatural drama series ''Angel (1999 TV series), Angel'' (2001–2004), as Kelly Peyton on ...
and
Nicollette Sheridan
Nicollette Sheridan (born November 21, 1963) is an American actress. She began her career as a fashion model before landing a role in the short-lived American Broadcasting Company, ABC primetime soap opera ''Paper Dolls'' in 1984, as well as st ...
.
Personal life
On October 19, 2000, Foley married actress
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company ...
, whom he met when she guest-starred on ''Felicity''. Foley and Garner separated in March 2003 and Garner filed for divorce in May 2003.
Foley became engaged to Polish-born actress
Marika Dominczyk in 2006, and in June 2007, the two wed in a private ceremony in Hawaii. They have three children: daughter Malina (b. November 2009) and sons Keller (b. April 2012) and Konrad (b. November 13, 2014).
Foley's sister-in-law is actress
Dagmara Domińczyk
Dagmara Domińczyk ( , ; born 17 July 1976) is an American actress. She has appeared in the films ''Rock Star (2001 film), Rock Star'' (2001), ''The Count of Monte Cristo (2002 film), The Count of Monte Cristo'' (2002), ''Kinsey (film), Kinsey'' ...
, who is married to the actor
Patrick Wilson
Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty (musical), The Full Mont ...
.
In the seventh season's second episode of the genealogy reality program ''
Who Do You Think You Are?'', it was revealed that Foley had an ancestor,
Samuel Wardwell, who was a defendant in the
Salem witch trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Not everyone wh ...
. Another ancestor, Simon Wardwell, was a member of then General
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
's "
Life Guard" during the
Revolutionary War.
Filmography
Film
TV
Music videos
Stage
References
External links
*
Scott Foley Bio at CBS - ''The Unit''Scott Foley interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Scott
1972 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American expatriates in Australia
American people of English descent
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Scottish descent
American male film actors
American male television actors
American expatriates in Japan
Living people
Male actors from Kansas City, Kansas