Shawn Ashmore

Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor whose career spans film, television, and interactive media.

A former child actor, he first drew notice as Jake Berenson on Nickelodeon's ''Animorphs'' (1998–1999), Tyler Connell in Disney Channel's '' In a Heartbeat'' (2000-2001), and as Brad Rigby in the Disney Channel film '' Cadet Kelly'' (2002). At age 14, his performance in the family telefilm ''Guitarman'' (1994) earned Ashmore a Gemini nomination for Best Performance in a Children's Program.

Ashmore achieved international recognition as Bobby Drake / Iceman in the ''X-Men'' films (2000–2014), winning the 2003 MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male Performance for '' X2''. His later work includes portraying Canadian hero Terry Fox in ''Terry'' (2005), headlining the horror films '' The Ruins'' (2008) and '' Frozen'' (2010), and playing the pyrokinetic anti-hero Lamplighter in Amazon’s '' The Boys'' (2020).

On television, he starred as FBI agent Mike Weston in Fox's ''The Following'' (2013–2015) and has played attorney Wesley Evers on ABC's '' The Rookie'' since 2018. He leads several performance-capture video games, notably '' Quantum Break'' (2016), '' The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan'' (2019) and '' Alan Wake II'' (2023).

Ashmore won a 2004 Leo Award for '' Legend of Earthsea'' and has received further Gemini and Saturn Award nominations. Ashmore is the identical twin brother of actor Aaron Ashmore. He married film executive Dana Renee Wasdin in 2012; they have one son.

Early life and education

Shawn Robert Ashmore was born on October 7, 1979, in Richmond, British Columbia, to Linda Davis, a homemaker, and Rick Ashmore, who advanced from an order-desk role to senior management in the floor-covering industry. When he was a few weeks old, the family moved to St. Albert, Alberta, where he spent much of his early childhood. They later settled in Brampton, Ontario when Ashmore was around ten years old, where he went on to attend Turner Fenton Secondary School

Shawn and his identical twin brother, Aaron Ashmore, began appearing in television commercials while still in elementary school. Ashmore later recounted that he and Aaron entered acting when a talent agent approached their mother about the twins auditioning for a commercial. Aaron was initially cast, but when he fell ill on the shoot day, Shawn filled in for him – effectively landing his first acting job. Early in their careers, casting directors occasionally resolved the dilemma of choosing between the look-alike brothers by "flipping a coin" to decide which twin would be hired.

At age nine, Shawn made his screen debut on the CTV series '' Katts and Dog'' (1990). The following year both brothers had small roles in the feature film '' Married to It'' (1991). His first starring vehicle was the family TV film ''Guitarman'' (1994), which earned the 14-year-old Ashmore a Gemini Award nomination for Best Performance in a Children's/Youth Program. He ultimately decided in his late teens to pursue acting as a full-time career, after realizing he was never happier than when working on set.

Career

Early work and breakthrough (1990s–2004)

Ashmore’s first sustained television role was playing Jake Berenson in ''Animorphs'' (1998–1999), a Nickelodeon series based on the popular children’s sci-fi books by K. A. Applegate. He next had lead billing as EMT cadet Tyler Connell in Disney Channel's '' In a Heartbeat'' (2000–2001).

His breakthrough came when director Bryan Singer cast him as Bobby Drake / Iceman in ''X-Men'', a role that brought him international recognition. He returned as Iceman with a larger arc in '' X2'' and '' X-Men: The Last Stand''. For ''X2'' he received the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Male Performance in 2004. Ashmore also reprised his role as Iceman in the animated series ''The Super Hero Squad Show'', as well as voicing the role for '' X-Men: The Official Game''.

In between ''X‑Men'' films he diversified with '' Cadet Kelly'' (2002), a Disney Channel original film. He also guest-starred as Eric Summers in two episodes of ''Smallville'', a series on which his brother was later cast in the role of Jimmy Olsen. In December 2004, Ashmore was cast in the lead role in the SciFi Channel mini series '' Legend of Earthsea'', based on the novels by Ursula K. Le Guin. He played the role of Ged, a young wizard-in-training. His performance earned him the 2005 Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama.

Film and television (2005–2015)

In 2005, he portrayed Canadian icon Terry Fox in the CTV biographical film ''Terry'' (2005), dramatizing the Marathon of Hope. Discussing the role, Ashmore admitted that "the roughest part is the physicality, learning the skip-hop to make it real, and remembering and knowing the movement." His performance earned him a Gemini Award nomination for Best Actor. The same year, he appeared in the action‑comedy '' Underclassman'', the HIV/AIDS anthology drama '' 3 Needles'', and the psychological thriller '' The Quiet''.

In 2008, he starred as one of the leads in the horror film '' The Ruins''. The following year, he starred in the CTV telefilm '' Diverted'' (2009), playing an air‑traffic manager coping with flights grounded in Newfoundland during the September 11 attacks. Ashmore was cast in Adam Green's 2010 dramatic thriller '' Frozen'' as Joe Lynch. He also co‑starred in the ensemble horror remake ''Mother's Day'' (2010) as eldest brother George Barnum. Also in 2010, Ashmore starred as hard-living air-ambulance doctor Fitz, and served as an executive producer, in the eight-part HBO Canada miniseries '' Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures'', adapted from Vincent Lam's Giller-winning stories. The show went on to receive nine Gemini nominations. That November he and twin brother Aaron guest-starred in the ''Fringe'' episode " Amber 31422". ''Den of Geek'' praised the pair as "rather good actors" whose dual performances anchored the hour.

Ashmore starred in the apocalyptic siege warfare film '' The Day''. Ashmore next head-lined the bilingual road-movie romance '' Mariachi Gringo'' (2012), which premiered as the opening-night gala of the 29th Miami International Film Festival and later won the Mayahuel Award for Best Mexican Film at the Guadalajara International Film Festival. From 2013 to 2015, Ashmore starred as FBI agent Mike Weston in Fox's crime‑thriller series ''The Following''. He reprised his role as Iceman in the 2014 film '' X-Men: Days of Future Past''.

Continued screen work and video game debut (2016–2020)

In April 2016, Ashmore starred in the Microsoft/Remedy video game '' Quantum Break'', providing both performance capture and live‑action cut‑scenes as protagonist Jack Joyce. The title blends third‑person shooter gameplay with TV‑style episodes featuring the same cast. He also did the motion capture and voice acting for the character.

From October 2016 to January 2017, he played the role of Sam Spencer on the American legal drama ''Conviction''. The series was filmed in Toronto. Following ''Conviction'', Ashmore returned to feature films with a run of genre projects. He headlined the science‑fiction horror thriller '' Devil's Gate'', which premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, and played a troubled brother in the Canadian mystery '' Hollow in the Land'' (2017). He next starred in the action thriller '' Acts of Violence'' (2018), portraying a police officer pursuing a human‑trafficking ring. That year, Ashmore also joined the ABC police-procedural series ''The Rookie'', recurring through its first two seasons (2018–2020) as defense attorney Wesley Evers.

In interactive media, Ashmore provided voice, likeness, and motion capture for the playable character Conrad in the horror game '' The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan'' (2019). That same year he appeared in Hulu's anthology series '' Into the Dark'', playing migrant‑rights activist Thomas in the Independence Day episode "Culture Shock".

In 2020, Ashmore recurred in the second season of the Amazon Prime Video superhero series '' The Boys'' as Lamplighter, a former member of the superhero group the Seven. Reflecting on the role, Ashmore noted the contrast with his earlier portrayal of Bobby Drake / Iceman, calling the latter "the quintessential good guy" and stating that his casting as Lamplighter "wasn't a coincidence." He added, "One of the things I liked about The Boys is that they subvert the genre, and I really got to lean into that." Showrunner Eric Kripke revealed that Ashmore first auditioned for another part, but he "really wanted to get him into the show" and felt Ashmore was "perfect" for Lamplighter due to his "X-Men pedigree" and strong acting. Ashmore himself enjoyed the irony, saying it was fun to play "both sides of a superhero."

Television regular and expanded game work (2021–present)

In 2021, Ashmore appeared in two thriller features. He played Kevin Dadich in the Netflix release '' Aftermath''. He also starred as the manipulative husband Nick Miller in the psychological‑horror film '' The Free Fall'', which premiered at Grimmfest on October 7, 2021. That same year, Ashmore's recurring part Wesley Evers, a defense attorney turned ADA, on ABC's '' The Rookie'' was upgraded to the main cast at the start of its third season; he has remained a series regular through the seventh season. Ashmore later reprised the role in the spin‑off '' The Rookie: Feds'' episode "Standoff" (2022).

In 2023, Ashmore voiced and performed motion capture for Sheriff Tim Breaker in Remedy Entertainment's survival-horror video game '' Alan Wake II''. Ashmore's Alan Wake II role featured a metafictional twist. In the ''Night Springs'' DLC (2023), he portrays an alternate-reality version of himself filming a time-travel game scene, a sequence one review described as "a real fourth wall break" rife with in-jokes referencing Ashmore's past role in ''Quantum Break''. Remedy's Sam Lake noted that this character was written specifically for Ashmore as a nod to their previous collaboration.

Ashmore continued his game work by voicing Timmy LeBlanc in '' Sons of the Forest''. Ahead of the game's full 1.0 launch on February 22, 2024, GamesRadar+ reported that "X-Men, ''The Boys'', and ''Alan Wake 2'' actor Shawn Ashmore has joined the cast, voicing side character Timmy LeBlanc", and that the update would "expand Timmy's role" in the narrative. In 2025, Ashmore starred as Randall Harris in the supernatural-horror film ''It Feeds'', directed by Chad Archibald.

Personal life

On July 27, 2012, Ashmore married Dana Renee Wasdin in Los Angeles, after meeting on the set of the thriller '' Frozen'', where Wasdin was an assistant director. They have a son, Oliver, born in 2017.

Shawn and his twin brother Aaron have the letters "GMA" tattooed on their wrists. According to Aaron, the initials stand for "Good Man Ashmore," in tribute to their step-grandfather, Gangu Jagtiani, who married their grandmother before the twins were born and was considered their grandfather. Ashmore has also supported breast‑cancer causes. In October 2021, he joined a virtual meet‑and‑greet auction run by the nonprofit ''A Cause for Entertainment'', with proceeds funding research and patient support.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashmore, Shawn
1979 births
Canadian male child actors
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male video game actors
Canadian male voice actors
Film producers from British Columbia
Canadian male television actors
Identical twin male actors
Living people
Male actors from British Columbia
People from Richmond, British Columbia
Canadian twins
20th-century Canadian male actors
21st-century Canadian male actors