Shawn Patrick Christian (born December 18, 1965) is an American television and film actor.

Life and career

After graduating from

Ferris State University Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 and became a public institution in 1950. Ferris is the ninth-largest institutions of higher education by enroll ...

Big Rapids, Michigan Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,601 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but it is politically independent. Big Rapids is home o ...

in 1989 with a degree in marketing, he moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

to pursue an acting career. He starred in numerous stage productions and began appearing in commercials. He worked on stage with improvisational company

Improv Olympic iO, or iO Chicago, (formerly known as "ImprovOlympic") is an improv theater and training center in central Chicago, with a former branch in Los Angeles, called iO West and in Raleigh, North Carolina called iO South. The theater taught and hosted p ...

. In 1994, he was the first male spokesman on ''

Star Search ''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both version ...

''. He landed his first television role as

Mike Kasnoff Michael "Mike" Kasnoff is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera '' As the World Turns''. Mike was first portrayed by Shawn Christian from February 1994 to March 1997. After a five-year absence, Mike returned to Oakdale in July 2002, port ...

also in 1994 on ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

''. In 1995, he was nominated for "Hottest Male Star" by Soap Opera Digest magazine. He starred on the show until 1997 before moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

. In 1999, he had a recurring role in

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...

television series Charmed as Josh, the love interest of

Piper Halliwell Piper Halliwell is a fictional character from the American television series '' Charmed'', played by Holly Marie Combs from October 7, 1998 until May 21, 2006. The character was created by Constance M. Burge, who based Piper on her second-oldest ...

, played by

Holly Marie Combs Holly Marie Combs Ryan (born December 3, 1973) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her roles as Kimberly Brock in the CBS series ''Picket Fences'' (1992–1996), Piper Halliwell in The WB series '' Charmed'' (1998–2006) and ...

. He also landed the role of Johnny Durant on WB's short lived series '' Summerland''. In 2002, he portrayed the role of Ross Rayburn in the soap opera '' One Life to Live''. He was cast as a potential cowboy boyfriend of Jack in an episode of the final season of Will & Grace. In his most notable television role, Christian played

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles * ...

Daniel Jonas on ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. The soap, which aired on ...

'' from 2008 to 2017.

Personal life

Christian married Deborah Quinn on May 18, 1996. The couple met in 1991 while they were both auditioning for a print ad in Chicago. They have a son Kameron (born in 2000), who produces music. Christian's stepdaughter is actress

Taylor Cole Taylor Cole (born April 29, 1984) is an American actress and former fashion model. Early life and modeling Cole was born in Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas. Cole attended Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, where she traveled with the Junior ...

. The two acted together in the television series ''Summerland'' and the

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies ...

made-for-tv film ''Ruby Herring Mysteries: Silent Witness''. Christian and Quinn divorced in 2013. On August 5, 2020 Shawn confirmed on ''The Locher Room'' show that he and former ''Days of Our Lives'' co-star Arianne Zucker have been dating for several years. Since 28 June 2021, they have been engaged

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Shawn 1965 births Living people American male television actors Male actors from Grand Rapids, Michigan Ferris State University alumni Male models from Michigan American male soap opera actors