Born as Jason Bradford Priestley on August 28, 1969 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jason Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role that catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s.
Priestley became a naturalized American citizen in 2007. His mother is actress Sharon Kirk. He is a graduate of Argyle Secondary School in North Vancouver. He has a twin sister, Justine Priestley, and two step siblings, Karin and Kristi. He started out making commercials and working as a child actor in his native Canada, before moving to Los Angeles in 1987. After guest appearances on popular shows such as 21 Jump Street, MacGyver, and Quantum Leap, Priestley landed a recurring role as an orphan on the short-lived sitcom Sister Kate in 1989. It was his next acting gig that led to a career breakthrough.
In the fall of 1990, Priestley starred in Beverly Hills, 90210 – a primetime drama created by super producer Aaron Spelling. He played Brandon Walsh, a wholesome teenager who moves to Beverly Hills from Minnesota with his parents and twin sister Brenda, played by Shannen Doherty. Audiences delighted in taking a fictional look at the happenings at West Beverly High School – the hook-ups, the break-ups, the fights, and the friendships. During the show’s run, it tackled numerous issues, such as sex, peer pressure, drinking, and drug abuse.
Priestley joined the cast of Tru Calling as Jack Harper from 2004-2005. He was also a regular on the 2006 program Love Monkey. His television work also includes the WB show What I Like About You and a February 2006 appearance on Without a Trace. Priestley has also made several films, his most notable role perhaps being in 1997′s Love and Death on Long Island, in which he played a teen idol struggling to be taken seriously as an actor. He directed the nineteenth episode in the ?nal season of 7th Heaven. He also directed two episodes of The Secret Life of the American Teenager “Slice of Life”and “Just Say No”. They appeared on August 26, 2008 and September 9, 2008 on ABC Family.
With his good looks and appealing personality, Priestley became the object of great admiration by fans. He was even selected as one of the world’s most beautiful people by People magazine in 1991. In 1993, he earned his first Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama for his portrayal of Brandon. Brandon Walsh, with his fairly solid moral compass, served as a role model for many of the show’s young viewers. He was nominated for the same award two years later.
Besides acting, Priestley pursued a career as a race car driver. In August 2002, he was seriously injured in a crash at the Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. His racecar hit two walls during a practice session after running across a patch of oil dry, a material used to soak up fluids after an early spill on the track. Priestley suffered a broken back and other injuries as a result of the crash. After intensive treatment and physical rehabilitation, he was able to recover from his injuries. He has since retired from racing.
Priestley lives in Los Angeles with his second wife, make-up artist Naomi Lowde. The couple married on May 14, 2005. On July 2, 2007, he became a father to daughter, Ava Veronica, with his wife Naomi. She weighed 7 lbs, 4 oz at birth. On April 13, 2009, Priestley announced that he and his wife were expecting their second child, a son, who was born on July 9, 2009 and is reportedly named Dashiell Orson. His first marriage to Ashlee Petersen was brief; the couple married in 1998 and divorced about a year later.
Jason Priestley Photo Gallery
