Jason Priestley

Jason Bradford Priestley, actor, director, producer (born at Vancouver 28 Aug 1969). Jason Priestley, who graduated from Argyle Secondary School in North Vancouver, is best known for his work in American film and television. He began his career as a child, with several television commercials shot and aired in Canada. In 1987 he moved to Los Angeles, where he appeared in television shows such as Danger Bay and 21 Jump Street. His first recurring part was on the series Sister Kate in 1989. He became a widely recognized teen icon when he played Brandon Walsh in the series Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990-2000. By the end of the series, Priestley had also directed 15 episodes and was the executive producer for more than 100. He earned 2 Golden Globe nominations (1993 and 1995) for his role in Beverly Hills, 90210.

During the run of Beverly Hills, 90210, Priestley branched out into the movies with his first major role, as Roy Darpinian in Calendar Girl (1993). He had a smaller part in Tombstone the same year. Reviews for Calendar Girl were, on the whole, not positive, but Priestley made a much stronger impression playing Ronnie Bostock, a young movie star typecast for his sex appeal, in Love and Death on Long Island (1997). Many critics felt Priestley drew from personal experience for the role; he had been named one of People magazine's "50 most beautiful people" in 1991, but had come to be associated almost exclusively with the character of Brandon Walsh.

Acting didn't occupy all of Jason Priestley's attention, even during his first years of fame. A life-long fan of car racing, he became a professional driver as well. He was seriously injured in 2002 at a practice for the Infiniti Pro Series in Kentucky, when his car skidded on a turn and hit a wall. He suffered a broken back, a concussion, a broken nose, and fractured feet, but made a full recovery and went on to become co-owner of a racing team.

Priestley was key in introducing the Canadian band the Barenaked Ladies to American audiences. He arranged for them to perform on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 and directed a documentary that followed the band on tour, called Barenaked in America (1999). He also directed the music video for their song, "The Old Apartment."

Jason Priestley directed and hosted Hollywood and Vines (2006), a show that traveled across North America to talk to celebrities about their favourite wines. In 2007, he appeared in a guest role as a serial killer in 3 episodes of the popular TV show Medium, as did fellow Canadian actor Neve Campbell. In 2008 Priestley also performed in My Name is Earl and had a starring role in the television series Side Order of Life. He directed episodes of 90210, a spinoff of Beverley Hills, 90210 as well as The Secret Life of the American Teenager. In 2008 he hosted the Gemini Awards and in 2009 he appeared in episodes of Scoundrels and The Day of the Triffids as well as the films Expecting a Miracle and Courage. He is the star and directs some episodes of the Gemini Award-winning Call Me Fitz (2010-), a comedy series filmed in Nova Scotia. For his role as a sex-obsessed used-car salesman in the show, he won the 2011 Canadian Comedy Award for best television performance by a male.