Johnathon Schaech

Johnathon Schaech is an American actor, screenwriter, and model. Born in Edgewood, Maryland, in September 1969, he attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he studied economics before pursuing an acting career. Early in his career, he worked as a model and appeared in television commercials before training under acting coach Roy London in Los Angeles.

Schaech achieved wide recognition in the mid-1990s through notable film roles. He starred in Gregg Araki's independent black comedy drama The Doom Generation (1995) and gained breakthrough mainstream popularity as lead singer Jimmy Mattingly II in the comedy-drama film That Thing You Do! (1996), written and directed by Tom Hanks. During this era, he also appeared in films such as How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), Finding Graceland (1998), and Hush (1998).

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Schaech continued to build a prolific screen resume spanning both film and television. His movie credits include Prom Night (2008), Phantom (2013), Marauders (2016), and The Night Clerk (2020). On television, he portrayed titular magician Harry Houdini in the television film Houdini (1998), starred in the series Time of Your Life (1999–2000), and played historical figure Colonel Sidney Sherman in the miniseries Texas Rising (2015). He also portrayed the DC Comics character Jonah Hex in The CW series DC's Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman.

In addition to acting, Schaech has worked as a screenwriter and producer, co-writing independent features including Comforters, Miserable (2001). In recent years, he starred in the procedural action series Blue Ridge, reprising his role as a former Green Beret turned sheriff from the 2020 film of the same name. Beyond his work in entertainment, he has engaged in philanthropic initiatives, including serving on the board of directors for the arts education nonprofit organization Adopt the Arts.