Josh Duhamel

Joshua David Duhamel is an American actor and former model. He first gained recognition for his portrayal of Leo du Pres on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children and later starred as Danny McCoy on the NBC drama series Las Vegas. He expanded into feature films as one of the main protagonists in four entries of the Transformers film franchise, alongside roles in romantic comedies, dramas, and television series.

Duhamel was born on November 14, 1972, in Minot, North Dakota, to Bonnie L. Kemper, a teacher and businesswoman, and Larry Duhamel, an advertising salesman. Following his parents' divorce, he was raised by his mother and stepfather, George Kemper, alongside a younger sister and two younger maternal half-sisters. He graduated from Minot High School in 1991 and attended Minot State University, where he played backup quarterback for the football team. Although he initially planned to attend dental school, he left university just shy of completing his undergraduate degree, which he later completed in 2005.

After moving to Northern California and taking various odd jobs, Duhamel won the Male Model of the Year title at an International Modeling and Talent Association competition in 1997. He began his screen career in 1999 appearing in music videos for Donna Summer and Christina Aguilera, while training at Scott Sedita Acting Studios. Later that year, he landed his breakthrough role as Leo du Pres on All My Children. His performance earned him critical acclaim and a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, as well as a nomination shared with co-star Rebecca Budig. He departed the series in 2002 to pursue other acting opportunities.

In 2003, Duhamel landed the primetime role of casino security chief Danny McCoy on NBC's Las Vegas, which ran until 2008. He made his feature film debut in 2004's Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, followed by the 2006 thriller Turistas. Producer Steven Spielberg handpicked Duhamel to portray Captain William Lennox in the 2007 blockbuster Transformers, a role he reprised in three sequels: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), and Transformers: The Last Knight (2017). His other film credits include When in Rome (2010), Life as We Know It (2010), Safe Haven (2013), You're Not You (2014), Love, Simon (2018), and Bandit (2022). His television work includes Battle Creek (2015), 11.22.63 (2016), Jupiter's Legacy (2021), The Thing About Pam (2021), and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (2022). He also performed voice and motion-capture roles for video games such as Call of Duty: WWII (2017) and The Callisto Protocol (2022).

In his personal life, Duhamel was married to singer Stacy Ann Ferguson, known as Fergie, from 2009 until their divorce was finalized in 2019; they share one son. He married Audra Mari in 2022, with whom he has a son and a daughter. Outside of acting, Duhamel co-owned a restaurant in Minot, North Dakota, served as a spokesperson for North Dakota tourism, and hosted the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards. He was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame in 2012, and Minot State University named its Summer Theatre stage in his honor in 2022.