Shawn Ashmore
Quick Facts
Biography
Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian film and television actor. He is known for his roles as Jake in the television series Animorphs, Agent Mike Weston in the television drama series The Following, and Bobby Drake/Iceman in the X-Men film series. Ashmore also plays the main character, Jack Joyce, in the 2016 video game Quantum Break. On 3 October 2016, he debuted in his role of Sam Spencer in the new U.S. drama series on ABC, Conviction. He is the identical twin brother of actor Aaron Ashmore.
Early life
Ashmore was born in Richmond, British Columbia, the son of Linda, a homemaker, and Rick Ashmore, a manufacturing engineer. He was raised in St. Albert, Alberta and Brampton, Ontario, where he attended Turner Fenton Secondary School, and Earnscliffe Senior Public School. His twin brother, Aaron Ashmore, is also an actor. Aaron and Shawn have played twins in several movies, but have also pursued roles independently. Aaron is slightly taller than Shawn and, according to Aaron, Shawn often gets cast as the nice guy while Aaron himself is cast as the bully.
Career
One of Ashmore's notable roles was as Iceman in X-Men and its sequels X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand. Ashmore also reprised his role as Iceman in the animated series The Super Hero Squad Show, as well as voicing the role for X-Men: The Official Game.
Ashmore starred as Cadet Major Brad Rigby in Cadet Kelly, a Disney Channel original film which aired in 2002 and he guest-starred as Eric Summers in two episodes of Smallville, a series on which his brother was later cast in the role of Jimmy Olsen. Ashmore had starring roles on Animorphs as Jake Berenson and In a Heartbeat as Tyler Connell.
In December 2004, Ashmore was cast in the lead role in the SciFi Channel mini series Legend of Earthsea, based on the novels by Ursula K. Le Guin. He played the role of Ged, a young wizard-in-training, who takes advice from a Magus (Danny Glover) and falls in love with Tenar (Kristin Kreuk), the protege of the High Priestess of the Tombs of Atuan (Isabella Rossellini). In 2005, Ashmore starred in a CTV TV movie about Terry Fox's historic run across Canada, which aired in September of that year. In 2008, he starred as one of the leads in the 2008 horror film The Ruins. Ashmore was cast in Adam Green's 2010 dramatic thriller Frozen as Joe Lynch.
Ashmore starred in the apocalyptic siege warfare film The Day with Dominic Monaghan, Michael Eklund, Shannyn Sossamon, and Ashley Bell. Ashmore also starred in the television drama series The Following, starring Kevin Bacon. He reprised his role as Iceman in the 2014 film X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Shawn recently appeared in Quantum Break, a third-person shooter video game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Microsoft Studios, that features a TV show as cut scenes where Shawn plays the main character, Jack Joyce.
Beginning 3 October 2016, he began his role as Sam Spencer of New York City's newly created Conviction Integrity Unit on the new U.S. legal drama on ABC, Conviction. The pilot was actually filmed in Toronto, and the series shoots there as well.
Personal life
On July 27, 2012, Ashmore married film executive Dana Renee Wasdin, whom he met while filming Frozen. The couple has one son, born in 2017.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Married to It | Student in Pageant | |
1998 | Hairy Bird, TheThe Hairy Bird | Photographer | aka All I Wanna Do |
2000 | X-Men | Bobby Drake/Iceman | |
2002 | Past Present | College Kid | Short film New York International Independent Film and Video Festival Award for Best Actor |
2002 | Cadet Kelly | Cadet Major Brad Rigby | Disney Channel Original Movie |
2003 | X2 | Bobby Drake / Iceman | MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (with Anna Paquin) Nominated—Saturn Award for Cinescape Genre Face of the Future (Male) Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Chemistry (with Anna Paquin) |
2004 | My Brother's Keeper | Twin Double (uncredited) | |
2005 | Underclassman | Rob Donovan | |
2005 | 3 Needles | Denys, the Porn Actor | |
2005 | Quiet, TheThe Quiet | Connor | |
2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | Bobby Drake / Iceman | |
2008 | Solstice | Christian | |
2008 | Ruins, TheThe Ruins | Eric | |
2010 | Frozen | Joe Lynch | |
2010 | Hatchet II | Fisherman #1 (uncredited) | |
2010 | Mother's Day | George Barnum | |
2011 | Day, TheThe Day | Adam | |
2012 | Mariachi Gringo | Edward | |
2012 | Already Gone | Jude Mulvey | Short film |
2012 | Breaking the Girl | Eric | |
2014 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | Bobby Drake / Iceman | |
2016 | Hollow in the Land | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | Katts and Dog | Episode: "Mistaken Identity" | |
1992 | Ray Bradbury Theater, TheThe Ray Bradbury Theater | Charlie | Episode: "Colonel Stonesteel and the Desperate Empties" |
1997 | Flash Forward | Gord | Episode: "Mudpack" |
1997 | Promise the Moon | Leviatus Bennett | TV movie |
1997 | Melanie Darrow | David Abbott | TV movie |
1997 | Fast Track | Young Chandler | Episode: "Combustions" |
1998–1999 | Animorphs | Jake Berenson | Main role, 26 episodes |
1999 | Deep in the City | Tyler | Episode: "Departures" |
1999 | Real Kids, Real Adventures | Aaron Hall | Episode: "Mountain Lion" |
1999 | At the Mercy of a Stranger | Danny | TV movie |
1999 | Dear America: The Winter of Red Snow | Ben Valentine | TV short |
2000 | Earth: Final Conflict | Max | Episode: "Sanctuary" |
2000 | Famous Jett Jackson, TheThe Famous Jett Jackson | Chet | Episode: "What You Wish For" |
2000–2001 | In a Heartbeat | Tyler Connell | Main role, 21 episodes |
2001 | Big House, TheThe Big House | Trevor Brewster | TV movie |
2001 | Blackout | First Son | TV movie |
2001 | Outer Limits, TheThe Outer Limits | Morris Shottwell | Episode: "Lion's Den" |
2001 | Wolf Girl | Beau | TV movie |
2002 | Aces | TV movie | |
2002–2004 | Smallville | Eric Summers | Episodes: "Leech", "Asylum" |
2004 | Earthsea | Ged | TV miniseries Leo Award for Best Lead Performance By a Male in a Feature Length Drama |
2005 | Terry | Terry Fox | TV movie Nominated—Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series |
2009 | Diverted | Mike Stiven | TV movie |
2009–2010 | Super Hero Squad Show, TheThe Super Hero Squad Show | Iceman | Voice role; episodes: "Mysterious Mayhem at Mutant High!", "The Ice Melt Cometh!" |
2010 | Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures | Fitz | TV miniseries |
2010 | Fringe | Joshua Rose | Episode: "Amber 31422" |
2013–2015 | Following, TheThe Following | Agent Mike Weston | Main role, 45 episodes |
2016 | Relationship Status | Ben | 3 episodes |
2016–2017 | Conviction | Sam Spencer | Main role |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | X-Men: The Official Game | Bobby Drake / Iceman | Voice role |
2016 | Quantum Break | Jack Joyce | Voice, likeness and motion capture |