# Johnathon Schaech

Johnathon Schaech (/ʃɛk/ SHEK; born September 10, 1969) is an American actor and screenwriter. He made his film debut in Franco Zeffirelli's Sparrow (1993) before his breakout with starring roles in the black comedy thriller film The Doom Generation (1995) and the musical comedy-drama film That Thing You Do! (1996).
Schaech later starred in the films Hush (1998), Splendor (1999), and The Forsaken (2001), and had a main role as John Maguire on the Fox teen drama television series Time of Your Life (1999–2000).
Schaech experienced a career resurgence in the late 2000s and 2010s, starring in the films Prom Night (2008), Quarantine (2008), Phantom (2013), The Legend of Hercules (2014), and Marauders (2016), and having a main role as Sidney Sherman on the History Channel television miniseries Texas Rising (2015). Schaech portrayed DC Comics character Jonah Hex on the CW television series Legends of Tomorrow (2016; 2018) and Batwoman (2019).
In the 2020s, Schaech starred as Justin Wise in the television film Blue Ridge (2020), a role which he reprised on the INSP television series Blue Ridge: The Series (2024). He also starred in the horror film Suitable Flesh (2023).

## Early life

Johnathon Schaech was born in Edgewood, Maryland, in 1969 to Joe, a Baltimore City law enforcement officer, and Joanne Schaech, a human resources executive. He is Catholic. He has a sister, Renée.
Schaech graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he studied economics and took one acting class.

## Career

In 1989, Schaech signed with Wilhelmina West, Inc. and worked for three years doing commercials and bit parts in movies. He studied under acting teacher Roy London for three and half years until London's death in 1993.

### 1991–2000

In 1993, Schaech played the lead role in Franco Zeffirelli's period drama Sparrow (Italian: Storia di una capinera). Schaech then played drifter Xavier Red in the Gregg Araki film The Doom Generation. In 1995, Schaech's character Leon romanced Winona Ryder's character Finn in How to Make an American Quilt which received a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In 1996, Schaech played the ambitious but self-absorbed lead singer of The Wonders in Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do! Schaech next starred opposite Jessica Lange and Gwyneth Paltrow in the 1998 thriller Hush, which "promptly bombed".
Also in 1996, he was on the cover of Vanity Fair's annual "Hollywood" issue.
In 1997, Schaech starred in the Australian comedy Welcome to Woop Woop directed by Stephan Elliott. Playing a British military man, Schaech was in the independent feature Woundings in 1998, for which he won Best Supporting Actor at the 2001 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. In 1998, Schaech portrayed Harry Houdini in TNT's Houdini. Schaech received praise not only for a convincing dramatic portrayal, but for learning and performing all the magic tricks and stunts himself. In 1999, Schaech appeared with Harvey Keitel in Finding Graceland and in 1999, Schaech reunited with Araki in Splendor, which premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. In 1999, he played the love interest of Jennifer Love Hewitt in the Party of Five spin-off, Time of Your Life. In 2000, Schaech performed in his first major play, David Rabe's A Question for Mercy, playing a Colombian-born gay Manhattanite dying of AIDS. He lost 35 pounds (16 kg) for the role. In 2000, Schaech played a small part in the comedy How To Kill Your Neighbor's Dog.

### 2001–2010

In 2001, Schaech played the title character in the ABC television film Judas. In 2002, he played Seattle cop and detective named Daniel Pruitt in the movie Blood Crime. In 2005, he co-starred with his then-wife Christina Applegate, in Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas for CBS. In 2006, Schaech starred in Little Chenier. The film won best picture and best ensemble at the Phoenix film festival. In 2006, he co-starred opposite Heather Locklear in the Lifetime television film Angels Fall. In 2007, Schaech was nominated for an MTV award for best villain for his performance in Sony's remake of Prom Night. In 2009, Schaech played Captain Rezo Avaliani in the Renny Harlin directed war film 5 Days of War. In 2009, Schaech guest starred in a Cold Case, playing Julian Bellows, a light-skinned black man who was passing as white to live a better life.

### 2011–present

In 2013, Schaech played a Soviet political officer, in the submarine thriller Phantom. He appeared in five episodes of the first season of the Showtime series Ray Donovan as an eccentric movie star, Sean Walker, and played the Egyptian mercenary Tarak in The Legend of Hercules, gaining 30 pounds (14 kg) of muscle for the role. In 2014, Schaech played Colonel Sherman in the miniseries Texas Rising. Between 2016 and 2018, Schaech appeared in the first three seasons of the television series Legends of Tomorrow as the DC Comics bounty hunter Jonah Hex. He returned in 2019 to reprise the role in the crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths. In 2016, Schaech shot the heist movie Marauders, playing a possibly corrupt cop whose wife is dying of cancer. The film would make it to Netflix's U.S. platform's top two in December 2020. In 2018, Schaech appeared in noir crime drama The Night Clerk opposite Ana de Armas. In 2018, Schaech starred opposite Frank Grillo in the action flick Reprisal. Years after its release, the film made Netflix's US platform's top five in October 2021.
Schaech played Marshall Hitchcock opposite Jason Scott Lee in The Wind & the Reckoning, a Hawaiian Western historical drama film released on 4 November 2022. In 2022, he played cult leader Chisos in Frank and Penelope written and directed by Sean Patrick Flanery.
In 2023, Schaech leads an action-crime series based on the 2020 film Blue Ridge. The series of the same name expands the film's storyline, and Schaech reprises his lead role as Sheriff Justin Wise.

## Writing

Schaech has co-written several screenplays with Richard Chizmar, including Heroes (2002), Road House 2 (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2006), based on a story by Miles Chapman, Masters of Horror The Washingtonians (Showtime, 2007), based on a story by Bentley Little and The Poker Club, based on the story by Ed Gorman. They have also co-written screenplays based on stories by Peter Crowther (Fear Itself: Eater, NBC/AXN Sci-Fi, 2009), Lewis Shiner (Fear Itself: The Circle, NBC/AXN Sci-Fi, 2009) and Stephen King (From A Buick 8 and Black House, both in production 2009).
Schaech's book, Rick Dempsey's Caught Stealing: Unbelievable Stories From a Lifetime of Baseball, was published in 2014.

## Personal life

During the mid-1990s, Schaech often accompanied actress Ellen DeGeneres, who had not yet come out as a lesbian to public events. Schaech was scheduled to appear in the 1997 episode of Ellen in which DeGeneres's character also came out as gay but could not participate in the filming.
Schaech married actress Christina Applegate in October 2001. In December 2005, he filed for a divorce citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized in August of 2007.
Schaech married Jana Kramer on July 4, 2010, seven months after announcing their engagement. The couple announced their separation one month later. Their divorce was finalized in June 2011.
In 2013, Schaech spoke on Capitol Hill about the importance of arts education.
Schaech's third marriage was to Julie Solomon in July 2013. They have a son born in September 2013, and a daughter born in July 2020.
In a January 11, 2018, article in People Magazine, Schaech said director Franco Zeffirelli sexually assaulted him during the filming of Sparrow (1993). Schaech wrote that the assault affected his confidence and caused trauma that led to his addictions to sex, drugs, and alcohol.
In 2019, Schaech took part in the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) PSA, "Won't Stay Quiet" as a survivor of sexual violence.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Sparrow | Nino | |
| 1995 | How to Make an American Quilt | Leon | |
| 1995 | The Doom Generation | Xavier Red | |
| 1996 | Poison Ivy II: Lily | Gredin | Direct-to-video |
| 1996 | That Thing You Do! | Jimmy Mattingly II | |
| 1996 | Invasion of Privacy | Josh Taylor | |
| 1997 | Welcome to Woop Woop | Teddy | |
| 1998 | Hush | Jackson Baring | |
| 1998 | Finding Graceland | Byron Gruman | |
| 1998 | Brand New World | Douglas Briggs | |
| 1999 | Splendor | Abel | |
| 2000 | If You Only Knew | Parker Concorde | |
| 2000 | The Giving Tree | James | |
| 2000 | After Sex | Matt | |
| 2000 | How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog | Adam | |
| 2001 | Sol Goode | "Happy" | |
| 2001 | The Forsaken | Kit | |
| 2002 | The Sweetest Thing | Leather Coat Guy | Uncredited |
| 2002 | Heroes | Francis | Also writer |
| 2002 | Kiss the Bride | Geoff Brancati | |
| 2005 | 8mm 2 | David Huxley | Direct-to-video |
| 2006 | Sea of Dreams | Marcelo | |
| 2006 | Road House 2 | Shane Tanner | Direct-to-video; also writer |
| 2006 | Little Chenier | Beauxregard "Beaux" Dupuis | |
| 2008 | Prom Night | Richard Fenton | |
| 2008 | Quarantine | Fletcher | |
| 2008 | The Poker Club | Aaron Tyler | Also writer |
| 2009 | Laid to Rest | Johnny | Direct-to-video |
| 2010 | Takers | Scott | |
| 2011 | 5 Days of War | Rezo Avaliani | |
| 2013 | Phantom | Pavlov | |
| 2013 | Dark Circles | Alex | Direct-to-video |
| 2014 | The Legend of Hercules | Tarek | |
| 2014 | Flight 7500 | Pete Haining | |
| 2014 | The Prince | Frank | Direct-to-video |
| 2015 | Vice | Chris | Direct-to-video |
| 2016 | Marauders | Mims | Direct-to-video |
| 2017 | Arsenal | Mikey | Direct-to-video |
| 2017 | Jackals | Andrew Powell | |
| 2017 | Butterfly Caught | Brandon Banks | |
| 2017 | Acts of Vengeance | Lustiger | |
| 2017 | Day of the Dead: Bloodline | Max | |
| 2018 | Reprisal | Gabriel | Direct-to-video |
| 2018 | Hellbent | Matt Caruso | |
| 2020 | The Night Clerk | Nick Perretti | |
| 2020 | Blue Ridge | Justin Wise | |
| 2022 | Frank and Penelope | Chisos | |
| 2022 | The Wind & the Reckoning | Edward Griffin Hitchcock | |
| 2023 | Suitable Flesh | Edward | |
| TBA | Quiet in My Town | Reid | Post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | At Home with the Webbers | Giampaolo | TV movie |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Nevada Cooper | Episode: "Bounty Hunters' Convention" |
| 1994 | Models Inc. | Frank Thompson | Recurring role |
| 1995 | Fallen Angels | Garth Cary | Episode: "Love and Blood" |
| 1998 | Houdini | Harry Houdini | TV movie |
| 1999 | The Last Witness | David J. McMillan | TV movie |
| 1999 | Partners | Michael Spivak | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1999 | Time of Your Life | John Maguire | Main role |
| 2001 | The Outer Limits | Andy Pace | Episode: "Alien Shop" |
| 2002 | They Shoot Divas, Don't They? | Trevor | TV movie |
| 2002 | Blood Crime | Daniel Pruitt | TV movie |
| 2004 | Mummy and the Armadillo | Jesse | TV movie |
| 2004 | Judas | Judas Iscariot | TV movie |
| 2005 | Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas | Matt Harrison | TV movie |
| 2007 | Masters of Horror | Mike Franks | Also writer; episode: "The Washingtonians" |
| 2007 | Angels Fall | Brody | TV movie |
| 2008 | Living Hell | Frank Sears | TV movie |
| 2009 | Cold Case | Julian Bellows | Episode: "Libertyville" |
| 2009 | Fear Itself | — | Writer; episodes: "Eater", "The Circle", "From A Buick 8", "Black House" |
| 2011 | Drop Dead Diva | Aaron Howard | Episode: "Change of Heart" |
| 2011 | CSI: Miami | Joseph Crumbaugh | Episode: "By the Book" |
| 2013 | Ray Donovan | Sean Walker | Recurring role (season 1) |
| 2013 | The Client List | Greg Carlisle | Recurring role (season 2) |
| 2014 | Star-Crossed | Castor | Recurring role |
| 2015 | Sleepy Hollow | Solomon Kent | Episode: "Spellcaster" |
| 2015 | Texas Rising | Sidney Sherman | Miniseries |
| 2015 | Quantico | Michael Parrish | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | To Appomattox | Simon Buckner | Miniseries |
| 2016; 2018 | Legends of Tomorrow | Jonah Hex | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Blue Bloods | Jimmy Mosley | Episode: "Blast from the Past" |
| 2016 | Impastor | Kurt | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Chicago P.D. | Detective Scott Hart | Episode: "Sisterhood" |
| 2019 | Now Apocalypse | Voyeur Neighbor | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Batwoman | Jonah Hex | Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 2" |
| 2021 | Creepshow | Dalton | Episode: "Stranger Sings / Meter Reader" |
| 2024 | Blue Ridge: The Series | Justin Wise | Main role |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2007 | Phoenix Film Festival Awards | Best Ensemble Acting | Little Chenier | Won |
| 2009 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Villain | Prom Night | Nominated |