# Kenny Johnson

Kenny Johnson (born July 13, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Detective Curtis Lemansky in The Shield, Butch "Burner" Barnes in Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Detective Ham Dewey in Saving Grace, Herman Kozik in Sons of Anarchy, Matt Webb in Prime Suspect, Caleb Calhoun in Bates Motel, Dominique Luca in the CBS drama series S.W.A.T., and Tommy Welch on Chicago Fire (2014–2015).

## Early life

Johnson was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and was raised on a 30-acre farm in Weathersfield, Vermont. For his college education, he attended Central Connecticut State University, where he played football and basketball.
Prior to starting his acting career, Johnson spent approximately four years modelling for agencies including Wilhelmina and Ford Models. This path led to him living for a year in Boston, Massachusetts, before finally settling in Los Angeles, California, where he eventually found acting.

## Career

Johnson got his start in television commercials, including one of the first ads for LA Gear. A former champion arm wrestler, he appeared as bit characters in various television programs, such as Family Matters, Grace Under Fire, Caroline in the City, Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Sliders, 18 Wheels of Justice, Just Shoot Me!, NCIS: Los Angeles, Lie to Me, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Protector.
In 1998, he appeared in the first several minutes of the first Blade, as Heatseeking Dennis, who was saved from a vampire played by Traci Lords. In October 2005, he appeared in the Smallville season 5 episode "Mortal" as metahuman Tommy Lee. He also appeared in the 2006 Hallmark Channel original film Desolation Canyon, with Stacy Keach and Patrick Duffy. Johnson then starred in the 2005 film Zzyzx, a thriller about two friends who take a detour on their way to Las Vegas.
Johnson originally auditioned for the role of ill-fated Terry Crowley in The Shield, which ultimately went to Reed Diamond. Casting directors were so impressed with his audition that they asked Johnson to come in for the role of Curtis Lemansky. He was unsure of how to go about the character, as the role was not very developed at that point. During the audition, Johnson made some choices for the character that he initially thought ruined his chances of winning the role. However, the audition turned out to be successful and he was cast. Lemansky quickly became a major player in the first season because of the chemistry Johnson shared with his castmates.
After The Shield, Johnson had recurring roles in Cold Case, first as a supposed murder victim and later as a love interest for Lilly Rush. He was later cast in the TNT series Saving Grace, as Detective Hamilton "Ham" Dewey. Johnson appeared during the second, third, and fourth seasons of Sons of Anarchy as sergeant-at-arms and biker Herman Kozik. He also directed and starred in the short film, I Heard the Mermaids Singing.
In August 2010, Johnson appeared in the Fox series Lie to Me, along with several fellow cast members from The Shield. In 2011, Johnson appeared in Lifetime's series The Protector, with fellow Sons of Anarchy co-star Ally Walker. Johnson also appeared as a regular in NBC's crime drama series Prime Suspect, playing the contractor boyfriend of the lead character, Detective Jane Timoney (Maria Bello). Also in 2011, Johnson starred as Frank Connor, a convicted drug smuggler who leaves prison after 22 years for one youthful mistake, in Few Options. In 2012, he guest starred as Tyler Gray in the sixth season of Burn Notice, and as Greg Marshall in the fourth season of The Mentalist. That following year, Johnson portrayed U.S. Marshal Max Clayton in the eighth and final season of Dexter.
Johnson appeared as Caleb Calhoun, the estranged brother of Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga), in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel. He recurred in the second season, became a main cast member for the third season, and guest starred in the fourth and fifth seasons. He was then a recurring cast member in the fifth season of Covert Affairs, playing former CIA paramilitary operative James Decker. Johnson co-starred in the 2015 thriller film Solace. In August 2015, it was reported that Johnson would be part of the main cast for the second season of ABC's anthology series Secrets and Lies.
From 2017 to 2024, Johnson portrayed main character Officer Dominique Luca in the CBS drama series S.W.A.T., based on the 2003 film of the same name, but the series also closely follows the original 1975-76 ABC series, also of the same name.

## Personal life

He married his long-term girlfriend, Cathleen Oveson on December 21, 2005. They have one child, Angelica Scarlet (born 7 May 2009). Angelica is also an actress, most notably in a recurring role on S.W.A.T. as Kelly, where the character played by the elder Johnson, Dominique Luca, becomes her mentor.
On July 18, 2018, Johnson suffered unspecified injuries while filming the premiere episode of the second season. The scene involved Johnson simulating Luca hanging from the landing gear of a helicopter while the helicopter flies away. Johnson later sued the production company, Sony, over the incident. The case was settled in February 2023—the terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
Johnson has dyslexia and has spoken publicly about it to raise awareness and to combat stigma.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | The Forbidden Dance | Dave | |
| 1990 | Mirage | Greg | |
| 1995 | Bushwhacked | State Patrolman | |
| 1998 | Major League: Back to the Minors | Lance Pere | |
| 1998 | Blade | Heatseeking Dennis | |
| 2001 | Under Heavy Fire | Jimmy Joe | |
| 2006 | Desolation Canyon | Reynolds | |
| 2006 | Zzyzx | Lou | |
| 2007 | The Ungodly | Officer Murphy | |
| 2008 | I Heard the Mermaids Singing | Al | Short film; also director |
| 2011 | Few Options | Frank Connor | Also co-producer |
| 2013 | Timmy Muldoon and the Search for the Shadoweyes Bandit | Shotgun Lenny | Video short |
| 2015 | Solace | David Raymond | |
| 2015 | Blue | David Murphy | |
| 2016 | Run the Tide | Bo | |
| 2017 | Check Point | Roy Boyle | Also producer |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Red Shoe Diaries | Tracer | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | The Webbers | Chuck | Television film |
| 1993 | Family Matters | Gorgeous Waiter | Episode: "Walk on the Wild Side" |
| 1994 | Grace Under Fire | Skip | Episode: "June 15, 1997" |
| 1994 | Something Wilder | Chad | Episode: "Love Native American Style" |
| 1996 | Pacific Blue | Deke | Episode: "Over the Edge" |
| 1996 | Caroline in the City | Blair | Episode: "Caroline and the Ex-Wife" |
| 1996 | The Big Easy | George Stodermayer | Episode: "Stodermayer" |
| 1996 | Sliders | Slain Skater | Episode: "The Dream Masters" |
| 1996 | The Burning Zone | Dr. Jake Lietman | Episode: "Blood Covenant" |
| 1997 | Sins of the Mind | Anders | Pilot episode |
| 1999 | Just Shoot Me | Brian McDonald | Episode: "The Odd Couple (Part 2)" |
| 1999 | Ryan Caulfield: Year One | Detective Billy Zabo | Episode: "A Night at the Gashole" |
| 1998–2000 | Pensacola: Wings of Gold | Butch "Burner" Barnes | Main cast (season 2), 27 episodes |
| 2001 | The Huntress | Kevin Styles | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | 18 Wheels of Justice | Sonny | Episode: "Crossing the Line" |
| 2002–2006 | The Shield | Detective Curtis Lemansky | Main cast, 66 episodes |
| 2002 | One on One | Brandon | Episode: "The Way You Make Me Feel" |
| 2003 | Boomtown | Robert "Bobby" Cherry | Episode: "Haystack" |
| 2005 | Smallville | Tommy Lee | Episode: "Mortal" |
| 2006 | Desolation Canyon | Press Reynolds | Television film |
| 2006 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Randy Bolen | Episode: "Time of Your Death" |
| 2006 | Aquaman | Sheriff | Unsold pilot |
| 2006 | Cold Case | Joseph Shaw | 5 episodes |
| 2007–2010 | Saving Grace | Detective Ham Dewey | Main cast, 46 episodes |
| 2009–2011 | Sons of Anarchy | Herman Kozik | 12 episodes |
| 2010 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Tommy Boyd | Episode: "Past Lives" |
| 2010 | Lie to Me | Malcolm Hessler | Episode: "Pied Piper" |
| 2011–2012 | Prime Suspect | Matt Webb | Main cast, 13 episodes |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Detective Sean Riggs | Episode: "Dirty" |
| 2011 | The Protector | Detective Cummings | Episode: "Help" |
| 2012 | The Mentalist | Greg Tayback | Episode: "So Long, and Thanks for All the Red Snapper" |
| 2012 | Burn Notice | Tyler Gray | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Dexter | U.S. Marshal Max Clayton | 3 episodes |
| 2014–2017 | Bates Motel | Caleb Calhoun | Main role (season 3), 10 episodes Guest cast, 8 episodes |
| 2014 | Castle | Mr. Harden | Episode: "In the Belly of the Beast" |
| 2014 | Motive | Doug Slater | Episode: "For You I Die" |
| 2014–2015 | Chicago Fire | Tommy Welch | 7 episodes |
| 2014 | Covert Affairs | James Decker | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Secrets and Lies | Danny Voss | Main cast (season 2), 10 episodes |
| 2017–2024 | S.W.A.T. | Dominique Luca | Main cast, season 1–6 Guest cast, season 7 (130 episodes) |
| 2023–2024 | Mayor of Kingstown | Charlie Pickens | 6 episodes |