Jason Priestley

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Jason Priestley
Born	Jason Bradford Priestley August 28, 1969 (1969-08-28) (age 38) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Spouse(s)	Naomi Lowde-Priestley (May 14, 2005 - present) Ashlee Petersen (February 2, 1999 – January 2, 2000) (divorced)

Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian-born American actor and film director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to fame in the early 1990s.

[edit] Biography

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[edit] Early life

Born Jason Bradford Priestley on August 28, 1969 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Priestley became a naturalized American in 2007. ^[1] He is a graduate of Argyle Secondary School in North Vancouver. He has a sister, Justine, and two step siblings, Karin and Kristi.

[edit] Career

In 1990, Priestley was chosen as Brandon Walsh on the hit series Beverly Hills, 90210. He directed fifteen of the show's episodes.

Priestley joined the cast of Tru Calling as Jack Harper from 2004-2005. He was also a regular on the 2006 program Love Monkey. His television work also includes the 1989 series Sister Kate, the WB show What I Like About You, and a February 2006 appearance on Without a Trace. Priestley has also made several films, his most notable role perhaps being in 1997's Love and Death on Long Island, in which he played a teen idol struggling to be taken seriously as an actor. He directed the nineteenth episode in the final season of 7th Heaven.

On July 15, 2007 he returned to series television as one of the lead males in Lifetime Television's comedy-drama Side Order of Life.

[edit] Personal life

Between 1992–1997, Priestley lived with actress Christine Elise, who had a recurring role on Beverly Hills, 90210. In 1999, he married make-up artist Ashlee Petersen, whom he met on the set of Beverly Hills, 90210. They divorced in 2000. In 2005, he married make-up artist Naomi Lowde.

On July 2, 2007, he became a father to daughter, Ava Veronica, with his wife Naomi. The baby weighed 7 lbs, 4 oz at birth.^[2]

On July 9, 2007, he revealed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien that he had become an American citizen several weeks prior.

Priestley has a twin sister, Justine Priestley, who is also an actress. He tried to get her to audition for the role of Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills 90210, and although this never came to pass she did appear in a couple of episodes on the 90210 spin-off show Melrose Place in 1996.

[edit] Race car driving

His hobbies include race car driving. He rallied a Toyota Celica All-trac ST185 in the SCCA Pro Rally Series. He has provided commentary and interviews of racers for ABC's television coverage of IndyCar racing. In 1999 he participated in the first Gumball 3000 rally, driving a Lotus Esprit V-8. On August 11, 2002, he was seriously injured during a practice run at the Kentucky Speedway when his Indy Pro Series car crashed into a wall at nearly 180 miles per hour. He made a quick and full recovery. Priestley and his girlfriend at the time of the crash, Naomi Lowde, married in May 2005, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

According to a January 2008 Associated Press article, it was announced that Priestley would become a joint owner in a new IndyCar Series team. The new team will be known as the Rubicon Race Team managed by co-owner Jim Freudenberg. They will initially enter a car in the Indianapolis 500 in May 2008. Car number 28 will be built by the Indianapolis-based Sam Schmidt Motorsports. The driver will be Max Papis. ^[3]

In the article, Jason was interviewed and said, "I'm excited to be able to spend the month of May in Indy with my good friends and be a part of the greatest open wheel race," "It's been more than five years since my accident, and it's going to be so good to get to see everyone." ^[4]

[edit] Promotional activity for Barenaked Ladies

Priestley is a big fan of the band Barenaked Ladies and went to many of their California concerts in the early to mid-1990s. He eventually met the band and in his desire to help them succeed, suggested that he direct the music video for "The Old Apartment", ^[5] and used his fame to persuade American stations to air it. He did just that, and also invited the band to play at the "Peach Pit After Dark" on an episode of 90210. ^[6] Lead singer, Ed Robertson, continues to cite him as being instrumental in their American success. His final notable contribution to the band came when he directed a feature-length documentary about the band's 1999 whirlwind of success entitled Barenaked in America, intending to capture on film the fun he had while riding around on the tour bus with the band. ^[7]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Awards & Nominations

Gemini Awards

• 2003: Nominated, "Best Performance or Host in a Variety Program or Series" - The True Meaning of Christmas Specials (shared w/co-stars)

Golden Globe Awards

• 1993: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series (Drama)" - Beverly Hills, 90210
• 1995: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series (Drama)" - Beverly Hills, 90210

Young Artist Awards

• 1990: Nominated, "Best Young Actor Supporting Role in a Television Series" - Sister Kate

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Jason Priestley

• Jason Priestley at the Internet Movie Database
• Jason Priestley at TV.com
• Official Jason Priestley Website
• Jason Priestley Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos