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Posted

Height: 6'1.5

Nationality: Canadian

Profession: Actor

Age: 36

Canadian born actor Nathan Fillion gained critical acclaim and a large cult of fans when he starred as Captain Malcolm Reynolds on the Joss Whedon TV series "Firefly" (2002/I), having previously been a regular on "One Life to Live" (1968) and "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place" (1998). Fillion had also appeared in small roles in the films Blast from the Past (1999) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).

Whedon gave Fillion a chance to display his range when he cast Fillion as the twisted preacher Caleb, a villain, in the seventh and final season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997).

When "Firefly" (2002/I) was prematurely canceled in late 2002, the show's cast, crew, and many fans were devastated. Whedon vowed to resurrect the series in some way, and Fillion played Captain Reynolds again in the feature-film Serenity (2005), followed by a role in the horror-comedy Slither (2006).

Trivia:

Wanted to be a high school English teacher (a profession that runs in his family). In college he majored in art, and minored in drama while pursuing an acting career on the side.

Originally auditioned for the role of "Angel" for Joss Whedon's first television series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997). However, Whedon did not remember him from that when he contacted Nathan about the part of "Mal" on "Firefly" (2002).

Had corrective surgery on his eyes when he was 12.

When he won best actor at the 2006 SyFy Genre Awards for his portrayal of Captain Malcolm Reynolds in "Firefly" (2002), the show had been off the air for around 3 years.

Personal quotes:

I've always fantasized about being on TV. And I was. Then I fantasized about being in the movies. What could be better than captain of a space ship? I get to ride horses, shoot guns, have adventures ...

My favorite villains are the ones you don't see coming. What I enjoyed about playing Caleb was that he was so very, very clever, so very, very sweet, and so very, very twisted. I liked that he's not a typical villain. He's soft and sweet and righteous, and yet he's perverted and twisted in his head.

(talking about the cancellation of Firefly): I broke the cardinal rule of don't fall in love with what you're doing, because the rug can get yanked out from underneath you, and when it did, I was heartbroken.

(On Firefly fans attempts to save the show) It's very Jehovah's Witness. I'm not sure if anyone's actually going door to door, but it's not far off.

(When asked about his relationship with Joss Whedon): I'll tell you this. No one has ever shown the kind of faith in me that Joss Whedon has shown, in both giving me a lead on his sci-fi show Firefly and in letting me play a villain for the very first time. No one's ever let me play a villain before. So, I would say that I think he's done great things for my career and certainly my confidence in general.

(about Serenity): There is nothing like a major motion picture to make you feel a little bit better about having your TV show cancelled.

(When asked what he likes about playing a villain): Being able to be evil. You can't do the evil things that you want to do in real life. You certainly can't because it's against the law and society says all that they have to say about being evil. You want to be bad everyday. You want to do the bad evil things that you can't get away with and now I'm able to be bad and super strong. It's a fantasy.

(When asked what makes Caleb unique and threatening): His accent. Never trust a southerner. No, I'm kidding. They're wonderful. You want to believe in his niceness and his charm, but he's an evil kind of crazy man who's righteous. Fear the righteous.

(When asked if he would go back and do a Firefly TV series again after Serenity): I hope so. Daddy's got bills to pay!

Posted

Born on March 27, 1971 and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Nathan is the youngest son in a family of English teachers: parents Cookie and Bob Fillion, and older brother Jeff. Nathan attended the University of Alberta and planned to follow in his family's footsteps and was one semester short of graduation when he won the role of the charming Joey Buchanan on the ABC soap One Life to Live, and moved to New York City.

In addition to One Life to Live, Nathan also made appearances in several other ABC productions, including the made-for-TV movie Ordeal in the Arctic (1993) and as a series regular, Johnny Donnely, in Two Guys and a Girl (1998). In 2002, he won the lead role of war-hardened Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds on the short-lived but brilliant Fox Series, Firefly, a Joss Whedon creation. His work on Firefly also led to the role of preacher-gone-wrong and 'big bad', Caleb, in the last season of Whedon's Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Aside from his success in the States, Nathan has appeared in a number of Canadian productions, including the television movie, Strange and Rich (1994), theatrical performances in Edmonton's Fringe Theatre Festivals, where he was originally discovered, and he participated in Theatre sports as a member of Rapidfire Theatre, an Edmonton theater company. He also appeared in Die Nasty, a soap opera spoof-improv performed at a local Edmonton theater.

Nathan's recent work includes the filming of Serenity, the big-screen sequel to Firefly, which premiered Sept 30, 2005. He has also completed filming Slither, a horror film from James Gunn of Dawn of the Dead fame. Slither is set to be released on March 31st in U.S. theaters. Most recently, Nathan has finished filming a romantic comedy in L.A. titled Waitress, and stars opposite Kerri Russell. Waitress is the story of a pregnant, unhappily married waitress in the deep south who meets and falls into an unlikely relationship with a newcomer to her town as a last attempt at happiness. A release date has yet to be announced.

Nathan is 6'1" with brown hair and blue eyes, is currently single :drool: , and has been residing in Los Angeles since 1996.

OTHER INFORMATION

Chinese Zodiac Sign: Pig

Fun Fact: Distant relative of Jubal Early, a Confederate Civil War general, whose name was later used by Joss Whedon for a character in an episode of Firefly.

Hobbies: beach volleyball, drawing, roller blading, his unicycle, writing children's literature

Other Past Projects:

* 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998) Movie

* 'Blast From the Past' (1999) Movie

* 'Dracula 2000' (2000) Movie

* Guest-starred on Pasadena (2001) and Miss Match (2003)

(For a full list, see the 'Filmography' section)

Awards & Nominations:

* 2005 - Nominated: Online Film Critics Society "Breakthrough Performer" - For: Malcolm Reynolds in Serenity

* 2003 - Winner: Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Award (Male) - For: Firefly

* 1996 - Nominated: Daytime Emmy (Outstanding Younger Leading Actor in a Drama Series) - For: One Life to Live

* 1996 - Nominated: Soap Opera Digest Award (Outstanding Younger Leading Actor) - For: One Life to Live

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