Stephen Amell

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Stephen Amell was supporting himself as a spinning instructor while pursuing acting when, in a fun bit of serendipity, he made his screen debut with a recurring role as a spinning instructor on "Queer as Folk" (Showtime, 2000-05). After a bit part on "Degrassi: The Next Generation" (CTV, 2001-09; MuchMusic, 2010-15), he booked a guest spot on "1-800-Missing" (Lifetime, 2003-06) and a larger recurring role on "Beautiful People" (ABC Family, 2005-06). He was cast on the supernatural gay soap opera "Dante's Cove" (here!, 2005-07) as the ostensibly straight, inevitably gay Adam, but left the show after one season amid a minor controversy; he claimed he had booked other roles that conflicted with the "Dante's" taping, while others said that he (or his girlfriend) balked at Amell enacting onscreen gay love scenes. In later interviews, Amell would avow that it was the former, and that he remained great friends with the show's other actors.Nevertheless, he went on to win a Gemini Award for his recurring role on the science fiction thriller "ReGenesis" (The Movie Network, 2004-08) and booked a supporting turn as a young soldier in the World War II-themed romantic drama "Closing the Ring" (2007). Amell then notched two years on the Canadian sports sitcom "Rent-a-Goalie" (Showcase, 2006-08), which showcased his athleticism as well as his acting chops, and along with his co-stars, he shared two Best Ensemble Gemini nominations. After recurring on "'Da Kink in My Hair" (Global, 2007-09), he made the leap to mainstream American projects when he booked guest spots on "Blue Mountain State" (Spike, 2010-11), "CSI: Miami" (CBS. 2002-2012), "NCIS: Los Angeles" (CBS, 2009-) and "The Vampire Diaries" (The CW, 2009-17). He landed the high-profile role of the real-life accused murderer Joran Van Der Sloot in the biopic "Justice for Natalee Holloway" (Lifetime, 2011) and recurred on "Hung" (HBO, 2009-2011) as the sexually charged Jason, a younger male prostitute vying to run the well-endowed Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane) out of business. Continuing his ascent, Amell booked a string of recurring roles on such wildly popular American series as "90210" (The CW, 2008-13), "New Girl" (Fox, 2011-) and "Private Practice" (ABC, 2007-14), as well as on the Canadian charmer "Heartland" (CBC, 2007-), and made headlines when it was revealed he was in the running to replace the cancer-stricken Andy Whitfield as "Spartacus" (Starz, 2010-). Although he did not step into those famous sandals, Amell did book another iconic heroic role - that of Oliver Queen, a.k.a. Green Arrow, on the highly anticipated "Arrow" (The CW, 2012-). Playing a ruthless vigilante who bears physical, mental and emotional scars, Amell again displayed his world class athleticism as well as his magnetic screen presence.By Jonathan Riggs