Connor Jessup

Connor Jessup
Jessup in 2012
Born (1994-06-23) June 23, 1994
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nationality Canadian
Occupation Actor
Years active 2005–present

Connor William Jessup (born June 23, 1994) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his role as Ben Mason on the TNT science fiction television series Falling Skies (2011–2015) and for his roles in the ABC anthology series American Crime (2016–2017).[1] He has also starred in feature films, most notably in the award-winning Blackbird (2012) and Closet Monster (2015).[2][3]

Career

As an actor

Jessup began acting at the age of 11 as a child actor.[4] After various early jobs, including a role in a stage adaptation of The Full Monty, Jessup got a lead role in the children's television series The Saddle Club, for which he is also credited with conceptualizing the plot of one episode.[5] He served as executive producer for the independent film Amy George, which played at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.[6]

Jessup on the set of Falling Skies in 2013

In 2011, Jessup was cast as a main character in the TNT science fiction series Falling Skies.[7] He starred on the show for five seasons.[7]

In 2012, Jessup starred in the Canadian indie film Blackbird, in which he played a troubled teen falsely accused of planning a school shooting.[2] Jessup's performance received positive reviews and the film won various awards, including the Best Canadian First Feature Film award at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.[8] The film won three awards at the Atlantic Film Festival and won the Vancouver International Film Festival award for Best Canadian Feature Film.[9] It also screened at the Cannes Film Festival.[10]

In 2015, Jessup also starred in the feature film Closet Monster, which won the Best Canadian Film Award at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, and screened at various film festivals around the world, before subsequently being released nationwide in July 2016.[3]

In 2016, Jessup starred in the Emmy-winning ABC series American Crime as Taylor Blaine.[1] His performance has been praised by critics.[11][12] He returned for the third season, as Coy Henson.[13]

Jessup at London Comic Con in 2014

Other work

Jessup has stated in numerous interviews that his intention is to work in the film industry beyond acting, as a director and filmmaker.[14][15] In an interview with the Toronto Star, Jessup said that directing "is where my mind and heart [are] at the moment".[16] In 2014, Jessup starred in the short film Fragments, and in 2015, Jessup's short film Boy, which he wrote and directed, and was funded by bravoFACT, premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[17][18]

In 2016, Jessup was included in Filmmaker Magazine's annual list of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film.[19] His short film Lira's Forest, which he wrote and directed, premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.[20] Jessup wants to expand this story with a feature film, Simon's Forest.[19]

In 2017, it was announced that Jessup would be directing a documentary profile of Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul for FilmStruck and The Criterion Collection.[21]

Influences

As a director, Jessup has expressed a particular fascination with Japanese film and culture and has stated in interviews that he is highly influenced by East Asian cinema, including directors Hirokazu Kore-eda, Edward Yang, Yasujirō Ozu, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul.[19][22][23][24] He has also expressed admiration for directors Abbas Kiarostami, Andrew Haigh, and Ira Sachs.[19][25]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Blackbird Sean Randall
2014 Skating to New York Casey Demas
2014 Little Coffins Writer/Director Short film
2014 Fragments Alex Short film
2015 Boy Writer/Director Short film
2015 Crazy House Beckett Short film
2015 Closet Monster Oscar Madly
2017 Lira's Forest Writer/Director Short film
2018 A.W. A Portrait of Apichatpong Weerasethakul Director Documentary
2019 Strange But True Ronnie Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2007 The Jon Dore Television Show Bat Throwing Kid #3 Episode: "Jon Gets Scared"
2008–09 The Saddle Club Simon Atherton 26 episodes
2011 King Ben Moser Episode: "Eleni Demaris"
2011–15 Falling Skies Ben Mason 49 episodes
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series
Nominated—Young Artist Award for Best Younger Supporting Actor in a Television Series
2016 American Crime Taylor Blaine 10 episodes
2017 American Crime Coy Henson 4 episodes

References

  1. 1 2 "TIFF: Breakout Star Connor Jessup on 'American Crime' and Teen Sexuality". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  2. 1 2 "Blackbird gets into TIFF12, Lead Connor Jessup gets honored". August 8, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Closet Monster wins big at TIFF 2015 | Daily Xtra". www.dailyxtra.com. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  4. ↑ "Connor Jessup". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  5. ↑ "Connor Jessup Bio".
  6. ↑ "Q&A: Connor Jessup talks TIFF film 'Amy George'". September 15, 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Connor Jessup Opens Up About Noah Wyle, Alien Invasions and Game Of Thrones". DaemonsTV. 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Chester filmmaker wins TIFF award for Blackbird". The Chronicle Herald, September 17, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Blackbird director Jason Buxton earns Claude Jutra Award for debut film". Toronto Star, January 29, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Q&A with Jason Buxton". The Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  11. ↑ TVLine, Team; TVLine, Team (2016-02-20). "Performer of the Week: Connor Jessup". TVLine. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  12. ↑ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (2016-01-06). "'American Crime' Star Connor Jessup Discusses Season 2, 'Staggering' Scope of Male Sexual Assault". Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  13. ↑ Prudom, Laura (2016-08-17). "'American Crime' Brings Back Connor Jessup for Season 3". Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  14. ↑ "Connor Jessup: Toronto actor sees future as director | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  15. ↑ "Canadian actor Connor Jessup easing into his right to tell stories". Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  16. ↑ "Connor Jessup: Toronto actor sees future as director | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  17. ↑ "TIFF: Breakout Star Connor Jessup on 'American Crime' and Teen Sexuality". Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  18. ↑ Festival, Toronto International Film. "TIFF.net | Boy". TIFF. Archived from the original on 2016-05-29. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Rizov, Vadim. "Connor Jessup | Filmmaker Magazine". Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  20. ↑ "Lira's Forest". www.tiff.net. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  21. ↑ "MEET THE FILMMAKERS: JOSH AND BENNY SAFDIE – The Hollywood 360". thehollywood360.com. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  22. ↑ "Film Captures the Spirit in BOY | Graphic Communications". Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  23. ↑ "Interview: Connor Jessup talks Falling Skies, New Projects & Life Experiences | Three If By Space". 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  24. ↑ nurun.com. "Short film about a boy -- and his ghost". Brantford Expositor. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  25. ↑ "Canadian actor Connor Jessup easing into his right to tell stories". Retrieved 2016-09-20.
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