Joshua Leonard Biography

Joshua Granville Leonard (born June 17, 1975) is an American actor, writer and director, known primarily for his role in The Blair Witch Project (1999). He has since starred in films such as Madhouse (2004), The Shaggy Dog (2006), Higher Ground (2011), The Motel Life (2012), Snake and Mongoose (2013), If I Stay (2014), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014), and 6 Years (2015).

Early life

Leonard was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Joann, an author, and Robert Leonard, a theater professor at Pennsylvania State University. He was raised in State College, Pennsylvania. Leonard obtained his GED two years early, and at age 16 travelled to Chiapas, Mexico, where he taught at an elementary school and volunteered at an anthropological institute. Leonard then spent time in Seattle and London, where he developed an interest in photography, before settling in New York City at age 19.

Career

In 1997, Leonard auditioned for and landed one of the three principal roles in the found footage horror film The Blair Witch Project. Although he reportedly only earned an initial salary of $500, the experience proved rewarding in other ways as the film combined acting and photography. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Leonard has since appeared in numerous films and television shows as an actor, including HBO's television film Live from Baghdad, the drama film Things Behind the Sun directed by Allison Anders, the comedy film The Shaggy Dog with Tim Allen, the drama film Men of Honor with Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding, Jr., and the psychological thriller film Bitter Feast with Larry Fessenden.

In 2009, he starred in the Independent Spirit Award-winning film Humpday, for which he won Best Actor at the Gijn International Film Festival. Leonard has also appeared on the acclaimed HBO series Hung and the Showtime series United States of Tara. Leonard directed the short film The Youth in Us, which was shown at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Art documentary Beautiful Losers followed, winning the Grand Jury Prize at CineVegas in 2008. He has also directed music videos for many popular acts, such as Morcheeba, Harper Simon, and Fitz and the Tantrums, as well as teaching directing and acting at The New York Film Academy, UC Irvine, and Academia Internacional De Cinema in So Paulo, Brazil. In 2011, Leonard starred in Vera Farmiga's directorial debut drama film Higher Ground, playing a religious man at odds with his wife (Farmiga). He also co-wrote, directed and starred in The Lie, a devilish morality tale adapted from the story by acclaimed author T. C. Boyle. The project co-starred Mark Webber, Jess Weixler, and Jane Adams, and was well received by audiences and critics.

Leonard next appeared alongside Dakota Fanning in The Motel Life (2012). The following year, he starred alongside Carol Kane and Natasha Lyonne in the dark comedy film Clutter, and co-starred in the sports film Snake and Mongoose. In 2014, Leonard co-starred in the drama film If I Stay, directed by R. J. Cutler and based on the novel of the same name by Gayle Forman. Leonard was then cast in the third season of A&E's drama-thriller series Bates Motel as James Finnigan, a psychology professor and a love interest for Norma Louise Bates. In 2015, he had a co-starring role in the romantic drama film 6 Years, directed by Hannah Fidell, which premiered at South by Southwest. In December 2015, it was reported that Marissa Tomei and Timothy Olyphant would star in the Leonard-directed drama film Behold My Heart.

Personal life

In January 2015, Leonard announced his engagement to actress Alison Pill, after proposing at Joshua Tree National Park over the New Year. They were married on May 24, 2015 with an intimate ceremony in Los Angeles. In July 2016, Leonard and Pill announced they were expecting their first child, a girl.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	The Blair Witch Project	Josh Leonard
1999	The Blur of Insanity	Staley
2000	In the Weeds	Adam
2000	Men of Honor	Timothy Douglas Isert
2001	Things Behind the Sun	Todd
2001	Cubbyhouse	Danny Graham
2002	Deuces Wild	Punchy
2003	Down with the Joneses	Pete Jones
2003	Two Days	Bill Buehl
2003	Scorched	Rick Becker
2004	Madhouse	Clark Stevens
2004	Larceny	Nick Peters
2005	Shooting Livien	Robby Love
2005	A Year and a Day	Malcolm
2006	The Death and Life of Bobby Z	Partygoer #1
2006	Hatchet	Ainsley Dunston
2006	The Shaggy Dog	Justin Forrester
2007	Country Remedy	Darryl
2008	Quid Pro Quo	Isaac's Dad
2008	Prom Night	Bellhop
2008	20 Years After	Michael
2009	Humpday	Andrew
2008	Expecting Love	Ian Everson
2010	Bitter Feast	JT Franks
2010	The Freebie	Dinner Party Guest
2011	Higher Ground	Ethan Miller
2011	Shark Night	Robert "Red" Allyjah
2011	The Lie	Lonnie	Also writer and director
2012	The Motel Life	Tommy Locowane
2013	Clutter	Charlie Bradford
2013	Snake and Mongoose	Thomas Greer
2014	Among Ravens	Ellis Conifer
2014	If I Stay	Denny Hall
2014	The Town That Dreaded Sundown	Deputy Foster
2014	WildLike	Ted
2015	6 Years	Mark
2016	Teenage Cocktail	Tom Fenton

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Sacrifice	Jason	Television film
2000	The Outer Limits	Andy Larouche	Episode: "Gettysburg"
2002	Live from Baghdad	Mark Biello	Television film
2004	NYPD Blue	Todd Garvin	Episode: "Divorce, Detective Style"
2004	CSI: NY	Matt Paulson	Episode: "A Man a Mile"
2005	CSI: Miami	Jim Markham	3 episodes
2006	Numb3rs	Roy Mitchell	Episode: "Guns and Roses"
2006	Bones	Nate Gibbons	Episode: "The Headless Witch in the Woods"
2009	Hung	Pierce	3 episodes
2010	United States of Tara	Ricky	Episode: "The Truth Hurts"
2011	Criminal Minds	Lyle Donaldson	Episode: "Today I Do"
2012	The Finder	Derek Towers	Episode: "The Great Escape"
2012	The Producer	Mike Cabot	Unsold pilot
2012	Touch	King Roadie	Episode: "Kite Strings"
2012-13	The Mob Doctor	Scott Parker	2 episodes
2014	True Detective	Mitch	Episode: "Who Goes There"
2014; 2016	Scorpion	Mark Collins	3 episodes
2015	Down Dog	Young Jimmy Wood	Television film
2015-16	Togetherness	Dudley	6 episodes
2015	Bates Motel	James Finnigan	6 episodes
2016	Heartbeat	Max Elliot	7 episodes