Biography
Ian Paul Cassidy was born in Harrogate, England. Born to a Royal Marine and an aspiring world-class equestrian, Ian lived in more than 11 countries by the time he was nine. When his father retired from the army, he moved Ian and his family to Perth, Australia.
After graduating high school in Rockingham, Ian attended and graduated London's prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and went on to spend several seasons performing repertory theater around Yorkshire. After returning to Australia, Ian trod the boards with the Sydney Opera House Repertory Theater Company where he performed in productions of "Richard III" and "The Taming Of The Shrew."
It wasn't long before Ian caught the attention of TV producers who were looking for a fresh face to star in a National Saturday morning children's variety show called; "Kids Company". After 2 seasons Hollywood beckoned. Ian moved to Los Angeles in 1990 and started studying with acting coach John Sarno, where he landed several national commercials and guest star roles. His big break came In 1996, when he landed the role of Irish street hustler, "Paddy" on the CBS drama; EZ Streets, written & directed by Oscar winner, Paul Haggis
His outstanding performance as "Paddy" caught the attention of Los Angeles casting director John Aiello, who brought him in to meet with producers for the NBC hit drama; The Pretender. His audition was so brilliant, producers were actually afraid that he would upstage lead actor Michael T. Weiss. He was cast in the role of "Zed" and became the shows most popular character, it was to be a major turning point in Ian's career.
His performance as "Zed", a character described as having "no redeemable qualities" caught the attention of producers Peter Davis, William Panzer and director Doug Aarniokoski, who were in the process of casting Highlander: Endgame. Aarniokoski states "he was completely immersed in the character of "Zed" and that's what we needed for Cracker Bob". Ian was then immediately cast in the role of "Cracker Bob" in Dimension Film's; Highlander: Endgame.
In 2000, Ian took on the role of politically incorrect Aussie cameraman "Ryan Brown", on the critically acclaimed ABC/Touchstone/Imagine, television drama; "The Beast". This cutting-edge drama had a superb cast including; Frank Langella, Harriet Hanson-Harris, Naveen Andrews and Elizabeth Mitchell, and was the brainchild of producer/director Ron Howard (The DaVinci Code, Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind) and executive producer/director Mimi Leder (Pay it Forward, Deep Impact, The Peacemaker & ER)
In 2006, Marc Cherry, the creator and executive producer of the ABC monster hit; Desperate Housewives, praised Ian's "natural comedic instincts" by casting him as "Durkin", opposite Eva Longoria on the hit ABC comedy. Ian has guest starred on more than 2 dozen series, including; Drake & Josh, 24, Monk, Numb3rs and The Pacific.
For the past several years, Ian has been performing motion capture in video game hits such as Army of Two & Wolfenstein: The New Order. He has also been performing on stage as "Hamlet" and "Cassius" in Theatre productions of Shakespeare's classic plays.
