Kenny Johnson

Early life

Kenneth Allen Johnson was born in New Haven, Connecticut and was raised on a 30-acre farm in Weathersfield, Vermont. For his college education, he attended Central Connecticut State University, where he played football and basketball. Prior to starting his acting career, he spent approximately four years modelling for agencies including Wilhelmina and Ford Models. This path led to Johnson living for a year in Boston, Massachusetts, before finally settling in Los Angeles, California, where he eventually found acting.

Career

Johnson got his start in television commercials, including one of the very first ads for LA Gear. A former champion arm wrestler, he appeared as bit characters in various television programs, such as Family Matters, Grace Under Fire, Caroline in the City, Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Sliders, 18 Wheels of Justice, Just Shoot Me!, NCIS: Los Angeles, Lie to Me, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Protector.

In 1998, he appeared in the first several minutes of the first Blade, as Heatseeking Dennis, who was saved (by Blade) from a vampire played by Traci Lords. In October 2005, he appeared in the Smallville season 5 episode "Mortal" as a metahuman called Tommy Lee. He also appeared in the 2006 Hallmark Channel original movie, Desolation Canyon, with Stacy Keach and Patrick Duffy and starred in the 2005 indie film Zzyzx, a thriller about two friends who take a detour on their way to Las Vegas.

Johnson originally auditioned for the role of ill-fated Terry Crowley in The Shield, which ultimately went to Reed Diamond. Casting directors were so impressed with the audition that they asked him to come in for the role of Lemansky. Johnson was unsure of how to go about the character, who wasn't very much developed at that point. During the audition, Johnson made some choices for the character that he initially thought ruined his chances of winning the role. However, the audition turned out to be successful and he was cast. Lemansky quickly became a major player in the first season because of the chemistry Johnson shared with his castmates.

After The Shield, Johnson had recurring roles on Cold Case, first as a supposed murder victim, and later as a love interest for Lilly Rush. He was later cast in the TNT series Saving Grace, as Detective Hamilton "Ham" Dewey. Johnson also appeared during the second, third and fourth seasons of Sons of Anarchy as Sgt. At Arms and biker named Herman Kozik from the Tacoma chapter. He also directed and starred in the short film I Heard the Mermaids Singing.

On August 16, 2010, Johnson appeared in Fox's Lie to Me, along with several fellow cast members from The Shield (Benito Martinez, Catherine Dent, David Rees Snell, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, and David Marciano). In 2011, Johnson appeared in Lifetime's series The Protector along with fellow Sons of Anarchy co-star Ally Walker. Johnson also appeared as a regular on NBC's crime drama Prime Suspect, which premiered September 22, 2011, playing the contractor boyfriend of the shows lead character, Detective Jane Timoney (Maria Bello). Also in 2011, Johnson starred as Frank Connor, a convicted drug smuggler who leaves prison after 22 years for one youthful mistake, in Few Options. He then guest starred as Tyler Gray in the sixth season of Burn Notice (2012), as Greg Marshall in the fourth season of The Mentalist (2012), and as U.S. Marshal Max Clayton in the eighth and final season of Dexter (2013).

Johnson appeared in the A&E drama-thriller television series Bates Motel. He recurred in the second season, but became a main cast member for the third season. He then recurred on the fifth season of Covert Affairs as a former CIA paramilitary operative James Decker. Johnson co-starred in the 2015 thriller Solace. In August 2015, it was reported that Johnson would be part of the main cast for the second season of ABC's anthology series Secrets and Lies. He has been cast as Officer Dominique Luca in the CBS drama series S.W.A.T., based on the 2003 film of the same name.

Personal life

Johnson married Cathleen Oveson on December 21, 2005 in Maui, Hawaiian Islands. In October 2008, the couple announced they were expecting their first child. Their daughter, Angelica Scarlet Johnson, was born on May 6, 2009 in Los Angeles.