The Doom Generation

Background:

American actor, writer, director and producer who began his career as a fashion model Johnathon Schaech has created a prolific career since making his professional debut in 1993's “The Webbers.” However, he is probably best known to moviegoers with his role as Winona Ryder's suitor on “How to Make an American Quilt” (1995) and for his partnership with filmmaker Gregg Araki in the movies “The Doom Generation” (1995) and “Splendor” (1999). Schaech won the 2001 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival awards for his supporting role in “Woundings” (1998) and for his writing in “Comforters, Miserable”(2001), which he also directed. Other films in which he has acted in include “Houdini” (1998, TV), “Hush” (1998), “If You Only Knew” (2000), “Kiss the Bride” (2002), “Judas” (2004, TV), “Sea of Dreams” (2006) and “Angels Fall” (2007, TV).

Recently playing roles in “Prom Night” and “Living Hell” (both 2008), Schaech is set to star in “The Poker Club” (2008, also a scriptwriter) and “Quarantine” (2008). He also writes the script and produces the forthcoming horror “From a Buick 8” (2009).

Married in 2001, Schaech and his actress wife, Christina Applegate, lived separately in November 2005 after Applegate knew the actor had cheated her. They eventually divorced in August 2007. According to the court documents, the divorce resulted in Schaech earning over 1.5 million dollar in bank accounts and a 2001 Mercedes-Benz S500, while his ex-wife being awarded two of their Los Angeles homes, over 7.5 million in bank accounts and a 2006 Lexus. Schaech has a 13-year-old daughter named Lauren Grace, with ex-girlfriend Marlene. His love life has also been linked to Tina Roesler (no longer together).

Outside of his screen career, Schaech enjoys boxing and taekwondo. He is now learning Krav Maga.

Maryland Boy

Childhood and Family:

Son of Joe Schaech, a law enforcement officer, and Joanne Schaech, a telemarketing executive, Johnathon Schaech was born on September 10, 1969, in Edgewood, Maryland. He has an older sister named Renee, who is two years his senior.

Johnathon majored in Economics at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, but dropped out after two years to start an acting career in Los Angeles, where he studied with illustrious couch Roy London for four years until London's tragic death in 1993. He also honed his craft at the Actor's Studio in New York and trained in dialect, voice and posture with Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Johnathon is also the student of Cameron Thor.

On April 21, 1995, Johnathon had a daughter named Lauren Grace with girlfriend Marlene. Six years later, he married actress Christina Applegate on October 20, 2001. The couple became alienated in late 2005 after Johnathon was discovered cheating. He then filed for divorce his wife on December 5, 2006. Their divorce was finally legalized on August 10, 2007.

How to Make an American Quilt

Career:

Johnathon Schaech departed the planned life as an attorney to become an actor in Los Angeles. Arriving in 1989, the college drop out trained with Roy London and found work as a fashion model to support himself. After four years, he eventually made his professional debut in “The Webbers,” a 1993 independent film directed and written by Brad Marlowe. Shortly thereafter, he was cast in a leading role opposite Angela Bettis in the Italian/Japanese produced “Sparrow,” for director Franco Zeffirelli. The following year, he broke into the small screen with a guest spot in an episode of Fox's “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.,” followed by a recurring role as a prowler named Frank Thompson on the Aaron Spelling-produced soap “Models, Inc.” (also 1994).

Schaech, however, did not gain his first break until he landed the supporting role of Leon, the lifeguard suitor of Winona Ryder, in the Jocelyn Moorehouse-directed drama/romance “How to Make an American Quilt” (1995). The role received pleasing response from audiences. After an episodic turn in the short-lived drama “Fallen Angels,” the Maryland native gained additional fame with “The Doom Generation” (also 1995), directed and penned by Gregg Araki. The amazing action/thriller saw him play a chanceful, constantly aroused vagabond named Xavier Red. Among his costars in the movie were James Duval and Rose McGowan.

Schaech's film career took off after his performances in the movies. In 1996, he was tapped by Tom Hanks to play the major role of rocker Jimmy Mattingly on the comedy/music “That Thing You Do!,” which was a moderate hit, and had a starring role opposite Alyssa Milano in the drama/thriller “Poison Ivy II.” The same year also Still in that same year, he also costarred with Mili Avital in the indie-drama “Invasion of Privacy.” He went on to star in Stephan Elliott's “Welcome To Woop Woop” (1997), the thriller “Hush” (1998, opposite Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Lange), David Winkler's “Finding Graceland” (1998, with Harvey Keitel and Bridget Fonda) and the TNT biopic “Houdini” (1998, as the artist/magician Harry Houdini). He also played the supporting role of Douglas Briggs on the AFI Film Festival-screened “Woundings” (1998), a role that later won the actor a Feature Film Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 2001 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival.

It was in 1999 that Schaech enjoyed another boost when he rejoined with Gregg Araki in “Splendor,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. There he portrayed a music journalist named Abel. Schaech also made his debut as a regular on a TV series in that same year in Fox's “ The Time of Your Life,” playing John Maguire. A spin off from “Party of Five” starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, the drama, however, only had a short life and was canceled after 21 episodes in 2001.

In the new millennium, Schaech starred in the romance “If You Only Knew” (2000), acted with wife Christina Applegate in Cameron Thor's “The Giving Tree” (2000) and rejoined with Thor in the comedy film “After Sex” (also 2000), which also starred Dan Cortese, Virginia Madsen and Maria Pitillo. He also supported Kenneth Branagh and Robin Wright Penn in 2000's “How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog.” In 2001, Schaech was cast as the leader of a mobile band of vampires in the horror/thriller “The Forsaken,” for writer/director J.S. Cardone. Also in that same year, he made his debut as a writer/director with the drama “Comforters, Miserable” the film debuted at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival in March and won the Most Original Screenplay Award.

Next up for Schaech, he made a cameo appearance at his wife's film, “The Sweetest Thing” (2002), costarred with James Caan in the made-for-TV film “Blood Crime” (2002), directed, co-penned and starred in the short “Heroes” (2002) and had a prominent supporting part in the lesbian-themed “Kiss the Bride” (2002), starring Amanda Detmer, Sean Patrick Flanery and Brooke Langton. His follow-ups credits include “Arrested Development” (2003), “Mummy an' the Armadillo” (2004, as Jesse), “Judas” (2004, TV), “Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas” (2005, TV), José Bojorquez's award-winning drama “Sea of Dreams” (2006) and “Little Chenier” (2006).

In 2007, Schaech offered a memorable guest turn as Mike Franks in “The Washingtonians,” an episode of “Masters of Horror,” and starred with Heather Locklear in the popular TV film “Angels Fall,” adapted from the Nora Robert novel. Recently, he could be seen playing Frank Sears on Richard Jefferies' “Living Hell” and Richard Fenton on “Prom Night” (both 2008), starring Brittany Snow.

Schaech will star as Aaron Tyler on the Tim McCann-directed drama/thriller “The Poker Club” (2008), along side Judy Reyes, Johnny Messner and Jana Kramer. In addition to acting, he also co-penned the script with Richard Chizmar. Besides, he has a starring role opposite Jennifer Carpenter in the upcoming horror/thriller “Quarantine” (2008), and contributes to the script of and serves as a producer in “From a Buick 8” (2009), a horror adapted from the Stephen King novel.

Awards:

• Phoenix Film Festival: Copper Wing Award, Best Ensemble Acting, “Little Chenier,” 2007

• New York International Independent Film & Video Festival: Feature Film Award, Best Supporting Actor, “Woundings,” 2001

• New York International Independent Film & Video Festival: Most Original Screenplay, “Comforters, Miserable,” 2001