The Sandy Bottom Orchestra

Background:

Young Artist-nominated Canadian actor of TV and film Kyle Schmid rose to fame with his performances in the TV films “Alley Cats Strike” (2000) and “The Sandy Bottom Orchestra” (2000), from which he earned his Young Artist nomination. After appearances in several other TV films, including “The Cheetah Girls” (2003) and “Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life” (2005), and guest shot in such series as “Odyssey 5” (2003) and “Beautiful People” (2005), Schmid scored one of his most biggest roles to date playing the aged vampire Henry Fitzroy on the sci-fi-horror series “Blood Ties” (2007-2008). He also guested in an episode of the hit show “CSI: Miami” (2007). As a movie actor, Schmid, who had his debut in the 1996 Canadian production “Spill,” has collected a number of credits, including Disney's “The Pacifier,” the Viggo Mortensen/Maria Bello vehicle “A History of Violence,” “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” “Zerophilia” (all 2005) and “The Covenant” (2006). Telling his experience working with the director of “A History of Violence,” David Cronenberg, he said, “It's incredible. Beyond belief incredible. It was surprising in the best ways possible. He's one of the nicest people I think I've ever met on a movie set. He understands and just takes the time to sit and talk to you about things and make you feel the best you can before you walk onto any set. And that's huge as an actor to have that confidence walking in.”

A resident of Ontario, Canada, Schmid spends much of his free time playing his favorite sport, soccer. He plays on the Erin Mills soccer team, which in 2002 was ranked in the highest division in Ontario. Schmid also enjoys horseback riding, swimming, snowboarding and mountain biking.

Poor Pupil

Childhood and Family:

Kyle Andreas Schmid was born on August 24, 1984, in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He enrolled at Port Credit Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario, but got very bad grades in all his classes. Therefore, he embarked on his acting career.

Blood Ties

Career:

Kyle Schmid appeared in commercials and did several modeling before kicking off his film career with a small part as a sick boy in the Canadian action/thriller “Spill” (1996), directed by Allan A. Goldstein and starring Brian Bosworth, Leah Pinsent and David Fox. Three years later, he ventured into the small screen playing bully Jordan Lynch on the well-liked Canadian series “I Was a Sixth Grade Alien,” which ran for a season from 1999 to 2000.

Following short time hiatus, Schmid was cast in his first leading role in the the Disney Channel Original Movie film “Alley Cats Strike” (2000), a drama/family helmed by Rod Daniel. He played Alex Thompson, a role he got after beating out 400 other competitors. However, it was his next TV movie outing that garnered the young actor considerable attention. As Sam Miller in the Showtime drama “The Sandy Bottom Orchestra” (2000), opposite Glenne Headly, Tom Irwin, Madeline Zima, Jane Powell, Richard McMillan and Roger Dunn, he received a Young Artist nomination for Best Supporting Young Actor in a TV Movie (Drama). The two telepics promoted Schmid to his current fan base.

Schmid next appeared in the “The Zack Files” episode “Gone” and the “Degrassi: The Next Generation” episode “Parents Day” (both 2001). The same year, he also supported Elizabeth Perkins, Scott Bakula, Alison Pill and Margo Martindale for the American made-for-TV drama “What Girls Learn,” portraying Jamie Sanders. He followed it up in 2003 with a recurring role as Zack Ambrose in the Canadian series “Odyssey 5,” and supporting roles in “The Cheetah Girls,” the Disney Channel Original Movie about four teenagers attempt to take the world by storm with their music, and “Sex & the Single Mom,” a TV film drama starring Gail O'Grady as a single mother with a teen daughter she has tried to teach about sex. It was also in 2003 that Schmid revisited the big screen with the comedy “Fast Food High.”

After taking another short break, Schmid was cast as Scott in the Disney film “The Pacifier” (2005), which starred Vin Diesel as a dishonored Navy SEAL handed a new assignment to protect five plumber kids from enemies of their newly deceased father. He then memorably portrayed Bobby on the Oscar nominee “A History of Violence” (2005), in which he had the opportunity to act along side such popular performers as Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt, and supported Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Blake Lively in the adventure film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” (2005), playing Paul Rodman. On getting his part in the latter film, he said, “My agency called me up and said, 'We have a project that we’d like you to look at. We’ll see if we can get you an audition for it.' I ended up meeting Ken (Kwapis, director) and Denise (Martin Chase, producer) and a few of the other executives. From then on out it was more just politics and all the paperwork and everything else.”

Meanwhile, on the small screen, Schmid appeared as Blake Holsey in an episode of “Strange Days at Blake Holsey High” and Timmy on the TV film “Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life” (2005). He also portrayed Evan Frasier on seven episodes of the ABC Family original series “Beautiful People.”

After leaving the series, Schmid acted in the teen comedy film “Zerophilia” (2005), directed and written by Martin Curland. He followed it up with parts in the action/horror film “The Covenant” (2006), for director Renny Harlin, and the TV film “Death Row” (2006).

In January 2007, Schmid started his starring role in the Lifetime new series “Blood Ties,” playing Henry Fitzroy, a 450-year-old vampire who initiates a romance with a sexy female private eye. Among his costars in the drama/horror series are Christina Cox, Dylan Neal and Gina Holden. Later, in October, he guested as Andrew Hillman on an episode of “CSI: Miami.”

Schmid will star along side Nick Zano, Nicki Aycox and Laura Jordan on the direct-to-video release “Joy Ride: End of the Road” (2008).

Awards:
---