Mars Callahan

MARS CALLAHAN

Date of Birth: c. 1972

Mars Callahan started out in show business as a child actor called Gregory Martin. He played guest appearances on TV shows such as Growing Pains, Knots Landing and The Wonder Years, and was nominated for a Young Artist award for his role in the TV movie The Children of Times Square (1986). At 20, he was credited as Gregory Mars Martin for his role in the film Highway to Hell (1992), and when he played a small role in Kalifornia (1993) the following year, he'd dropped his first name completely. By the time he appeared in Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do (1996), he'd changed his name again, this time to Mars Callahan.

After several years of playing small roles in films, Callahan decided to try his hand at writing and directing his own screenplays. An accomplished pool player, Callaghan met writer Chris Corso in a pool hall, and after swapping stories about their mutual experiences playing pool, the two decided to write a script based on their experiences and observations. Callaghan sent the finished script to Christopher Walken who, after reading the script, immediately called Callahan to tell him he wanted to be a part of the project. Having Walken on board gave Callahan the clout to approach other established actors such as Chazz Palminteri, who instantly agreed to join the cast after reading the script. Callahan not only co-wrote and directed Poolhall Junkies (2003), but he took on the main role as Johnny Doyle.

Filmography (director):
Poolhall Junkies (2003)
Zigs (2000)

Filmography (actor):
Poolhall Junkies (2002)
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Clifford (1994)
Kalifornia (1993)
Highway to Hell (1992)