Shawn Ashmore

SHAWN ASHMORE

Date of Birth: October 7, 1979

Born in Richmond, British Columbia, Shawn Ashmore is one minute younger than his twin brother Aaron, who is also a successful actor. The family moved to Alberta, then settled down in Toronto. The twins began doing commercials at an early age, then Shawn landed a small role on the Toronto-filmed TV series Katts and Dog when he was just nine. When they were 10, the twins landed bit parts as students in the American feature film Married to It (1991), which was also filmed in Toronto.

Shawn played himself on the children's series Mr. Dressup, followed by a guest role on the TV series The Ray Bradbury Theatre. Not long after, he landed a able role in the Canadian TV movie Guitarman, earning a Gemini Award nomination for his work. Roles in several more TV movies followed, as well as a guest appearance on the TV series Real Kids, Real Adventures. In the feature film Strike (1998), Ashmore had the opportunity to work alongside Kirsten Dunst, Rachel Leigh Cook and Lynn Redgrave.

In 1998, he landed his first regular TV series role in Animorphs, which ran for one season. The following year, he landed a principal role in the CBS-TV movie At the Mercy of a Stranger, starring Joanna Kerns and Tim Matheson. His biggest break came when he landed the role of Iceman in the Hollywood blockbuster X-Men (2000). The role only required three weeks of filming, but the film was such a big hit that a sequel was immediately ordered. Ashmore's role was much larger in the second film, requiring over five months of shooting alongside talents such as Sir Ian McKellan, Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry and Anna Paquin.

Between the X-Men films, Ashmore kept busy with roles in the Disney TV series In a Heartbeat, the CBS-TV movie Blackout (2001) with Jane Seymour, the Disney TV movie Cadet Kelly (2002), opposite Hilary Duff and played Terry Fox in the Canadian TV movie Terry (2005). Since then, he reprised his role in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and more recently, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).

Ashmore moved to Los Angeles in 2003, where he shares an apartment with his twin. He is fluent in French and enjoys playing guitar in his spare time.

Filmography: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
The Day (2012)
Mother's Day (2010)
Frozen (2010)
The Ruins (2008)
Solstice (2006)
The Quiet (2006)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
3 Needles (2006)
Underclassman (2005)
X2: X-Men United (2003)
X-Men (2000)
Strike! (1998)
Married to It (1991)