Joshua Jackson
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Joshua Jackson, born June 11, 1978, is a Canadian and American actor renowned for his captivating performances across television and film. He first captured our hearts as the charming Pacey Witter in the iconic teen drama *Dawson's Creek* from 1998 to 2003.
Jackson then ventured into the realm of science fiction, delivering a compelling portrayal of Peter Bishop in the Fox series *Fringe*, which aired from 2008 to 2013. His versatility shone through as he took on the complex role of a troubled married man in Showtime's *The Affair*, from 2014 to 2018. Most recently, he’s gripping audiences as Christopher Duntsch in the Peacock crime drama series *Dr. Death*, a role that earned him a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Best Actor. His other notable television credits include the impactful *When They See Us* in 2019, the thought-provoking *Little Fires Everywhere* in 2020, and the upcoming *Doctor Odyssey* slated for 2024-2025.
Beyond the small screen, Jackson gained significant recognition for his part in the beloved *Mighty Ducks* film series, spanning from 1992 to 1996. His filmography also boasts a diverse range of projects such as *Apt Pupil*, *Urban Legend*, *Cruel Intentions*, *The Skulls*, *Gossip*, *The Safety of Objects*, *The Laramie Project*, *Cursed*, *Bobby*, and *Shutter*. His powerful performance in the Canadian independent drama *One Week* in 2008 earned him the prestigious Genie Award for Best Actor.
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Joshua Jackson's journey began on June 11, 1978. His mother, Fiona, is a casting director, and his father hails from Texas. His mother, originally from Dublin, Ireland, immigrated to North America in the late 1960s. He has a younger sister, Aisleagh, and two older half-brothers, Jonathan and Lyman. Raised Roman Catholic, Jackson lived in California until the age of eight, when he moved to Vancouver with his mother and sister. He has shared that his father was not a present figure in their lives. He attended Ideal Mini School and later Kitsilano Secondary School, where he was a classmate of actor Ryan Reynolds.
Jackson's acting career kicked off with a small part in the 1991 film *Crooked Hearts*. The following year, he took on the role of Charlie in a musical adaptation of *Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory*. With the guidance of casting director Laura Kennedy, he joined the William Morris Agency and soon landed the role of Charlie (#96) in *The Mighty Ducks* series, portraying a young, aspiring hockey player.
His iconic role as Pacey Witter in *Dawson's Creek*, created by Kevin Williamson, aired on The WB from 1998 to 2003, alongside co-stars James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams, and Katie Holmes. During the show's hiatuses, he appeared in films like *Cruel Intentions*, an adaptation of *Les Liaisons dangereuses*, alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe, as well as *The Skulls*, *The Safety of Objects*, and *The Laramie Project*. He even made a memorable cameo as himself in a poker scene in the *Ocean's Eleven* remake, sharing the screen with Brad Pitt and George Clooney. In 2000, he lent his voice to Jesse Grass, a "hunky environmentalist" and love interest for Lisa Simpson, in an episode of *The Simpsons*. He also starred as "Beau" in the 2000 film *Gossip* with James Marsden and Kate Hudson.
After *Dawson's Creek* concluded in 2003, Jackson took on lead roles in films with screen legends like Dennis Hopper in *Americano*, Harvey Keitel in *Shadows in the Sun*, and Donald Sutherland in *Aurora Borealis*. In 2005, he moved to the UK and made his stage debut in London's West End, starring alongside Patrick Stewart in David Mamet's play, *A Life in the Theatre*. The production was a critical and popular success, and Jackson expressed interest in returning to the stage, perhaps even on Broadway. His next film role was in *Bobby*, directed by Emilio Estevez, his former co-star from *The Mighty Ducks*. He also starred in *Shutter*, a U.S. remake of a film of the same name, and served as executive producer and lead actor in the Canadian independent film *One Week*, which premiered in March 2009.
From 2008 to 2013, Jackson captivated audiences as Peter Bishop in the J.J. Abrams-created science-fiction series *Fringe*. The show was a breakout hit, ranking as the second-highest-rated new show of the 2008-2009 season. His popularity was further solidified when BuddyTV ranked him among "TV's 100 Sexiest Men" for multiple years. Jackson's performance in *One Week* earned him a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, which he won on April 12, 2010. In a memorable display of fan engagement, he hosted the satirical "Pacey-Con" in 2010, directly across from Comic-Con, distributing fan fiction to attendees. Footage of this event was captured for a video on Will Ferrell's Funny or Die website. In 2013, Jackson appeared in the IFC film *Inescapable* with Marisa Tomei, and he also contributed to the comic book world by writing the first story, "Peter and the Machine," from the *Beyond the Fringe* trilogy. He then starred in the successful television show *The Affair*, playing Cole Lockhart, the husband of the unfaithful Alison Lockhart.
In March 2018, Jackson made his Broadway debut in *Children of a Lesser God*, portraying James Leeds, an unconventional teacher who finds himself in a complicated relationship with a deaf former student. The play ran through May 2018. In 2019, he starred as defense attorney Mickey Joseph in the miniseries *When They See Us*. The following year, he co-starred with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington in the miniseries *Little Fires Everywhere*, based on Celeste Ng's novel. Jackson then took on the challenging role of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon convicted of intentionally harming his patients, in the series *Dr. Death*, replacing Jamie Dornan. In 2023, he starred in the series *Fatal Attraction* alongside Lizzy Caplan, a modern take on the iconic 1980s thriller.
In his personal life, Joshua Jackson was in a relationship with his *Dawson's Creek* co-star Katie Holmes during the show's early seasons, with Holmes describing him as her first love. From 2006 to 2016, he was in a relationship with German actress Diane Kruger. Jackson began dating actress Jodie Turner-Smith in 2018, and they married on August 18, 2019. The couple welcomed a daughter on April 13, 2020. In October 2023, it was reported that Turner-Smith had filed for divorce. In December 2023, Jackson and Lupita Nyong'o confirmed they were dating, though Nyong'o announced in October 2024 that they were no longer together. Jackson previously owned his childhood home in Topanga, California, which tragically burned down in 2025 during the Palisades Fire. He has also lived in Wilmington, North Carolina, where *Dawson's Creek* was filmed, and in New York City during the filming of *Fringe*'s first season. He returned to Vancouver in 2009 to shoot four seasons of *Fringe* before its final episode aired in January 2013. A dedicated fan of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team and the San Francisco 49ers football team, Jackson remains a prominent figure in entertainment.
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Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian and American actor. He is known for his portrayals of Pacey Witter on The WB's teen drama Dawson's Creek (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the Fox science fiction series Fringe (2008–2013), a troubled married man on Showtime's The Affair (2014–2018), and Christopher Duntsch in the Peacock crime drama series Dr. Death (2021–present). For the last of these, he was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor. His other credits include When They See Us (2019), Little Fires Everywhere (2020), and Doctor Odyssey (2024–2025).
Outside of television, he came to prominence with his role in the Mighty Ducks film series (1992–1996). His other film appearances include Apt Pupil (1998), Urban Legend (1998), Cruel Intentions (1999), The Skulls (2000), Gossip (2000), The Safety of Objects (2001), The Laramie Project (2002), Cursed (2005), Bobby (2006), and Shutter (2008). For his performance in the Canadian independent drama One Week (2008), Jackson won the Genie Award for Best Actor.
== Early life ==
Jackson was born on June 11, 1978, in Vancouver, British Columbia to parents John and Fiona. His mother is a casting director. Jackson's father is from Texas, and his mother is a native of Ballyfermot, a surburb of Dublin, Ireland. She immigrated to North America in the late 1960s. He has a younger sister, Aisleagh, and two older half brothers, Jonathan and Lyman. He was raised Roman Catholic.
Jackson lived in California until the age of 8 when he moved to Vancouver with his mother and younger sister; he has said that his father was a bad parent and husband and abandoned the family when they were in the U.S. He attended Ideal Mini School and later switched to Kitsilano Secondary School. He attended high school with actor Ryan Reynolds.
== Career ==
Jackson started acting in a small role in the film Crooked Hearts in 1991. The next year, he played the role of Charlie in a musical version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. At this point, with the help of the play's casting director Laura Kennedy, he joined the William Morris Agency. Soon after, he landed the role of Charlie (#96) in The Mighty Ducks series, playing a young and aspiring hockey player.
Jackson went on to appear as Pacey Witter on Dawson's Creek, which was created by Kevin Williamson and ran on the WB network from 1998 to 2003, and also starred James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams, and Katie Holmes. While the show was on hiatus, he appeared in several movies including Cruel Intentions (an adaptation of Les Liaisons dangereuses that also starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe), The Skulls, The Safety of Objects, The Laramie Project and a short cameo in the remake of Ocean's Eleven in which he appears as himself in a poker scene with Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Holly Marie Combs. In 2000, he also guest-starred in Season 12 of The Simpsons, voicing the character of Jesse Grass, a "hunky environmentalist" and love interest for Lisa Simpson in the episode "Lisa the Tree Hugger". He also was cast as "Beau" in the movie Gossip in 2000 with actors James Marsden, Kate Hudson and Norman Reedus.
Shortly after Dawson's Creek ended in 2003, Jackson played the lead role in films alongside Dennis Hopper (Americano), Harvey Keitel (Shadows in the Sun), and Donald Sutherland (Aurora Borealis). In 2005, Jackson moved to the UK and made his stage debut on the London West End with Patrick Stewart in David Mamet's two-man play, A Life in the Theatre. The play was a critical and popular success, and ran from February to April of that year. Jackson said that he would consider returning to the stage, to try his hand on Broadway. His next film role was in Bobby, directed by Emilio Estevez, Jackson's co-star from The Mighty Ducks. He played a lead role in Shutter, a U.S. remake of film of the same name. He starred and acted as executive producer in the Canadian independent film One Week, which opened on March 6, 2009.
From 2008 to 2013, Jackson played the lead role of Peter Bishop in the science-fiction series Fringe, created by J. J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. The series was the second-highest rated new show of the 2008–2009 season after The Mentalist. BuddyTV ranked him #9 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2010" list, #19 in 2011 and #14 in 2012.
Jackson was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the film One Week. He won the award on April 12, 2010. He held and hosted the satirical Pacey-Con in 2010, directly across the street from the Comic-Con, sporting a bowling shirt and giving out fan fiction, written by Dawson's Creek fans, to those waiting in the Comic-Con entrance line. Footage of the event was recorded for a video, entitled 'Pacey-Con', which he was filming for Will Ferrell's Funny or Die celebrity humor website. In 2013, Jackson appeared in the IFC film Inescapable with Marisa Tomei and Alexander Siddig. Jackson wrote the first story from the comic book trilogy Beyond the Fringe, titled "Peter and the Machine". Jackson starred in the successful television show The Affair, where he played Cole Lockhart, the protagonist husband of the unfaithful Alison Lockhart.
In March 2018, Jackson made his theatrical debut on Broadway in Children of a Lesser God, where he played James Leeds, an unconventional teacher at a school for the deaf who gets in a conflicted professional and romantic relationship with a deaf former student, Sarah Norman (Lauren Ridloff). The play ran through May 2018.
In 2019, Jackson starred as defense attorney Mickey Joseph in the miniseries When They See Us.
In 2020, Jackson co-starred with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington in the miniseries Little Fires Everywhere based on the novel by Celeste Ng.
Jackson was cast as Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon who was convicted of intentionally maiming his patient, in Dr. Death which was based on the podcast of the same name, replacing Jamie Dornan.
In 2023, Jackson played the lead in the series Fatal Attraction with Lizzy Caplan, inspired by the 1980s thriller film of the same name.
== Personal life ==
Jackson was in a relationship with Dawson's Creek co-star Katie Holmes during the first two seasons of the show's run. Holmes said that Jackson was her first love.
From 2006 to 2016, he was in a relationship with German actress Diane Kruger.
Jackson began a relationship with actress Jodie Turner-Smith in 2018. They married on August 18, 2019.
On April 13, 2020, the couple welcomed their daughter. In October 2023, it was revealed that Turner-Smith had filed for divorce from Jackson.
In December 2023, Jackson and fellow actor Lupita Nyong'o confirmed they are dating. In October 2024, Nyong'o announced they were no longer together.
Jackson owned his childhood home in Topanga, California.
In 2025, the house burned down during the Palisades Fire. He previously lived in Wilmington, North Carolina, where Dawson's Creek was filmed, and in New York City, where Fringe filmed its first season. In 2009, he moved back to Vancouver to shoot four seasons of the show before the last episode was aired on January 18, 2013.
Jackson is a fan of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team.
and he is also a fan of the San Francisco 49ers football team.
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
=== Television ===
=== Stage ===
== Awards and nominations ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Joshua Jackson at IMDb
Joshua Jackson at the Internet Broadway Database
Joshua Jackson Archived February 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
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