Devon Sawa
Canadian actor (born 1978)
title: "Devon Sawa" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1978-births", "20th-century-canadian-male-actors", "21st-century-canadian-male-actors", "canadian-expatriate-male-actors-in-the-united-states", "canadian-male-child-actors", "canadian-male-film-actors", "canadian-people-of-polish-descent", "canadian-male-television-actors", "canadian-male-voice-actors", "canadian-atheists", "living-people", "male-actors-from-vancouver"] description: "Canadian actor (born 1978)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_Sawa" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Canadian actor (born 1978) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Devon Sawa |
| image | Devon Sawa Photo Op GalaxyCon Columbus 2025.jpg |
| caption | Sawa in 2025 |
| birth_name | Devon Edward Sawa |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| spouse | |
| children | 2 |
| occupation | Actor |
| years_active | 1989–present |
| :: |
| name = Devon Sawa | image = Devon Sawa Photo Op GalaxyCon Columbus 2025.jpg | image size = | caption = Sawa in 2025 | birth_name = Devon Edward Sawa | birth_date = | birth_place = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | spouse = | children = 2 | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1989–present
Devon Edward Sawa (born September 7, 1978) is a Canadian actor. Born and raised in Vancouver, Sawa began his career promoting children's action toys. He made his film debut with a supporting role in Little Giants (1994) and received wide recognition for playing the title role as a human boy in Casper (1995). Sawa also had starring roles in the films Wild America (1997), SLC Punk! (1998), Idle Hands (1999), and Final Destination (2000).
Following his lead roles in the poorly received films Slackers and Extreme Ops (both 2002), Sawa acted in various direct-to-video independent film productions. He also played the title character in the Eminem music video "Stan" and was cast as Owen Elliot / Sam Matthews on the CW action drama series Nikita (2010–2013). Sawa experienced a career resurgence in the 2020s. He played multiple roles on the Syfy and USA Network horror series Chucky (2021–2024) and had a starring role in the horror film Heart Eyes (2025).
Early life
Devon Sawa was born on September 7, 1978, in Vancouver, the son of Joyce and Edward Sawa, a mechanic. He has two older siblings. His father was of Polish descent, and his mother is "a little bit of everything".
Career
1994–2000
Sawa began his career in 1992 at age 14 as a children's action toy spokesman. He made his film debut in Little Giants in 1994 and received wide recognition for playing the title role as a human boy in Casper the following year. In Now and Then (1995), Sawa played the town bully, Scott Wormer. He subsequently appeared in the films Wild America (1997), SLC Punk! (1998), Idle Hands (1999), and Final Destination (2000). In 2000, Sawa played the title character in the Eminem music video "Stan". He later did voice acting, voicing Flash Thompson in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series. Sawa continued to work steadily in the 2000s by appearing in several independent films, including Extreme Dating, Shooting Gallery, Devil's Den, Creature Of Darkness, Endure, 388 Arletta Avenue, The Philly Kid, and A Resurrection.
2010–2019
In 2010, Sawa portrayed Owen Elliott on The CW action drama series Nikita. He also starred in the thriller The Fanatic, making his first appearance of wide release since 2002. He played Hunter Dunbar, an actor who is stalked by a character named Moose. The movie was directed by Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst.
2020–present
Sawa returned to his lead roles, starred in the films like Hunter Hunter (2020) and Black Friday (2021), which both received favorable reviews.
Personal life
Sawa married Canadian producer Dawni Sahanovitch in 2013. They have two children together, a son born in 2014 and a daughter born in 2016.
Sawa has described himself as being irreligious, an atheist, and supportive of religious freedoms.
In June 2022, Sawa gave a lengthy interview to The Independent, where he said that he sought out roles in which the character smoked marijuana to help get away from his teen heartthrob status which began with Casper. Sawa also said that between 2004 and 2009, he "drank a lot" until becoming sober after meeting his wife in Vancouver.
Filmography
Film
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Little Giants | Junior Floyd | |
| 1995 | Casper | Casper McFadden | |
| Now and Then | Scott Wormer | ||
| 1997 | The Boys Club | Eric | |
| Wild America | Mark Stouffer | ||
| 1998 | A Cool, Dry Place | Noah Ward | |
| SLC Punk! | Sean | ||
| Around the Fire | Simon Harris | ||
| 1999 | Idle Hands | Anton Tobias | |
| 2000 | Final Destination | Alex Browning | |
| The Guilty | Nathan Corrigan | ||
| 2002 | Slackers | Dave Goodman | |
| Extreme Ops | Will | ||
| 2004 | Extreme Dating | Daniel Roenick | |
| 2005 | Shooting Gallery | Paul the Pawn | Direct-to-video |
| 2006 | Devil's Den | Quinn | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | Creature of Darkness | Andrew | |
| 2010 | Endure | Zeth Arnold | |
| 2011 | Final Destination 5 | Alex Browning | Archive footage; uncredited |
| 388 Arletta Avenue | Bill Burrows | Direct-to-video | |
| 2012 | The Philly Kid | Jake | Direct-to-video |
| 2013 | A Resurrection | Travis Blair | |
| 2014 | A Warden's Ransom | Miller | |
| 2015 | The Exorcism of Molly Hartley | John Barrow | Direct-to-video |
| Life on the Line | Duncan | Direct-to-video | |
| 2016 | Punk's Dead | Sean | |
| 2019 | Escape Plan: The Extractors | Lester Clark Jr. | Direct-to-video |
| The Fanatic | Hunter Dunbar | ||
| Jarhead: Law of Return | Ronan Jackson | Direct-to-video | |
| 2020 | Disturbing the Peace | Diablo | |
| Hunter Hunter | Joseph Mersault | ||
| Death Rider in the House of Vampires | Death Rider | Direct-to-video | |
| 2021 | Black Friday | Ken Bates | |
| 2022 | Gasoline Alley | Jimmy Jayne | Direct-to-video |
| 2023 | Who Are You People | Karl | |
| 2024 | Consumed | Quinn | |
| All the Lost Ones | Conrad | ||
| 2025 | Heart Eyes | Zeke Hobbs | |
| TBA | The Girl in the River | Filming | |
| :: |
Television
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Unsub | Young John Wesley | Episode: "And the Dead Shall Rise to Condemn Thee: Part 2" |
| 1992–1994 | The Odyssey | Yudo | 3 episodes |
| 1993 | Sherlock Holmes Returns | Young James Moriarty Booth | TV film |
| 1995 | Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years | Hank Valen | Episode: "The Hanging" |
| 1995–1996 | Action Man | Additional voices | 26 episodes |
| 1996 | Night of the Twisters | Dan Hatch | TV film |
| Robin of Locksley | Robin McAllister | TV film | |
| 2003 | Spider-Man: The New Animated Series | Flash Thompson | Voice, episode: "Flash Memory" |
| 2010 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Matt Bernhart | Episode: "The Bank Job" |
| 2010–2013 | Nikita | Owen Elliot / Sam Matthews | Recurring role (seasons 1–2); main role (seasons 3–4) |
| 2015 | Broad Squad | Patrick Byrne | TV film |
| 2016 | Real Detective | Eddie Herman | Episode: "Redemption" |
| 2017 | Somewhere Between | Nico Jackson | Main role |
| 2018 | Hawaii Five-0 | Brad Woodward | Episode: "O Ka Mea Ua Hala, Ua Hala Ia" |
| 2020 | MacGyver | Donovan James O' Mailey | Episode: "Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey" |
| 2021 | Magnum P.I. | Robbie Nelson | 2 episodes |
| 2021–2024 | Chucky | Logan Wheeler / Lucas Wheeler | Recurring role (season 1) |
| Father Bryce | Recurring role (season 2) | ||
| James Collins / Randall Jenkins | Main role (season 3) | ||
| 2022 | Hacks | Jason | Episode: "The Click" |
| 2024 | Murder in a Small Town | Gordon Murphy | Episode: "A Touch of Panic" |
| 2025 | Twisted Metal | Harold | Episode: "VAVAVUM" |
| :: |
Music videos
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Stan" | Eminem | Stanley | |
| :: |
Awards
::data[format=table]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Movie / Mini-Series – Young Actor | Night of the Twisters | |
| 1999 | Teen Choice Awards | Most Disgusting Film Scene | Idle Hands | |
| 2000 | Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Idle Hands | |
| 2001 | Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Final Destination | |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actor – Horror | Final Destination | ||
| 2021 | HNiD Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Hunter Hunter | |
| :: |
Notes
References
References
- (August 30, 2021). "Celebrity birthdays for the week of Sept. 5-11". [[Associated Press]].
- D. Sawa [http://www.devonsawa.org/about-devon/filmography/stan/ ''DevonSawa.org'' Filmography: "Stan"] {{Webarchive. link. (October 1, 2011)
- Cato, Jason. (December 8, 2010). "Wilkinsburg native producing star-studded 'Sibling' in Pittsburgh". Pittsburghlive.com.
- Creepy, Uncle. (December 8, 2010). "Devon Sawa Meets His Sibling". Dread Central.
- (July 12, 2019). "Movie review: Chinese actors take spotlight from Stallone in 'Escape Plan 3'". ABS-CBN.
- "Hunter Hunter".
- "Black Friday".
- "Baby Girl on the Way for Devon Sawa; Wife Dawni Is Pregnant".
- (March 22, 2016). "Devon Sawa Welcomes Daughter Scarlett Heleena". People.
- Michaud, Sarah. (January 16, 2014). "Devon Sawa Welcomes Son Hudson". People.
- "Devon Sawa Welcomes Daughter Scarlett Heleena". People.
- Sawa, Devon. (March 17, 2018). "I'll respect your religion as long as you respect me not having one. I don't care WHAT gets you through life with a smile on your face, as long as it doesn't affect me.".
- Sawa, Devon. (June 13, 2018). "I'm a Polish atheist!".
- (8 June 2022). "Devon Sawa: 'I had to smoke pot in movies and be in a hip-hop video to get away from Casper'".
- "Devon Sawa Reveals How He Really Feels About Not Being Paid for Final Destination 5 Cameo (Exclusive)".
- [[Movie and Television Review and Classification Board]]. (July 31, 2024). "Consumed – R16".
- Squires, John. (September 18, 2024). "Valentine's Day Slasher Movie ''Heart Eyes'' Coming to Theaters in February 2025".
- D'Alessandro, Anthony. (September 18, 2024). "Sony Has ''Heart Eyes'', Sets Winter 2025 Release For Spyglass Horror Rom-Com".
- Grobar, Matt. (2025-08-14). "Maggie Grace, Devon Sawa, Tiffany Haddish & Ralph Macchio To Star In Crime Thriller 'The Girl In The River'".
- Nowicki, Albert. (January 11, 2021). "Druga edycja nagród HNiD". His Name is Death.
- Bailey, Andy. (February 2000). "Devon Sawa - Brief Article - Interview". Find Articles.
- Nguyen, Hanh. (August 26, 2010). "'Nikita': Devon Sawa will guest star as a new nemesis". [[Zap2it]].
- Nguyen, Hanh. (April 13, 2011). "Nikita's Devon Sawa: There's No "Nikita-Owen Love Thing Going On"... for Now". [[TV Guide]].
- Masters, Megan. (July 11, 2012). "Exclusive: Nikita Promotes Devon Sawa to Series Regular in Season 3". [[TVLine]].
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