Johnny Messner (actor)
American film and television actor (born 1970)
title: "Johnny Messner (actor)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1970-births", "living-people", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-television-actors", "male-actors-from-syracuse,-new-york", "american-people-of-german-descent", "american-people-of-italian-descent", "american-people-of-spanish-descent"] description: "American film and television actor (born 1970)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Messner_(actor)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American film and television actor (born 1970) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Johnny Messner |
| image | |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| spouse | Avril Grace |
| partner | Kathryn Morris (separated) |
| children | 2 |
| occupation | Actor |
| years_active | 1998–present |
| :: |
| name = Johnny Messner | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Syracuse, New York, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Avril Grace | partner = Kathryn Morris (separated) | children = 2 | other_names = | known_for = | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1998–present Johnny Messner (born April 11, 1970) is an American film and television actor best known for his portrayal of a muscular military man in the 2004 film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid.
Biography
Messner was born on April 11, 1970, in Syracuse, New York. He is of German, Italian and Spanish descent. He lived in Europe for 13 years while his father served in the United States Air Force, mainly in Germany and England. During this time, he developed a love for sports while playing on teams at military bases. He has one brother and one sister. He briefly attended San Diego State University to major in sports broadcasting but eventually decided to drop out. Soon after that he went back to New York where he pursued an acting career. He has several tattoos; one depicts Italian actress Monica Bellucci, and another is of his father.
As an actor Messner is probably best known for his work in the films Tears of the Sun, The Whole Ten Yards and Hostage, and in the TV series Guiding Light (working with friend Frank Grillo and a young Hayden Panettiere), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Cold Case. In August 2004, American action adventure film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, starring Messner as an ex-military man Bill Johnson, premiered in theaters. It was the actor's first leading role in a mainstream movie. Around that time Messner became notorious due to his controversial interviews for IGN and Lawrence Journal-World. He stated that "in Hollywood we've lost the real man", and that he's the only "alpha male" still working in the film industry, along with Bruce Willis. In those interviews Messner expressed harsh criticism for actors Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt, Mickey Rourke, Russell Crowe and Vin Diesel, among others. In December 2004, the horror-themed website CampBlood named him the 2004's sexiest man in horror.
Known as an action hero, he starred in numerous genre films including Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004), Tears of the Sun (2003), Running Scared (2006), Arena (2011), Kill 'em All (2012), The Good, the Bad, and the Dead (2015), Silencer (2018), and Beyond the Law (2019). He portrayed the main protagonist, an ex-police officer Burke Wyatt, in the 2008 action film Ring of Death, created for Spike TV. A torture sequence, shot for the film, required Messner to be waterboarded.
Messner's ex-partner is Kathryn Morris, whom he met while shooting Cold Case. They have twin sons. Messner is currently married to Avril Grace.
Filmography
Film
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Dancing in September | Officer Jenkins | |
| 2001 | Operation Delta Force 4: Deep Fault | Vickers | |
| 2002 | The Sweetest Thing | Todd | |
| 2003 | Tears of the Sun | Lake | |
| 2003 | Finding Home | Nick | |
| 2004 | Spartan | Grace | |
| 2004 | The Whole Ten Yards | Zevo | |
| 2004 | Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid | Bill Johnson | |
| 2004 | Our Time is Up | Playboy | |
| 2005 | Hostage | Mr. Jones | |
| 2006 | One Last Thing... | Jason O'Malley | |
| 2006 | Running Scared | Tommy "Tombs" Perello | |
| 2006 | Bottoms Up | Tony | |
| 2007 | Believers | David Vaughn | |
| 2008 | The Art of Travel | Christopher Loren | |
| 2008 | Remarkable Power | Doug Wade | |
| 2008 | Loaded | Javon | |
| 2008 | Ring of Death | Burke Wyatt | |
| 2008 | The Poker Club | Bill | |
| 2009 | Wrong Turn at Tahoe | Mickey | |
| 2010 | Corrado | Corrado | |
| 2011 | Arena | Kaden | |
| 2011 | Caught on Tape | Tito | |
| 2012 | She Wants Me | John | |
| 2012 | Kill 'em All | Gabriel | |
| 2013 | Officer Down | McAlister | |
| 2013 | The Outsider | Ricky | |
| 2014 | The Equalizer | P&E Worker | |
| 2015 | Condemned | Gault | |
| 2015 | Checkmate | Joey | |
| 2015 | The Good, the Bad and the Dead | Brian Barns | |
| 2016 | The Perfect Weapon | Condor | |
| 2016 | Decommissioned | John Niles | |
| 2017 | American Violence | Paul | |
| 2018 | Silencer | Frank | |
| 2018 | *Alone We Fight * | Captain Hank Kedry | |
| 2019 | Beyond the Law | Frank Wilson | |
| 2020 | Final Kill | Pauly | |
| 2020 | Breach | Blue | |
| 2021 | Cosmic Sin | Coco | |
| 2021 | Overrun | Detective Blake Finning | |
| 2022 | American Siege | Silas | |
| 2022 | A Day to Die | Schipp | |
| 2022 | Detective Knight: Rogue | Brigga | Also Executive Producer |
| 2023 | Detective Knight: Redemption | Executive Producer only | |
| 2023 | Detective Knight: Independence | Executive Producer only | |
| 2023 | Call Her King | John Stryker | |
| :: |
Television
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Guiding Light | Rob Layne | 22 episodes |
| 1999 | Rude Awakening | Cute Podiatrist | Episode: "One Birthday at a Time" |
| 1999 | Angel | Kevin | Episode: "Lonely Heart" |
| 2000 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Ted Sallanger | Episode: "Cool Change" |
| 2001 | Danny | Cash | Episode: "Forget About Your Boss" |
| 2001 | Son of the Beach | Handsome Guy | Episode: "Area 69" |
| 2001 | Friends | Kash | Episode: "The One With Rachel's Date" |
| 2001 | Men, Women & Dogs | Jim | Episode: "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" |
| 2003 | Tarzan | Detective Michael Foster | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | The O.C. | Lance Baldwin | 5 episodes |
| 2005 | Miami Ink | Himself | |
| 2005–06 | Killer Instinct | Detective Jack Hale | 13 episodes |
| 2007 | Burn Notice | Harrick | Episode: "Loose Ends, Part 2" |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Captain Lowell Harris | Episode "Undercover" |
| 2008 | Knight Rider | Sean | Episode: "Journey to the End of the Knight" |
| 2009 | CSI: Miami | Ken Vogel | Episode: "Sink or Swim" |
| 2010 | Chuck | Rafe Gruber | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Fake Name" |
| 2010 | Cold Case | FBI Agent Ryan Cavanaugh | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | The Gates | Mark Woodbury | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2010 | Dark Blue | Danny | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | G.I. Joe: Renegades | Flint (voice) | 11 episodes |
| 2010 | A Soldier's Love Story (originally titled: Meet My Mom) | Sgt. Vince Carrera | Hallmark Movie |
| 2011 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Frank Cafferty | Episode: "CSI Down" |
| 2017 | Jane the Virgin | Chuck Chesser | 10 episodes |
| 2018 | Criminal Minds | Jeremy Grant | Episode: "Luke" |
| 2020 | Primitive | Dr. Mamedyarov | Episode: "Blind Sighted" |
| 2020 | The Christmas High Note | Michael | Lifetime Movie |
| :: |
Awards and nominations
::data[format=table]
| Year | Event | Award/category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Skully Awards | Horror Hottie of the Year | Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid | ||
| 2012 | Behind the Voice Actors Awards | ||||
| (BTVA Television Voice Acting) | url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0582257/awards?ref_=nm_awd | archive-url=https://archive.today/20201222112335/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0582257/awards?ref_=nm_awd | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 22, 2020 | title=Johnny Messner (I) – Awards |
| :: |
References
References
- "Nope no French just Italian , Spanish and some German that's it...".
- johnny messner. (4 April 2012). "@BrettAnthony2 that's true buddy Messner is German and so am I even though I was adopted:)".
- Niccum, Joe. (August 27, 2004). "‘Anacondas’ star on quest to bring ‘a real man’ back to Hollywood". [[Ogden Newspapers]].
- Head, Steve. (August 28, 2004). "Interview: Johnny Messner". IGN Entertainment Inc..
- (August 26, 2004). "'Anacondas' has suspenseful twists, goofy dialogue". [[Gannett]].
- Fox, Ellen. (August 27, 2020). "With no-name cast, `Anacondas' fizzles". [[Tribune Publishing]].
- Schwartz, Dennis. (September 2, 2004). "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid". Ozus's World Movie Reviews.
- "Best of 2004: The First Annual Skully Awards". CampBlood.
- Vasquez, Felix. (May 21, 2008). "Ring of Death (2008)". Cinema Crazed.
- "Ring of Death". [[Facebook]]. Facebook, Inc..
- johnny messner. (5 August 2013). "This is a minute reason but one of many that I love my wife. Kathryn Susan Morris. I love you…".
- Leon, Anya; Triggs, Charlotte (September 17, 2003). [http://celebritybabies.people.com/2013/09/17/kathryn-morris-johnny-messner-welcome-twin-sons-jameson-rocco/.] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-09-10)
- "What a beautiful trip to Gods Country ! It was 3 years since my first trip with Avril to meet her whole family on Read Island So grateful for all of my life and my wife ❤️❤️🙏❤️🌱🌱".
- "My Queen, The Medicine/God brought us together for the universal set up! I had no idea what love truly felt like until you came into my life✨ Happy birthday Bubba I love you for all eternity ❤️❤️".
- Billington, Alex. (September 14, 2022). "Official Trailer for Thriller 'Detective Knight: Rogue' with Bruce Willis".
- "Johnny Messner (I) – Awards". [[IMDb]]. [[Amazon (company).
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