Proud Canuck Jason Priestley was born on August 28, 1969, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Priestley’s mother, a former actress, introduced her son to her former agent, and he was signed at the age of five. Priestley began modeling and appearing in television commercials, eventually going on to make his feature film debut as a teen in The Boy Who Could Fly in 1986. The following year, Priestley moved Los Angeles to pursue acting further, landing a role on the Johnny Depp series, 21 Jump Street.

By 1989, Priestley had landed a regular role on the NBC sitcom, Sister Kate. It was at this time that Priestley caught the eye of future cast mate, Tori Spelling, who recommended Priestley to her dad, Aaron Spelling, who was casting for his new teen drama. Priestley was cast as clean-cut, good-natured, Brandon Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210, and quickly became a teen heartthrob. Starring alongside Shannen Doherty, Luke Perry, Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, and Ian Ziering, Priestley stayed with the series until the late 90s. By the show’s third season, Priestley had proved his talent behind the camera, and went on to direct more than twenty episodes of the show, as well as serving as producer and executive producer from 1995 to 1998.

While acting on 90210, Priestley also expanded into film, landing a lead role in the critically-acclaimed 1993 comedy, Calendar Girl. That same year, Priestley also starred in the western drama, Tombstone. In 1998, Priestley starred opposite John Hurt in the independent film Love and Death on Long Island, earning him rave reviews from critics and proving his chops as a serious actor outside the teen genre.

Although he had left Vancouver for the bright lights of Tinsel Town, Priestley had not forgotten his Canadian roots at the height of his fame, and was keeping a close eye on Canadian band, The Barenaked Ladies. Priestley took an interest in the band’s unique style, and in the mid-90s, directed the video for their single, "The Old Apartment," earning him a Best Director nomination at the 1996 Canadian Music Video Awards. In 1999, Priestley directed the Ladies again in the documentary, Barenaked in America, chronicling the band’s experiences with trying to crack the U.S. market. The band has since credited Priestley as a pivotal influence in helping them to achieve an international audience.

The new millennium saw Priestley making his London stage debut in a production of Side Man in 2000. However, Priestley’s acting projects were sidelined in August of 2002, when he was seriously injured during a practice run at the Kentucky Speedway. Priestley, a self-confessed adrenaline junkie, suffered a fractured spine, broken nose, broken bones, and a concussion from the car crash, which almost claimed his life, before he made a miraculous, full recovery.

Priestley owed a lot of his recovery from the accident to caregiver and then-girlfriend, Naomi Lowde, whom he married in May 2005. Former 90210 alums, Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Tiffani Thiessen, and Ian Ziering were guests at the wedding. In February of 2007, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child in summer 2007. Priestley had previously been married to Ashlee Petersen from 1999 to 2000, and was in a long-term relationship with 90210 cast mate, Christine Elise from 1992 to 1997.

YUDDY