Nathan C Fillion was born March 27, 1971, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His parents, both English teachers, were Cookie Fillion and Bob Fillion. He is the younger of their two children. He pursued his secondary education at Concordia University College and later the University of Alberta, where he majored in art and minored in drama.
Fillion developed an interest in acting, and to that end he made his onscreen debut in 1993, with Ordeal in the Arctic, a television film starring Richard Chamberlain. Dabbling in improvisation, he also participated in Theatresports and the unscripted soap opera Die-Nasty.
By 1994, Fillion decided he needed to be in the heart of the acting world in order to succeed. Therefore, like so many young, aspiring actors before him, Fillion moved to New York City. The move proved fruitful, and from 1994 to 1997, he won a recurring role on the long-lived soap opera One Life to Live. A standout from the beginning, Fillion even earned a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1996 for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series.
While working on this series, Fillion gained additional exposure by appearing for a one-episode stint on Spin City, opposite Michael J Fox, Richard Kind, and Alan Ruck. When his time at One Life to Live ended, Fillion wasted no time landing high profile roles. Playing James Frederick "Minnesota" Ryan in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan in 1998, Fillion found himself brushing elbows with Hollywood’s biggest power players including Tom Hanks, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Matt Damon, Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti, and many more.
The following year Fillion found himself beside Alicia Silverstone, Brendan Fraser, Christopher Walken, and Sissy Spacek in the romantic comedy Blast from the Past. But it was his recurring role from 1998 to 2001 on the television series Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place that made Fillion a recognizable face. The four-season series also launched the career of Ryan Reynolds, as well as Traylor Howard and Richard Ruccolo.
Capitalizing on his newfound success, Fillion landed the role of Malcolm Reynolds in the new Joss Whedon series Firefly. He had no idea at the time it would be the role for which he amassed his largest fan base. Starring opposite Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, and others, the show was only given fourteen episodes before being prematurely cancelled. In its short-lived run, Fillion had nonetheless become a star. He reprised the role in 2005 for the feature length film Serenity.
Seemingly doomed to appear in quickly cancelled series, Fillion landed a recurring role on the now-cancelled series Mismatch, with former co-star Silverstone, as well as Lake Bell. He also had a small role in the cancelled series Pasadena, with Balthazar Getty. And even his highly anticipated series Drive was officially given the axe after six episodes.
Some fans may recognize Fillion for his starring role opposite Elizabeth Banks in the horror comedy Slither, while others will spot him as the romantic lead in Waitress, starring Keri Russell, Cheryl Hines, and Andy Griffith.
There are rumors circulating that Fillion and actress Dana Delany are in talks to appear on the popular series Desperate Housewives.
Fillion has never been married, nor does he have any children.
YUDDY
