Stephen Amell

Early life

Stephen Adam Amell was born on May 8, 1981, in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Sandra Anne (née Bolté) and Thomas J. Amell. He is a first cousin of actor Robbie Amell. He attended St. Andrew's College, a private independent school for boys, and graduated in 2000.

Acting career

2004–2012: Early career

Amell appeared in two episodes of the fourth season of Queer as Folk as the Liberty Ride spinning instructor in 2004. Amell played Adam in the first season of the television series Dante's Cove; he was replaced in the second season by Jon Fleming. In 2007, Amell won a Gemini Award for his guest-starring role on ReGenesis. The same year he was also nominated for a Gemini Award in the Best Ensemble Cast Category for Rent-a-Goalie. He had recurring roles in the TV series Da Kink in My Hair and Heartland. On December 3, 2010, Amell joined the cast of The Vampire Diaries as werewolf 'Brady' for season 2. Amell starred as the real life convicted killer Joran van der Sloot in the Lifetime film Justice for Natalee Holloway which originally aired in May 2011.

On October 2, 2011, season 3 of HBO's series Hung premiered with Amell starring as busboy-turned-prostitute Jason, a younger rival "ho" to Thomas Jane's Ray Drecker. He also appeared as Jim in the fourth season of 90210. Amell announced on October 28, 2011, that he had just finished filming the Christmas episode of New Girl with Zooey Deschanel and Max Greenfield. He touches on the experience of filming his first "network half-hour comedy" in an interview with Daemon's TV. On November 9, 2011, Amell was announced for the recurring role of Scottie, a paramedic on ABC's Private Practice. He also played the role of Travis McKenna in Blue Mountain State.

2012–2020: ''Arrow''

In January 2012, Amell was cast as Oliver Queen in The CW series Arrow, based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name. This series and role led to Amell appearing as the character on other superhero series on the network as part of the growing Arrowverse, including The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman, as well as the CW Seed webseries Vixen.

Amell co-starred in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (released on June 3, 2016) as vigilante "Casey Jones". Amell announced in May 2017 that he would be participating on a special celebrity edition of American Ninja Warrior. Amell demonstrated great physical abilities which was reflective of his athleticism in his portrayal of Oliver Queen. In 2017, he took part in the directorial debut of former Heartland co-star Michelle Morgan, a short film entitled Mi Madre, My Father, playing the estranged father of a six-year-old girl. Morgan raised funds for the production through a crowdfunding campaign. The film premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

In March 2019, Amell announced the end of Arrow with its eighth and final season, which premiered in October 2019 and concluded in January 2020.

2020–present: Post-''Arrow''

His first post-Arrow project was announced in August 2019 as Heels, a Starz drama series set in the world of independent professional wrestling. In December of the same year, it was announced that short-form streaming platform Quibi were developing a spin-off series starring Amell and his cousin Robbie Amell, developed from their crowd-funded film Code 8. In September 2023, Heels was canceled after two seasons. In February 2024, Stephen Amell was cast as Ted Black in the upcoming NBC pilot Suits LA, based on the USA Network original series Suits. On July 19, 2024, Suits LA has ordered to series by NBC.

Amell has also been announced as playing Henry Roland, a police officer, in the forthcoming Crave crime drama series The Borderline.

Professional wrestling career

WWE (2015)

As an avid professional wrestling fan,

In May 2015, it was reported that he was set to wrestle Stardust (Cody Rhodes) at WWE's SummerSlam pay-per-view in August. Amell made his first WWE appearance on the May 25 episode of Raw, where he had a confrontation with Stardust. Amell returned to Raw in early August; after being assaulted in the audience by Stardust, Amell got into the ring to attack him until being contained by security. Following a backstage segment with Triple H, it was announced that Neville would team with Amell to face Stardust and King Barrett at SummerSlam.

At the event on August 23, 2015, Amell and Neville defeated Barrett and Stardust in a tag team match. Amell participated in the wrestling, and, behind the scenes, wrestlers were said to have been impressed with Amell's performance. Amell became friends with Rhodes, with whom he later also worked on Arrow.

On December 21, 2015, Amell was awarded a Slammy for the "Celebrity Moment of the Year" for his dive onto Stardust during the match.

Ring of Honor (2017)

Amell returned to professional wrestling for Ring of Honor on November 17, 2017, at Survival of the Fittest. On the day of the show, Amell joined the Bullet Club faction, and teamed with Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) in a five-on-four tag team match. They defeated The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian), Flip Gordon, and Scorpio Sky, and Amell again participated in the wrestling, including being put through a table by The Addiction.

All In (2018)

On August 6, 2018, it was announced that Amell would be competing at All In, in his first-ever singles match, where he was defeated by Christopher Daniels.

All Elite Wrestling (2020)

On February 29, 2020, Amell made an appearance at All Elite Wrestling's Revolution, where he accompanied Cody Rhodes alongside Rhodes' Nightmare Family for his match against MJF.

Philanthropy

Amell has hosted a number of successful fundraising campaigns via the crowd funded merchandise platform Represent.com. In 2014, Amell partnered with the charity Fuck Cancer to raise almost a million dollars with the release of a T-shirt featuring his face on the front (with a Post-it note on his forehead and featuring the organization's name). He ended up selling over 60,000 shirts from this campaign. In January 2015, Amell launched his second Represent.com campaign featuring a word he made up, Sinceriously, to benefit two mental health charities: Paws and Stripes and Stand For The Silent. During the Red Nose Day special of American Ninja Warrior, Amell donated $35,000 for completing all six obstacles, and an extra obstacle, the Salmon Ladder.

Personal life

Amell married his first wife, fellow Canadian Carolyn Lawrence, on December 8, 2007, in Toronto. The couple divorced in 2010. Amell married actress and model Cassandra Jean on December 25, 2012, in a private ceremony in the Caribbean, and for a second time in New Orleans on May 26, 2013. The couple have a daughter who was born on October 15, 2013. They have a son, born May 13, 2022.

Controversies

Amell's statements and behavior have occasionally drawn controversy. In September 2015, after a Muslim student was arrested for bringing a disassembled digital clock to his high school in Irving, Texas, Amell tweeted, "Stereotyping Texas isn't any better than stereotyping Ahmed". The post drew criticism online, prompting Amell to take a break from social media.

In 2018, Amell tweeted "my âpölògīés" in response to criticism about his failure to use the acute accent while tweeting singer Beyoncé's name. After he was accused by online commenters of disrespecting black names, he said he had omitted the accent while being "lazy in the midst of a mediocre joke".

In 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protests, Amell was criticized by comic book writer Tee Franklin and others for saying that racism is a systemic problem but that he had not personally "seen it in action".

In 2021, Amell was asked to leave a Delta Air Lines flight traveling from Austin to Los Angeles for yelling at his wife. He later said he was intoxicated at the time.

In July 2023, Amell was criticized for comments he made at a fan convention regarding the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. While he expressed support for SAG-AFTRA as his union, he called striking a "reductive negotiating tactic" and "myopic" and seemed to criticize that the strike banned him from promoting the second season of Heels. He later clarified his opinion, saying that while he does not like striking, he "[understands] fundamentally why we're here" and stated that his support for the union was unconditional and that he stood with them. Amell did not attend the Arrow cast reunion on the picket line outside the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, California, as he was in New York City at the time, but on the day of the reunion, he was photographed on the picket line in front of the Warner Bros. Discovery offices in New York and reportedly sent his regards to his former showrunners in California. Marc Guggenheim, executive producer of Arrow and organizer of the revival, interpreted his attendance in New York as a symbolic stand in solidarity.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Web

References

References

1. Amell, Stephen. (2015-07-07). "Adam.".
2. (2017). "Chase's Calendar of Events, 2018". Rowman & Littlefield.
3. Horner, Rachel. (2015-10-05). "Stephen Amell: 10 Reasons We Love the 'Arrow' Star". [[MSN]].
4. (February 25, 2014). "Bolté, Auguste Armour". [[The Globe and Mail]].
5. Bierly, Mandi. (2013-09-16). "Amell Invasion: A Q&A with The CW's best bloodline".
6. "I am Andrean". "St. Andrew's College".
7. Goodman, Lee-Anne. (October 25, 2007). "Winning ensemble; Rent-a-Goalie star vows to le... | Entertainment". Welland Tribune.
8. (December 3, 2010). "Casting Scoop: Meet the Newest Vampire Diaries Hottie!". [[E! Online]].
9. O'Neal, Sean. (January 31, 2012). "Here is the guy who will play Green Arrow for The CW". [[The A.V. Club]].
10. Harris, Bill. (September 29, 2011). "Amell has big role on 'Hung'". [[London Free Press]].
11. Ngwije, Americ. (October 28, 2011). "Exclusive Interview: HUNG's Stephen Amell Opens Up About Jason's Trouble With Women, Fun Sex Scenes & Larry David". "Daemon's TV".
12. Goldberg, Lesley. (November 9, 2011). "'Private Practice' Taps 'Hung' Star for Recurring Role". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
13. Kroll, Justin. (March 31, 2015). "'Arrow's' Stephen Amell to Star in 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2′". [[Variety (magazine).
14. M, Lainee. (April 7, 2017). "Stephen Amell Accepts 'American Ninja Warrior' Challenge, 'Arrow' Actor Joins Coach Kacy Catanzaro". "Celebeat".
15. Cabin, Chris. (May 28, 2017). "Watch: Stephen Amell Runs the 'American Ninja Warrior' Course for Red Nose Day".
16. Morgan, Michelle. (September 9, 2017). "Mi Madre, My Father – A film by Michelle Morgan". indiegogo.
17. Cannes Film Festival. "Festival Corner".
18. Prudom, Laura. (March 6, 2019). "Arrow Ending After Season 8 With Shortened Final Season".
19. Andreeva, Nellie. (August 19, 2019). "'Arrow' Star Stephen Amell To Headline Starz Wrestling Drama Series 'Heels'". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
20. Pedersen, Erik. (December 10, 2019). "'Code 8' Spinoff Series Starring Robbie Amell & Stephen Amell Set At Quibi". Deadline Hollywood.
21. Harris, Racquel. (September 25, 2023). "'Blindspotting' and 'Heels' Among 4 Shows Canceled by Starz".
22. (February 13, 2024). "'Suits L.A.' Casts Stephen Amell to Lead NBC Drama Pilot".
23. (July 19, 2024). "NBC Picks Up ''Suits: L.A.'' & ''Grosse Pointe Garden Society'' To Series; Releases First-Look Photos".
24. Stewart Clarke, [https://deadline.com/2024/10/minnie-driver-stephen-amell-hamza-haq-crime-series-underbelly-crave-shaftesbury-fifth-season-1236120820/ "Stephen Amell, Minnie Driver, Hamza Haq To Star In Crime Series ‘Underbelly’ For Canadian Streamer Crave; Shaftesbury Producing & Fifth Season Across Sales"]. ''[[Deadline Hollywood]]'', October 22, 2024.
25. Johnson, Mike. (May 26, 2015). "Stardust challenges Amell". Pro Wrestling Insider.
26. Real, Evan. (May 28, 2015). "Stephen Amell Wrestling In SummerSlam Against WWE Superstar Stardust – Hollywood Life". Hollywood Life.
27. Caldwell, James. (May 25, 2015). "Caldwell's WWE Raw results 5/25: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw – Memorial Day, final Chamber PPV hype, Cena's Open Challenge, "Entourage," more". Pro Wrestling Torch.
28. Caldwell, James. (August 10, 2015). "Caldwell's WWE Raw results 8/10: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw – WWE Title match, D-Bryan returns, Summerslam hype, TV actor guest-stars, more". Pro Wrestling Torch.
29. Caldwell, James. (August 23, 2015). "Caldwell's SummerSlam report 8/23: Ongoing "virtual-time" coverage of Lesnar vs. Taker, Title vs. Title, more big matches". Pro Wrestling Torch.
30. Johnson, Mike. (August 24, 2015). "Why Foley was at SummerSlam, Stephen Amell-WWE update and more backstage notes". Pro Wrestling Insider.
31. Johnson, Mike. (November 17, 2017). "'Arrow' star Stephen Amell joins Bullet Club & ProWrestlingTees.com". Pro Wrestling Insider.
32. (December 21, 2015). "Celebrity Moment of the Year". [[WWE]].
33. "'Arrow' Star Stephen Amell To Appear At Survival Of The Fittest In San Antonio". Ring of Honor Wrestling.
34. (November 18, 2017). "ROH San Antonio, TX, live results: Stephen Amell teams with Bullet Club". [[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]].
35. (August 6, 2018). "Christopher Daniels -VS- Stephen Amell September 1st".
36. DeFelice, Robert. (March 1, 2020). "Stephen Amell Appears Alongside Cody, Tag Team Title Classic {{!}} Post-AEW Revolution Fight-Size". Fightful.
37. Couch, Aaron. (September 24, 2014). "Why 'Arrow' Star Stephen Amell Is Saying "F--- Cancer" for Charity". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
38. Lash, Jolie. (November 25, 2014). "'Arrow' Star Stephen Amell Brings Back 'F--- Cancer' Charity Campaign". [[Access Hollywood]].
39. Burks, Robin. (January 22, 2015). "Stephen Amell Launches New Charity Campaign, Sinceriously". Tech Times.
40. Stroud, Brandon. (September 14, 2015). "Stephen Amell And Stardust Delivered A Huge Check For Charity". [[Uproxx]].
41. (May 25, 2017). "Arrow's Stephen Amell Crushes Celebrity Ninja Warrior Course". Screen Rant.
42. (2008). "Old Boys News". The Andrean – Spring 2008.
43. (July 9, 2015). "Superheroes".
44. (January 12, 2013). "Stephen Amell Marries Cassandra Jean In The Caribbean". "[[Huffington Post]]".
45. (2013-06-27). "Arrow's Stephen Amell Marries for a Second Time". [[People (magazine).
46. Massabrook, Nicole. (July 23, 2022). "1st Photos! Stephen Amell and Wife Cassandra Reveal Newborn Son Bowen".
47. Ge, Linda. (2015-09-16). "'Arrow' Star Stephen Amell Blasted on Twitter for Ahmed Mohamed Comment: 'Stereotyping Texas Isn't Any Better'".
48. (2015-09-17). "Amell Leaves Social Media "For a Bit" Following Controversial Tweet".
49. McRady, Rachel. (2015-09-17). "Stephen Amell Takes Twitter Hiatus After Ahmed Mohamed Tweet Offends".
50. Corriston, Michele. "Arrow' 's Stephen Amell Says He 'Didn't Mean to Offend Anyone' with Controversial Tweets About Texas Teen Arrested for Homemade Clock".
51. Amell, Stephen. (17 April 2018). "my âpölògīés".
52. Kennedy, John R.. "'Arrow' Star Stephen Amell Attacked for Beyoncé Tweet".
53. Ashton, Will. (2018-04-18). "Why Beyonce Fans Are Mad at Stephen Amell".
54. (2018-04-19). "'Arrow' Star Stephen Amell's Dumb Beef with Beyoncé Fans, Explained".
55. Crabtree, Erin. (2020-06-03). "Stephen Amell Responds After Being Accused of Racism".
56. Kimble, Lindsay. "Stephen Amell Confirms He Was Removed from Flight After Argument with His Wife".
57. Mazzeo, Esme. "Stephen Amell opens up about the 'really, really shameful' moment he got kicked off a plane for yelling at his wife: 'I had too many drinks'".
58. Massabrook, Nicole. (2021-09-01). "Stephen Amell Is Ashamed of Plane Fight with Wife Cassandra Jean".
59. White, Peter. (July 31, 2023). "Stephen Amell Calls Actors Strike "Myopic" & "A Reductive Negotiating Tactic"".
60. Piña, Christy. (2023-08-01). "Stephen Amell Says He Doesn't Support the Actors Strike: "It Is a Reductive Negotiating Tactic"".
61. Hibberd, James. (2023-08-01). "Stephen Amell Clarifies His "Misinterpreted" Anti-Strike Comments in Lengthy Statement".
62. Martinez, Kelly. "Stephen Amell Walks the Picket Line After Backtracking on Comments About 'Frustrating' Actors' Strike".
63. Goldberg, Lesley. (2023-08-11). "'Arrow' Stars, Writers Reunite on Picket Line — Sans Stephen Amell".
64. Bucksbaum, Sydney. (January 25, 2024). "See Arrow alums Emily Bett Rickards and Stephen Amell reunite as lovers in Western Calamity Jane".
65. (2014-10-13). "LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham - Behind-the-Scenes Trailer - IGN".