Biography
Though becoming a star in two distinct cultures separated by the diameter of the planet Earth seems like no easy feat, Josh Lawson shouldered the task with aplomb. The Australia-born actor, writer, director, and improvisational performer kicked off his career with an impressive small screen celebrity in his native country, but truly flourished once branching out to American productions such as the U.S. series "House of Lies" (Showtime 2012-). Joshua Lawson was born on July 22, 1981 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Alongside his studies at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in New South Wales, Lawson accrued minor roles on Australian television series like "The Wayne Manifesto" (ABC TV 1996) and "Medivac" (Network Ten 1996-98). Following graduation in 2001, Lawson experimented with improvisational comedy at Los Angeles-based branches of The Groundlings and The Second City. In quick succession, Lawson began to collect recurring parts on scripted series like the soap opera "Home and Away" (Seven Network 1988-) and the police drama "Blue Heelers" (Seven Network 1994-2006), and made his big screen debut in the musical comedy film "BoyTown" (2006). At the same time, he drew on his tutelage in L.A. to win positions on improv comedy series like "Thank God You're Here" (Network Ten/Seven Network 2006-09). Lawson spent the bulk of his television career toggling between scripted performances, notably on the drama "Sea Patrol" (Nine Network 2007-2011) and the comedies "The Librarians" (ABC TV 2007-2010) and "Chandon Pictures" (Movie Extra 2007-09), and unscripted performances, such as a brief turn hosting "Wipeout Australia" (Nine Network 2009). Around this time, Lawson also tried his hand behind the camera, writing for the short-lived satirical comedy series "TV Burp" (Seven Network 2009). Following the premiere of the American sitcom "Romantically Challenged" (ABC 2010), which featured Lawson at the center of an ensemble including Alyssa Milano and Kyle Bornheimer, Lawson enjoyed his first starring position in a feature film, "The Wedding Party" (2010). This double-whammy begat a wealth of international attention for Lawson, who went on to appear in the award-winning dramedy series "House of Lies" (Showtime 2012-), as well as in the Will Ferrell-led comedies "The Campaign" (2012) and "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" (2013). After a turn on the sketch comedy series "Kinne" (7mate 2014-), Lawson made his feature writing and directing debut with the sex comedy "The Little Death" (2015), in which he also starred. Lawson's brother Ben, himself an actor with credits including the soap opera "Neighbours" (Seven Network/Network Ten/Eleven 1985-), also appeared in the picture.
