Biography
Tom Cavanagh was a Canadian actor who was able to cross over into American fame, thanks to his soulful good looks and surprisingly wicked sense of humor, carving out a respectable career in both film and television. Born on October 26, 1963 in Ottawa, Canada, Cavanagh lived in Winneba, a small city in Ghana, for most of his childhood, before moving to Lennovxille, Quebec, as a teenager. He attended college at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he studied English, biology, and education. It was at college that Cavanagh first became interested in theatre. His first onstage role came in 1989, with a Broadway revival of "Shenandoah." Cavanagh would go on to tread the boards in such productions as "A Chorus Line," "Cabaret," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "Urinetown," and "Grease." In the 1990s, he returned to Canada and began booking TV roles, most notably a recurring role on the drama "Jake and the Kid" (CIBC, 1999). After a memorable cameo as Dog Boy on the series "Providence" (NBC, 1999-2002), Cavanagh landed his breakthrough role: Ed Stevens, a hotshot New York lawyer who returns to his quirky midwestern hometown after a series of personal and professional setbacks, on the hour-long dramedy "Ed" (NBC, 2000-2004). The show was a hit with both critics and audiences, winning multiple Emmys in 2001, while Cavanagh was nominated for a Golden Globe and a TV Guide Award for his performance. His next role came thanks to a resemblance to another actor, Zach Braff. On "Scrubs" (NBC/ABC, 2001-2010), Cavanagh often guest starred as Dan Dorian, older brother of Braff's lead character, J.D., beginning in 2002, and continuing for six more episodes throughout the show's run, exiting the program when Braff did, in 2008. Cavanagh broke some ground with his 2006 film "Breakfast With Scot," in which he played a retired gay hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs; making it the first gay-themed film to ever win permission to use a major sports franchise's real name and logo. Following a co-starring role on the short lived TNT crime drama "Trust Me" (TNT, 2009) and a starring role as Ranger Smith in the much-maligned live-action take on "Yogi Bear" (2010), Cavanagh took on the role you can see him in today, playing various iterations of Dr. Harrison Wells on the superhero adventure series "The Flash" (The CW, 2014-).
