Johnathon Schaech emerged from a swimming pool in "How to Make an American Quilt" (1995) and the camera--if not most of the audience so inclined--fell in love. With his swarthy good looks, mischievous eyes and pouty lips, Schaech seemed destined for stardom. He had only been acting for a few years prior to this, most memorably as a stalker in a six episode arc on the short-lived series "Models, Inc." (Fox, 1994). His role of Leon in Jocelyn Moorhouse's "How to Make an American Quilt" was that of a local romeo enticing the confused Finn (Winona Ryder) into an affair. In addition, 1995 also saw the release of Gregg Araki's "The Doom Generation", in which Schaech essayed a sexy psychopathic drifter, and the direct-to-video "Poison Ivy II: Lily", with the bleached blonde actor romancing Alyssa Milano. Tom Hanks tapped the up-and-comer for the role of the leader of a rock band in Hanks' directorial debut, "That Thing You Do!" (1996). He further solidified his rising star status by appearing in Stephan Elliott's "Welcome to Woop Woop", as an American con artist who is held hostage in the Australian Outback by an eccentric local and in the key role of Jessica Lange's son and Gwyneth Paltrow's husband in the thriller "Hush" (both 1998). That same year he starred as the legendary illusionist in TNT's original biopic "Houdini".
Family
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Father: Joe Schaech. Born c. 1939
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Mother: Joanne Schaech. Born c. 1943
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Sister: Renee Schaech. Born c. 1967; works for brother as his assistant
Significant Others
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Wife: Christina Applegate. dating since c. January 1998; married on October 20, 2001
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Companion: Tina Roesler. no longer together
Education
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University of Maryland, College Park, MD, economics
Milestones
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1989 Auditioned for Chippendale s dance troupe; got the job but turned it down
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1993 Played lead in Sparrow for director Franco Zeffirelli; credited as Jonathan Schaech
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1994 Had recurring role of a stalker in six episodes of Models, Inc. (Fox)
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1994 TV debut in an episode of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (Fox)
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1995 Breakthrough role as Leon in How to Make an American Quilt
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1995 First feature collaboration with Gregg Araki, The Doom Generation
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1996 Played lead singer in That Thing You Do! ; directed by Tom Hanks
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1998 Had title role in the TNT biopic Houdini
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1999 TV series debut as regular on The Time of Your Life (Fox)
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1999 Formed one leg of a romantic triangle as a music journalist in Gregg Araki s comedy Splendor
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2001 Portrayed the leader of a roving band of vampires in The Forsaken
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2002 Cast as Judas Iscariot in the religious-themed TV-movie Judas and Jesus (ABC)
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2002 Had a cameo in The Sweetest Thing starring his then wife Christina Applegate
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2005 Co-starred with then wife, Christina Applegate in the CBS movie James Patterson s Suzanne s Diary for Nicholas
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2008 Cast with Brittney Snow in the horror film, Prom Night
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Moved to Los Angeles, California
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Worked in commercials