A native of the Pacific Northwest, actor Cam Gigandet specialized in edgy juvenile and twenty-something roles on television and films throughout the 2000s. He made his debut as a trouble-prone teen on the daytime soap "The Young and the Restless" (CBS, 1973- ) before graduating to recurring stints on primetime series; most notably as a murderous surfer on "The O.C." (Fox, 2003-07). Features eventually came calling, and Gigandet netted choice supporting parts in "Never Back Down" (2008) and the hotly anticipated vampire flick "Twilight" (2008). His ascension to leading role in the thriller "The Unborn" (2009) signaled that Gigandet was clearly an actor to watch.
Born Cam Joslin Gigandet in Tacoma, WA on Aug. 16, 1982, he attended Auburn Senior High School in Auburn, WA before heading south to try his hand in Hollywood. He landed his first on-screen appearance in a 2003 episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS, 2000- ) before signing on to play Daniel Romalotti, Jr. on "The Young and the Restless." Gigandet introduced the character - a brooding boarding school grad who falls in with the wrong crowd after returning to the show's home base of Genoa City - but just three months after the character's debut, Gigandet left the soap for greener pastures on primetime TV.
He enjoyed a recurring role on "Jack and Bobby" (The WB, 2004- ) as the boyfriend of series regular Keri Lynn Pratt, but drew more fans for his turn as the sinister Kevin Volchok on "The O.C." A surfing champ with a king-sized chip on his shoulder, he drew the ire of series lead Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) by first challenging his friend, fellow surfer Johnny Harper, then by stealing his longtime love Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton). Volchok eventually sinks even lower by blackmailing Ryan into participating in a robbery and later killing Marissa in a car accident. The heel's story arc ended on a piteous note in the fourth season, which found him begging Ryan to kill him after realizing the error of his ways.
Gigandet made the leap to features in 2007 with a minor role in the broad comedy "Who's Your Caddy?" He put his own martial arts training to good use for a villainous role in the action drama "Never Back Down" (2007), and remained on the dark side for what was undoubtedly the highest profile project of his career up to that point, "Twilight." Based on the popular Gothic romance novels by Stephenie Meyer, the film adaptation by Catherine Hardwicke cast Gigandet as James, the main antagonist of the story. A ruthless vampire with a taste for tracking his victims, James bucks the no-feeding-on-humans rule laid down by the film's clan of good vampires, the Cullens, and sets his sights on teenager Bella (Kristen Stewart), who has fallen for Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).
The high pitched buzz that swirled around "Twilight" thrust Gigandet and his co-stars into the spotlight, where they were eagerly discussed and swooned over by the books' legion of teenaged female fans. The film's debut in late 2008 preceded what could only be perceived as a groundswell of projects for Gigandet, including "The Unborn" (2009), a supernatural thriller which cast him in the lead opposite Gary Oldman.
