Paul Johansson


Paul Joseph Otto Johansson is an American actor and director in film and television, best known for playing Dan Scott on the WB/CW series, One Tree Hill, and for his role as Nick Wolfe on the short lived ' spin-off '. He directed the 2011 film adaptation of Ayn Rand's novel, .

Life and career

Early life

Paul Johansson was born in Spokane, Washington, the son of ice hockey player Earl Johnson, but raised in Kelowna, British Columbia.

Acting career

Johansson landed his first role on the soap opera Santa Barbara. He played Greg Hughes from 1989 to 1990. Soon he made appearances in other television shows such as Parker Lewis Can't Lose and Beverly Hills, 90210, and later recurred on ' and starred on '.
Johansson became well-known to fans of 90210 for playing John Sears, a fraternity brother who unsuccessfully vied for the affections of Kelly Taylor and set up Steve Sanders to burglarize a professor's office. The character returned for the season 4 finale.
He also appeared in commercials, most notably as the delivery man in a Diet Coke commercial. He has appeared in the films Soapdish, John Q and Alpha Dog, and had a small uncredited role in The Notebook. He portrayed the role of Dan Scott in One Tree Hill beginning in 2003 until the show's end in 2012. He subsequently featured in Takashi Miike's 2003 film Gozu, appearing as a man with a cow's head. In 2003 Johansson wrote and directed the film The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie. He has also directed several episodes of One Tree Hill. In 2006 he starred in Emily Skopov's Novel Romance, alongside Traci Lords and Sherilyn Fenn. He appeared in the 7th season of The Drew Carey Show, playing a sportscaster.
He is the director of , the first third of a proposed trilogy based on the novel by Ayn Rand. The film received a "13% Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that only five of thirty-nine reviewers liked it.

Personal life

His mother, Joanne Leone Johansson, died on October 14, 2011, after a 20-year battle with breast cancer. Season 9, episode 11 of the CW's One Tree Hill was dedicated to her memory.

Filmography

Film

Television

As a director