Freddie James Prinze Jr. (born March 8, 1976)[1] is an American actor. He has starred in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its sequel (1998), She's All That (1999), Down to You, Boys and Girls (both 2000), Summer Catch (2001), Scooby-Doo (2002), and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004). Alongside recurring roles on Boston Legal (2004) and 24 (2010), Prinze starred on the self-titled ABC sitcom Freddie (2005–2006)—which he co-created and executive produced—and voiced Kanan Jarrus in the Disney XD series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018). He is the only child of actor and comedian Freddie Prinze.
Freddie Prinze Jr. | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Prinze in 2016 | |
| Born | Freddie James Prinze Jr. March 8, 1976 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Father | Freddie Prinze |
Early life
editFreddie James Prinze Jr. was born in Los Angeles on March 8, 1976, the only child of Katherine Elaine Prinze (née Cochran) and actor and stand-up comedian Freddie Prinze.[2][3]
On January 29, 1977, Freddie Prinze died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, after which Prinze Jr. relocated with his mother to Albuquerque, New Mexico.[2] Prinze was raised Catholic.[4] His paternal grandmother was from Puerto Rico[5][6] and he is fluent in Spanish.[6][7] Prinze had "enjoyed acting in school productions" as a child and participated in Albuquerque Children's Theatre, though he originally planned to become a civil engineer before getting roles on Family Matters and The Watcher.[8] Soon after that he saw Neil Patrick Harris at his high school getting kids excited about getting into acting, and he decided to do that.[9] After graduating from La Cueva High School in 1994, Prinze moved to Los Angeles to audition for television roles.[10][11][12]
Career
editTelevision and film
editPrinze was cast in a guest role on the ABC TV series Family Matters in 1995. He then appeared in a few programs and made-for-TV movies, before making his motion picture debut in To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday in 1996. In subsequent years, Prinze appeared in youth-oriented movies I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), made him known to teenage audiences. His first leading role, the romantic comedy She's All That (1999), grossed $63 million in the United States.[13]
Subsequently, he had leading roles in Wing Commander (1999), Down to You (2000), Boys and Girls (2000), Head over Heels (2001), and Summer Catch (2001), most of which were disliked by critics[14] and had moderate box office success.[15]
He played Fred Jones in the 2002 live-action film version of the popular cartoon Scooby-Doo, and reprised the role in the 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, both alongside his wife Sarah Michelle Gellar and along with Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini. He guest starred on the popular NBC show Friends as a sensitive male nanny named Sandy on the series' 200th episode. He took the role of Sandy after Tom Hanks could not do it due to scheduling.[16] He also appeared as Donny Crane, a character believed to be Denny Crane's son in the ABC legal drama-comedy Boston Legal. Prinze starred in his own television sitcom, titled Freddie. The sitcom is said to depict some actual events from his life, and was cancelled after one season in May 2006. He guest starred on George Lopez for a crossover with Freddie. In 2004, Prinze accepted a special award from TV Land on behalf of his late father. He thanked his father's former co-star Della Reese for her continued advice and support. In 2006, he lent his voice to the character of Pi in the animated film Shark Bait. Also in 2007, he lent his voice to the character of Rick in Happily N'Ever After along with his wife Gellar, Wallace Shawn, Andy Dick, George Carlin, and Sigourney Weaver. In 2008, he auditioned for Jigsaw in Punisher: War Zone, but was not given the part at the decision of Lionsgate Studios. He later was the voice of the titular character in the animated movie Delgo.[17] In 2010, Prinze guest starred on Psych as Dennis, a grade school friend of Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster. In March 2019, Prinze was cast as Nancy Drew's father, Carson Drew, in The CW mystery pilot Nancy Drew, but was later replaced by Scott Wolf.[18] He also voiced the future version of Tim and Jim Possible in the Kim Possible movie Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time.[19]
In March 2009, it was announced that Prinze had signed on to star as Bradley, aka Ultimatum, in the ABC show No Heroics, a U.S. remake of the British show of the same name.[20][21][22] The show was not picked up, but Prinze was cast as a series regular for the eighth season of the television show 24; he played Cole Ortiz, a new CTU operative.[23]
In 2021, Prinze joined the reboot of Punky Brewster on Peacock, playing the title character's ex-husband.[24]
Other work
editHe voiced a pilot in a Vatta's War: Trading in Danger graphic audio book. Prinze voiced different characters in BioWare video games: Lieutenant James Vega in Mass Effect 3 and The Iron Bull in Dragon Age: Inquisition.[25][26] He returned to the role of James Vega again for the animated feature film Mass Effect: Paragon Lost, dubbed by FUNimation. From 2014 until 2018, he was the voice of Kanan Jarrus, one of the last surviving Jedi Knights, on the Disney XD series Star Wars Rebels.[27] He reprised the role for the opening scene of the pilot episode of the Disney+ series The Bad Batch in May 2021.[28] In March, 2023, he launched a new podcast, That Was Pretty Scary, with cohost Jon Lee Brody. [29]
Professional wrestling
editWork with WWE (2008–2009, 2010–2012)
editPrinze is a WWE fan and was seen on television in attendance at the March 2008 WrestleMania XXIV pay-per-view and its preceding Hall of Fame ceremony. He also made a cameo on an episode of The Dirt Sheet, an online program hosted by wrestlers John Morrison and The Miz.[30] He had created an official profile on WWE's "Universe" blog community where he would regularly write his thoughts about the current goings-on in the world of the WWE. His relationship with the company was furthered when he was hired as a member of the creative staff to contribute to weekly television and pay-per-view programming for the SmackDown brand.[31][32] It was reported on February 22, 2009 that Prinze and WWE had parted ways, but in January 2021, Prinze explained that he had actually chosen to leave the company at that time.[33][34]
On August 17, 2009, Prinze appeared on Raw as a special guest host, where he was assaulted by then WWE Champion Randy Orton after refusing to bail Orton out of his tag team match with John Cena, who was due to challenge him in the upcoming SummerSlam.[citation needed] Prinze later returned to the program and got his payback during Orton's match with Cena against Big Show and Chris Jericho, by setting up a lumberjack match involving Mark Henry, Primo, Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, MVP, and Jamie Noble.[citation needed]
Prinze returned to WWE on October 1, 2010 in a role as a producer and director.[35] On the November 1, 2010 episode of Monday Night Raw, Prinze made an on-screen appearance as Vince McMahon's doctor, a dream sequence scene that coincided with Linda McMahon's attempt to win a seat in the Senate for the state of Connecticut.[36][37] Prinze left WWE for a second time due to a comment made by Stone Cold Steve Austin to a contestant while taping an episode of the fifth season of WWE Tough Enough.[38]
Podcast (since 2021)
editIn November 2021, Prinze started his own podcast Wrestling With Freddie with cohost Jeff Dye.[39]
Premier Streaming Network
editIn April 2023, Freddie Prinze Jr. joined the ownership team of Premier Streaming Network, a streaming platform focused on wrestling, sports, and entertainment content.[40]
MyFandom Sports App
editIn June 2024, Freddie Prinze Jr. was announced as part of the ownership team behind MyFandom, an iOS app co-founded by brothers Fred and Josh Shernoff. MyFandom allows sports fans to contribute personal media to a collective archive of sporting events, creating a user-generated historical record while enabling individuals to curate their own attendance history.[41]
Personal life
edit
Prinze dated actress Kimberly McCullough from 1996 until 1999.[42]
He married actress Sarah Michelle Gellar on September 1, 2002, in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. The couple met several years before, while filming I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997),[43] started dating in 2000 and were engaged in April 2001. They co-starred in Scooby-Doo (2002), Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), Happily N'Ever After (2006), and Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018). Gellar made a non-speaking cameo in Prinze's film She's All That (1999). They have two children together: a daughter born September 2009, and a son born September 2012,[44][45] and live in Los Angeles.[46]
Prinze is an avid practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has reached the rank of purple belt in the sport, having been promoted under Jean Jacques Machado.[47]
Filmography
editFilm
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Family Matters | Tough Guy | Episode: "The Gun" |
| The Watcher | Billy | Episode: "The Human Condition: The Blood of Our Children/Rita/The Comic" | |
| 1996 | ABC Afterschool Special | Jeff | Episode: "Too Soon for Jeff" |
| 1997 | Detention: The Siege at Johnson High | Aaron Sullivan | Television film |
| 1998 | Vig | Tony | |
| 2000 | Saturday Night Live | Himself | Host; Episode: "Freddie Prinze Jr./Macy Gray" |
| Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak | Episode #1.1 | ||
| 2002 | Frasier | Mike (voice) | Episode: "Juvenilia" |
| Friends | Sandy | Episode: "The One with the Male Nanny" | |
| 2003 | Kim Possible: A Sitch In Time | Future Jim / Future Tim (voice) | Television film |
| 2004–2006 | Boston Legal | Donny Crane | 3 episodes |
| 2005–2006 | Freddie | Freddie Moreno | Main role; 22 episodes Also co-creator and executive producer |
| 2006 | George Lopez | Episode: "George Gets Cross Over Freddie" | |
| 2007 | Atlanta | Eric | Television film |
| 2008–2009 | WWE SmackDown | — | Writer; 26 episodes |
| 2009 | No Heroics | Bradley (aka Infinitum) | Unaired pilot |
| 2010 | 24 | Cole Ortiz | 24 episodes |
| Psych | Dennis | Episode: "Not Even Close... Encounters" | |
| 2012 | Happy Valley | Noah | Unaired pilot |
| 2005–2022 | Robot Chicken | Fred Jones / Various (voice) | 7 episodes |
| 2013 | Witches of East End | Leo Wingate | 2 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Bones | Danny Beck | |
| 2014–2018 | Star Wars Rebels | Kanan Jarrus (voice) | 70 episodes |
| 2016 | Bordertown | Tut (voice) | Episode: "The Engagement" |
| First Impressions | Himself | Host; 6 episodes | |
| 2016–2017 | Movie Trivia Schmoedown | Commentator; 4 episodes | |
| 2019–2020 | GEGG WARS | Pash / O'rak Adalani | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | Star Wars: The Bad Batch | Caleb Dume (voice) | Episode: "Aftermath" |
| Punky Brewster | Travis | 10 episodes | |
| 2022–2024 | WWE Rivals | Himself | Host; 16 episodes |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mass Effect 3 | Lt. James Vega |
| 2014 | Dragon Age: Inquisition | The Iron Bull |
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | Kanan Jarrus |
| Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions | ||
| 2021 | Mass Effect Legendary Edition | Lt. James Vega |
Music videos
edit| Year | Song | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Kiss Me" (She's All That version) | Sixpence None the Richer | Directed by Randee St. Nicholas |
| 2004 | "Don't Wanna Think About You" | Simple Plan | Directed by Frank Borin and Ryan Smith |
Podcasts
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–present | Wrestling with Freddie | Himself | Host, executive producer |
| 2023–present | That Was Pretty Scary | Himself | Host, executive producer |
Awards and nominations
editThis section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (February 2020) |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Golden Globe Awards | Mr. Golden Globe (shared with Jaime Nicole Dudney as Miss Golden Globe) | — | Won |
| 1998 | ALMA Award | Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film | I Know What You Did Last Summer | Nominated |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor | |||
| Best Performance in a TV Movie or Feature Film – Young Ensemble (shared with the cast) | ||||
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actor – Horror | |||
| 1999 | Favorite Supporting Actor – Horror | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer | Won | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Actor | She's All That | ||
| ALMA Award | Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film in a Crossover Role | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Sexiest Love Scene (shared with Rachael Leigh Cook) | She's All That | Won | |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best On-Screen Duo (shared with Rachael Leigh Cook) | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Actor | Down to You | Won | |
| Choice Chemistry (shared with Julia Stiles) | Nominated | |||
| Bravo Otto | Best Actor | — | ||
| 2000 | — | |||
| ALMA Award | Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film | She's All That | ||
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actor – Comedy/Romance | |||
| Imagen Awards | Best Actor – Feature Film | |||
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Couple (shared with Rachael Leigh Cook) | Won | ||
| 2001 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Male Hottie | — | Nominated |
| 2002 | Choice Movie: Comedy Actor | Scooby-Doo | ||
| Choice Chemistry (shared with Sarah Michelle Gellar) | ||||
| Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actor | |||
| 2013 | Behind the Voice Actors Awards | Best Vocal Ensemble in a Video Game (People's Choice) (shared with the cast) | Mass Effect 3 | Won |
| Best Vocal Ensemble in a Video Game (shared with the cast) | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Best Vocal Ensemble in a Video Game (shared with the cast) | Dragon Age: Inquisition | Won | |
| Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series (shared with the cast) | Star Wars Rebels | Nominated | ||
| Golden Joystick Awards | Best Performer | Dragon Age: Inquisition | ||
| 2018 | Behind the Voice Actors Awards | Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series (shared with the cast) | Star Wars Rebels |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Freddie Prinze, Jr.: 1976—". Encyclopedia.com. Cengage. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ a b "Biography by Rebecca Flint Marx". AllMovie. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- ^ Buckner, Johnathan (February 12, 2022). "What is Kathy Prinze doing now? Freddie Prinze Wife's Biography". biographypost.org. Biography Post. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ Associated, Press (February 10, 2009). "Prinze brings his family values to 'Freddie'". Early Today. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
- ^ "Hispanic Magazine.com – September 2005 – Cover Story". Hispanic Magazine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008.
- ^ a b Jacobs, Jay S. (May 12, 2007). "Freddie Prinze, Jr. & Mena Suvari". PopEntertainment.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
- ^ "PopEntertainment.com: Freddie Prinze, Jr. & Mena Suvari interview about 'Brooklyn Rules.'". www.popentertainment.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2007. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Crisafulli, Chuck (December 24, 1995). "Acting Bonds Freddie Prinze's Son to His Dad". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller (April 23, 2015). "Misery Loves Comedy". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ^ "Freddie Prinze Jr. is Freddie Moreno on Freddie". Wchstv.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ joeyguse (November 27, 2010). "The Tragic Side of Comedy- Freddie Prinze". Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2014 – via YouTube.
- ^ Reed, J.D. (November 18, 1996). "Fresh Prinze". People. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "She's All That", IMDb.com, January 29, 1999, archived from the original on July 24, 2018, retrieved January 30, 2018
- ^ "Freddie Prinze, Jr". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ "Freddie Prinze Jr". Boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (November 14, 2019). "Freddie Prinze Jr. says Tom Hanks was supposed to play Sandy on Friends". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ "Punisher: War Zone, episode #20 of How Did This Get Made? on Earwolf". Earwolf.com. October 3, 2011. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ^ Petski, Denise (March 15, 2019). "Freddie Prinze Jr. To Star In the CW's Nancy Drew Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ "Kim Possible: A Sitch In Time (Movie) Cast - All Actors and Actresses". Television Stats. January 16, 2024. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Freddie Prinze Jr. Joins The Cast Of No Heroics". Shockya.com. March 20, 2009. Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "Freddie Prinze Jr. to Star in No Heroics U.S. Remake". Film Junk. March 20, 2009. Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "US TV – News – Freddie Prinze Jr cast in 'No Heroics'". Digital Spy. March 20, 2009. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "Freddie Prinze Jr. "hated every moment" of 24, disses Kiefer Sutherland". Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ^ "Punky Brewster's Ex-Husband Is Freddie Prinze Jr. in Peacock Sequel". TVLine.com. October 23, 2019. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ "Mass Effect 3 – James Vega Featurette". Gametrailers. Archived from the original on January 23, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ^ "Freddie Prinze Jr. Voicing Dragon Age: Inquisition". Archived from the original on June 22, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ^ "New STAR WARS REBELS Video Introduces Kanan, the 'Cowboy Jedi'". Newsarama.com. February 11, 2014. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
- ^ Cao, Caroline (May 4, 2021). "Star Wars: The Bad Batch retcons a Jedi backstory that's key to Rebels". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ "That Was Pretty Scary". Wondery | Premium Podcasts. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ ""The Dirt Sheet" – June 6, 2008". WWE.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ^ "Prinze Jr. Joins WWE Creative Team" (Press release). World Wrestling Entertainment. July 30, 2008. Archived from the original on August 6, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2008.
- ^ Ross, Jim (July 31, 2008). "Give Adamle a Chance... McCain's Former MMA Views Concern me... Smackdown's Closing segment Friday night is a classic... SNME..." JR's Blog. JRsBArBQ.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2008.
Freddie Prinze Jr. is going to be involved creatively in the Smackdown brand from what I gather.
- ^ "Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals Why He Quit WWE, Was Going to be Head Writer of SmackDown | Fightful News". Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ "WWE > Big star leaves WWE's creative team". NoDQ.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "Various News: Big Brother Star Offered TNA Deal, Freddie Prinze, Jr. Back With WWE, More". 411mania.com. October 13, 2010. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ^ "WWE: Premier Shows". WWE. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ LeAnne Gendreau (September 27, 2012). "Vince McMahon, Freddie Prinze Jr. Get Political With Potty Humor". NBC Connecticut. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ^ "Freddie Prinze Jr quit WWE job after a comment by Steve Austin". Digital Spy. February 3, 2021. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ Miller, Nick (September 12, 2022). "Freddie Prinze Jr. Names AEW All Out Match That Saved First Part Of The Show". WrestlingInc.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- ^ "Freddie Prinze Jr. Joins Premier Streaming Network as Co-Owner". Yahoo News. April 11, 2023. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/inno/stories/news/2024/06/27/myfandom-freddie-prinze-wwe-mlb-sports-games.html. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Buffy the Bachelor Slayer". People. April 30, 2001. Archived from the original on November 1, 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "Freddie Prinze Jr. -Articles". Ilovefreddie.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2006. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ Hochman, David (September 9, 2013). "Still Crazy: Years after Mork and Buffy, Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar hope to rope us in with a new sitcom". TV Guide. pp.16 – 19.
- ^ "Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr. have a new baby boy" Archived December 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times, September 25, 2012.
- ^ "Sarah Michelle Gellar & Freddy Prinze Jr. List Their LA Home (Bid Farewell To New Neighbors Kim and Kanye)". Domaine. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
- ^ Rogers, Kian (September 3, 2021). "Actor Freddie Prinze Jr Receives BJJ Purple Belt From Jean Jacques Machado". Jits Magazine. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ Yehl, Joshua (February 13, 2020). "Freddie Prinze Jr Shares the Story Behind Kanan's Cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker". IGN. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
External links
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