Declan Michael Laird | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Stella Adler Studio of Acting |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Notable work | |
Declan Michael Laird (born 1993) is a Scottish actor and a graduate of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. [1] He is possibly best known for his roles in Hot Air (film) , Big Dogs and Beautiful Disaster (film)
Declan Michael Laird was born in Greenock, Scotland. A keen footballer, he left school at 15 to pursue a professional career and signed with Greenock Morton F.C. Eight minutes into a cup tie between Greenock Morton and Hearts, Laird tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee effectively ending his professional footballing career. [2]
After exploring the possibility of taking up coaching as a career, Laird turned his attention to acting. In 2008, he was introduced to an acting agency by longterm friend Jim Sweeney and landed the role of Sean in the Scottish soap opera River City and went on to appear in a number of episodes before departing in 2011. [3] The following year he starred in the critically acclaimed short film, The Lost Purse in which Laird played the leading role of The Kid. [4] [5] The film told the story a young deaf man. The film was well received and earned Laird a Best Acting accolade at the Write Camera Action event in Glasgow in 2012. [6]
In 2011, whilst on holiday in Los Angeles, Laird was convinced by his father to take part in an acting workshop hosted by the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Initially hesitant to take part, Laird was eventually bribed $50 by his father and despite having no previous acting training, the staff were so impressed by his performance that they offered Laird a fully funded scholarship for the young actor to study in America. [7] [8] In 2014, he landed the role of Colin in the American online drama Camp Abercorn . [9] The series which premiered in September 2014 was crowd funded online and was endorsed by former Star Trek actor George Takei. [10] [11] [12]
In May 2016, it was announced on the Stella Adler alumni website that Laird had been cast as Joe in The Ice Cream Truck . [13] In June, Camp Abercorn received its first major screening in America playing at the 2016 edition of SeriesFest. [14] Laird also appeared in two BuzzFeed videos where he took on the challenge of taste testing pumpkin spice lattes from 5 popular coffee chains, [15] and starred alongside Carmen Electra promoting Dollar Shave Club blades and products. [16]
In 2017, Laird featured in the Amazon Prime Production of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands: War Within The Cartel playing the role of CIA Analyst Ryan Williams. 2017 saw Laird star in the horror comedy film The Ice Cream Truck . [17] In September, Laird completed filming on the feature comedy film Hot Air (film) starring Steve Coogan and Taylor Russell. The Frank Coraci directed film was released in theaters in 2018. [18] 2018 also saw Laird complete filming on TV series Big Dogs which premiered on streaming service Tubi in 2019. The show did not get renewed for a second season.
In 2018, Laird completed filming on thriller, Green Rush, which was produced by UFC hall of famer Urijah Faber. Laird played the role of Caleb Hayes and also is credited as being a co-producer on the movie. The film was distributed by Lionsgate in 2019 via VOD.
In 2021, Laird completed filming on Beautiful Disaster (film) which stars Dylan Sprouse and Virginia Gardner. Laird played the role of Taylor Maddox. The movie was directed by Roger Kumble and shot on location in Bulgaria. The movie was released worldwide in theaters via Fathom Events in April, 2023. Upon release of the film, it was also announced that Laird had completed filming on the sequel, Beautiful Wedding, on location in the Dominican Republic in November, 2022. The film is scheduled for release in 2024.
In 2023, Laird appeared on, Better Human Better Dog, with Cesar Milan to help his German Shepherd rescue dog, Rocky. Laird and his girlfriend, Starsi Howell, appeared in season 3 episode 9 of the National Geographic series. The episode aired in March, 2023.
In 2013, he was listed as one of the top 50 Glaswegian Tweeters on Twitter by the Herald newspaper in Scotland. [19]
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | On Road City of Deception | Smiler | Short Film |
| 2012 | The Lost Purse | The Kid | Short Film |
| 2014 | Lost Angels | Brad Beckman | Feature Film |
| 2015 | Further Instructions | Detective Bradley | Feature Film |
| The Street | Boxer | Short Film | |
| 2017 | The Ice Cream Truck | Joe | Feature Film |
| Blood Brothers | William | Short Film | |
| Khali the Killer | Mormon | Feature Film | |
| 2018 | Hot Air (film) | Gennady Vahkrov | Feature Film |
| 2020 | Green Rush | Caleb Hayes | Feature Film |
| 2023 | Beautiful Disaster (film) | Taylor Maddox | Feature Film |
| 2024 | Beautiful Wedding | Taylor Maddox | Feature Film |
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 - 2011 | River City | Sean | |
| 2015 | Camp Abercorn | Colin | Online Series |
| 2017 | Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands: War Within The Cartel | CIA Analyst Ryan Williams | TV movie |
| 2020 | Big Dogs | Prince William | TV series |
| 2023 | Better Human Better Dog | Self | TV series |
| Year | Nominated Work | Awards | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Lost Purse | Write Camera Action [20] | Best Actor | Won |
| The Scottish Short Film Festival [21] | Won | |||
Harvey Keitel is an American actor known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, earning particular acclaim from his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, having starred in six of his films: Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967), Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and The Irishman (2019). He has also appeared in three films directed by Wes Anderson: Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Isle of Dogs (2018).
Walter Marvin Koenig is an American actor and screenwriter. He began acting professionally in the mid-1960s and quickly rose to prominence for his supporting role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series (1967–1969). He went on to reprise this role in all six original-cast Star Trek films. He has also acted in several other series and films including Goodbye, Raggedy Ann (1971), The Questor Tapes (1974), and Babylon 5 (1993). In addition to his acting career, Koenig has made a career in writing as well and is known for working on Land of the Lost (1974), Family (1976), What Really Happened to the Class of '65? (1977) and The Powers of Matthew Star (1982).
Hikaru Kato Sulu is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. A member of the crew in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, in the first six Star Trek movies, in one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in several books, comics, and video games. Originally known simply as "Sulu", his first name, "Hikaru", appeared in a 1981 novel well over a decade after the original series had ended.
George Takei is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise.
Stella Adler was an American actress and acting teacher.
David Benjamin Wain is an American comedian, writer, actor, and director. He has co-written and directed six feature films, including Wet Hot American Summer (2001), Role Models (2008), Wanderlust (2012) and They Came Together (2014). He has also served as a creator, producer, writer and director on a number of television series, including Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Childrens Hospital and Medical Police. He has had small roles in most of the films and TV series he has produced or directed. Wain had a starring voice role as The Warden on the 2008–2014 Adult Swim animated series Superjail!, and has provided the voices for Courtney Wheeler and Grover Fischoeder on Bob's Burgers since 2012.
Martin Compston is a Scottish actor and former professional footballer. He played Anti-Corruption Unit Detective Inspector Steve Arnott in the BBC drama Line of Duty, Liam in Ken Loach's Sweet Sixteen, Paul Ferris in The Wee Man, Ewan Brodie in Monarch of the Glen and Dan Docherty in The Nest.
Steven Strait is an American actor and singer. He is best known for starring in the adventure film Sky High (2005) as Warren Peace and the science fiction series The Expanse (2015–2022).
Dwayne Cameron is a New Zealand actor, writer, director and producer. Cameron played the lead role of Bray on the teen drama series The Tribe and Tyzonn in Power Rangers Operation Overdrive.
Alexander Draper Wolff is an American actor, musician, and filmmaker. He first gained recognition for starring alongside his older brother Nat in the Nickelodeon musical comedy series The Naked Brothers Band (2007–09), which was created by the boys' mother Polly Draper. Wolff and his brother released two soundtrack albums for the series, The Naked Brothers Band and I Don't Want to Go to School, which were co-produced by their father Michael Wolff. Subsequent to the conclusion of the Nickelodeon series, Wolff and his older brother formed a duo called Nat & Alex Wolff, and released the albums Black Sheep (2011) and Public Places (2016). The brothers also co-starred in their mother's comedy-drama film Stella's Last Weekend (2018).
Lawrence Kenneth Pennell was an American television and film actor, often remembered for his role as Dash Riprock in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies. His career spanned half a century, including starring in the first-run syndicated adventure series Ripcord in the leading role of skydiver Theodore "Ted" McKeever, and as Keith Holden in Lassie. He was also a baseball player, playing on scholarship for the University of Southern California (USC) and later professionally for the Boston Braves organization.
The Stella Adler Studio of Acting is a prestigious acting school that was founded by actress and teacher Stella Adler. The Stella Adler Studio of Acting has two locations: its original New York City conservatory, founded in 1949, and the Art of Acting Studio in Los Angeles. The Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York is not affiliated with the Stella Adler Academy & Theatre, which Adler established in Los Angeles in 1985. The Stella Adler Studio and the Juilliard School currently boast the lowest program acceptance rates in the professional acting world. The studio only accepts 28 students a semester into its professional conservatory program.
Charles Alan Weber Jr. is an American actor and former model. In 2014, Weber began starring as Frank Delfino in the ABC legal drama series, How to Get Away with Murder.
Brooke McCarter was an American actor, producer, director, composer and musician. He is known for the role of Paul in the 1987 vampire horror comedy The Lost Boys.
Jack Andrew Lowden is a Scottish actor. Following a four-year stage career, his first major international onscreen success was in the 2016 BBC miniseries War & Peace, which led to starring roles in feature films.
Jack Reynor is an Irish actor. His notable roles include the films Transformers: Age of Extinction, What Richard Did, Glassland, Macbeth, Sing Street and Midsommar, as well as the series Strange Angel and The Peripheral.
Iain De Caestecker is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying Leopold Fitz/The Doctor in the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020). He is also known for his roles in Coronation Street (2001–2003) as Adam Barlow and the films Shell (2012), In Fear (2013), Not Another Happy Ending (2013), Lost River (2014), and Overlord (2018).
Camp Abercorn is an American web series originally slated to release in September 2014 that focuses on being a member of the Boy Scouts of America and also being gay. Using the fictional scouting organization called the Compass Guides of America, Camp Abercorn brings attention to the BSA's position on homosexuality and "the real situations young men face while away from home for an entire summer."
The Glasgow Filmmakers Alliance (GFA) is an online directory listing individuals and companies who are associated with film and television production in and around the city of Glasgow in Scotland. It was founded in 2011 by Scottish actor Andrew O'Donnell and Chris Quick, a Scottish film editor.
An acting coach or drama coach is a teacher who trains performers – typically film, television, theatre, and musical theatre actors – and gives them advice and mentoring to enable them to improve their acting and dramatic performances, prepare for auditions and prepare better for roles.