Joshua David Duhamel (/dəˈmɛl/ də-MEL; born November 14, 1972) is an American actor. After various modeling work, he made his acting debut as Leo du Pres on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children and later starred as Danny McCoy on NBC's Las Vegas.

Josh Duhamel
Duhamel in 2017
Born
Joshua David Duhamel

(1972-11-14) November 14, 1972 (age 51)
Alma materMinot State University (BA)
OccupationActor
Years active1999–present
Spouses
(m. 2009; div. 2019)
(m. 2022)
Children2

Duhamel has ventured into film, appearing as one of the main protagonists in four of the Transformers films, most recently in the fifth entry, Transformers: The Last Knight (2017). He has also appeared in When in Rome (2010), Life as We Know It (2010), New Year's Eve (2011), Safe Haven (2013), and You're Not You (2014). In 2015, Duhamel co-starred on the short-lived CBS crime drama Battle Creek. He has also starred in several video games, most notably Call of Duty: WWII (2017). In 2018, he appeared in the coming of age film Love, Simon. In 2021, Duhamel starred in the role of Sheldon Sampson in the Netflix superhero series Jupiter's Legacy. He also played the role of Jacob Lee in the 2022 survival horror game The Callisto Protocol.

Early life

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Duhamel was born in Minot, North Dakota. His mother, Bonnie L. (Bachmeier) Kemper, is a retired teacher and local businesswoman, and his father, Larry Duhamel, is an advertising salesman.[1] Duhamel's family is Catholic.[2]

His parents divorced during his youth. He was raised by his mother and stepfather George Kemper. He has a younger sister and two younger maternal half-sisters.[3] After graduating from Minot High School in 1991,[4] Duhamel attended Minot State University and played backup quarterback for the university's football team.[5] He planned to attend dental school,[6] but dropped out one-and-a-half credits shy of his undergraduate degree.[7] He later completed his credits, and received his degree in 2005.[8][9]

Career

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Duhamel has stated, "After college, I followed an ex-girlfriend to northern California, did a bunch of odd jobs." He won the title of Male Model of the Year in an International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) competition in 1997[10] (the runner-up was actor Ashton Kutcher).[11]

Duhamel began his acting career as an extra in the music videos for Donna Summer's "I Will Go With You (Con te partirò)" and Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" in 1999.[5] Josh trained with Scott Sedita Acting Studios. Later that year, he won the role of Leo du Pres on the ABC soap opera All My Children. His work on the show, especially his character's pairing with Greenlee Smythe (portrayed by actress Rebecca Budig), garnered critical acclaim.[12][13] In 2000, he posed fully nude for Greg Gorman's As I See It photography book.

In 2003, he received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for the Special Fan Award for America's Favorite Couple in 2002, shared with Budig, and a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Leo du Pres.[14] Duhamel left All My Children in 2002 to pursue other acting opportunities. In 2003, Duhamel landed a primetime role on the NBC show Las Vegas, playing the head of security for the Montecito Casino, Danny McCoy. His character succeeded James Caan's as head of the casino after Caan departed the series at the end of the fourth season. The series ended in 2008.

Duhamel made his big-screen acting debut in 2004's Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, then starred in the thriller Turistas (2006). After watching an episode of Las Vegas in which Duhamel's character had just returned from the war in Iraq, Steven Spielberg handpicked him for the role of Captain William Lennox in 2007's summer blockbuster film Transformers[10] (a film for which Spielberg was the executive producer). Duhamel reprised the role in three of the sequels: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, released in June 2009,[15] Transformers: Dark of the Moon, released in June 2011, and Transformers: The Last Knight, released in June 2017.

Duhamel was the official pace car driver for the 2009 Indianapolis 500, driving the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro pace car.[16] In 2010, he played the lead role in the film When in Rome as Nick Beamon. In 2014 Duhamel starred in the touching drama You're Not You (2014) playing the husband of Kate (Hilary Swank), who has the degenerative disease ALS.

On March 23, 2013, Duhamel hosted the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards, which was broadcast live from Los Angeles, California.[17] He and his co-star from Safe Haven, Julianne Hough, performed a Safe Haven-themed showcase appearance via video on The Price is Right with Drew Carey.

In 2016, he starred as Frank Dunning in the Hulu science fiction thriller miniseries 11.22.63.[18]

In 2018, he was used on a Taco Bell commercial to advertise Mexican spiced fries with nacho cheese sauce called Web of Fries.

In March 2018, it was announced that Duhamel will be starring alongside Megan Fox, in the independent family comedy Think Like a Dog.[19][20] In the same year, he starred in the romantic comedy-drama film, Love, Simon.[21]

On February 11, 2019, it was announced that Duhamel had been cast as Sheldon Sampson in the Netflix superhero series, Jupiter's Legacy.[22] The series premiered on May 7, 2021, and was canceled less than a month later.[23]

In February 2021, it was announced that Duhamel would co-star opposite Jennifer Lopez in the upcoming film Shotgun Wedding, replacing Armie Hammer, who had left the project in January, following controversy concerning sexually explicit social media activity.[24] In August 2021, it was announced that Duhamel joined Renée Zellweger in The Thing About Pam limited series on NBC. He was to play a defense attorney, Joel Schwartz, on this show based on a real-life crime story.[25]

In early 2022, it was announced that Duhamel had been cast as a series regular on The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, for its second season, as Colin Cole, a former NHL player-turned-coach who runs the hockey institute.[26]

On September 23, 2022, Duhamel's film Bandit, based on the best-selling novel and true story about The Flying Bandit, was released in theatres and on demand. The film received positive reviews with critics calling it a career-best performance for Duhamel.[27]

Other ventures

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In 2005, he became the co-owner of 10 North Main, a restaurant in Minot, North Dakota.[28][29]

Duhamel is a spokesman for North Dakota tourism and has appeared in promotional videos for the state over the past decade.[30] In 2022, Duhamel was paid $75,000 to become the face of the State’s Tourism Campaign for the next two years.[31]

Personal life

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Relationships and family

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Duhamel met and began dating singer Stacy Ann Ferguson, better known by her stage name Fergie, in September 2004 after Ferguson appeared on Duhamel's show Las Vegas with her then-band The Black Eyed Peas.[32] The couple wed on January 10, 2009, in a Catholic ceremony at the Church Estate Vineyards in Malibu, California.[33][34] They have a son born in August 2013.[35] On September 14, 2017, the couple announced that they had separated earlier in the year.[36] On June 1, 2019, the couple filed for divorce after two years of separation.[37] As of late-November 2019, their divorce was finalized.[38]

In late 2018, Duhamel began dating former Miss World America Audra Mari.[39][40] On January 8, 2022, Duhamel announced his engagement to Mari.[41][42] They married on September 10, 2022.[43] In September 2023, it was announced that the couple are expecting their first child.[44] Their son was born in January 2024.[45] In a 2023 interview, Duhamel said: "That's why Audra's so great for me. We're both hardcore North Dakotans. We both love lake life."[46]

Interests and politics

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Duhamel is a practicing Catholic and attends church regularly.[47]

On June 28, 2023, Duhamel announced his support for Doug Burgum, the sitting Governor of North Dakota, in the 2024 Republican presidential primary election.[48] In a story post on Instagram, he wrote, "I don't normally get involved in politics, but Governor Burgum has become a good friend over the years and I can't think of anyone better than him to be our president."

Residence

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Duhamel owns two cabins in Minnesota.[49] In October 2023, in an interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Duhamel said: "And the older I got, the more I wanted to come back here [to North Dakota]."[50] He described his lake house as a place where he "can get back to being who I really am."[46]

In the media

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In 2012, Duhamel was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame, a signature event of Norsk Høstfest.[51] On May 19, 2022, Minot State University named their Summer Theatre stage the "Josh Duhamel Stage" in his honor.[52]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2004 The Picture of Dorian Gray Dorian Gray
2004 Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! Tad Hamilton Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Male Breakout Star
Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liar
2006 Turistas Alex Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Horror/Thriller
2007 Transformers Captain William Lennox Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Rumble (Captain Lennox vs. Blackout)
2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Major William Lennox
2010 The Romantics Tom
2010 When in Rome Nick Beamon
2010 Ramona and Beezus Hobart
2010 Life as We Know It Eric Messer Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy
2011 Transformers: Dark of the Moon Lieutenant Colonel William Lennox
2011 New Year's Eve Sam Ahern
2012 Fire with Fire Jeremy Coleman Direct-to-video
2012 Planet Ocean Narrator Documentary
2012 Wings Ace (voice)
2013 Movie 43 Anson Segment: "Beezel"
2013 Safe Haven Alex Wheatley
2013 Scenic Route (aka Wrecked) Mitchell
2014 Wings: Sky Force Heroes Ace (voice)
2014 You're Not You Evan
2014 Lost in the Sun John Wheeler
2014 Don Peyote Transient
2015 Bravetown Alexander Weller
2016 Misconduct Ben
2016 Spaceman Bill "Spaceman" Lee
2017 The Institute Detective
2017 The Show Adam Rogers
2017 CHiPs Rick
2017 Transformers: The Last Knight Colonel William Lennox
2018 Love, Simon Jack Spier
2019 Capsized: Blood in the Water John Lippoth
2019 Buddy Games Bobfather Writer, Director, Producer
2020 The Lost Husband James O'Connor
2020 Think Like a Dog Lukas Reed
2021 Batman: The Long Halloween Harvey Dent / Two-Face Direct-to-video; voice role[53]
2021 Night of the Animated Dead Harry Cooper Voice role
2022 Bandit Gilbert Galvan/Producer
2022 Blackout Cain
2022 Shotgun Wedding Tom Released on Amazon Prime Video[54]
2023 Buddy Games: Spring Awakening" Bobfather Director, Producer
TBA Not Without Hope Timothy Close Post-production

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1999–2002;
2011
All My Children Leo du Pres Contract role
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2002)
Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2001, 2003)
Nominated — Daytime Emmy Special Fan Award: America's Favorite Couple (shared with Rebecca Budig)
Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Young Lead Actor
2002 Ed Richard Reed Episode: "The Shot"
2003–2008 Las Vegas Danny McCoy Main role, 106 episodes
Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout TV Star - Male
Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actor - Drama/Action Adventure
2004–2007 Crossing Jordan Danny McCoy 3 episodes
2008 The Replacements Himself Voice role, 3 episodes
2009–2012 Fanboy & Chum Chum Oz Voice role, 52 episodes
2011–2012 Bomb Patrol Afghanistan Narrator Voice role, 17 episodes
2012–2015 Jake and the Never Land Pirates Captain Flynn Voice role, 14 episodes
2015 Battle Creek FBI Special Agent Milton Chamberlain Main role, 13 episodes
2016 11.22.63 Frank Dunning Recurring role, 4 episodes
2018 LA to Vegas Captain Kyle Episode: "Two and a Half Pilots"[55]
2018 Unsolved Detective Greg Kading Main role, 10 episodes[56]
2019 Veronica Mars Magnus Episode: "Chino and the Man"
2021 Jupiter's Legacy Sheldon Sampson / The Utopian Main role, 8 episodes
2021 Love, Victor Jack Spier Episode: "There's No Gay in Team"
2021–2022 Blade Runner: Black Lotus Marlowe Voice role[57]
2022 The Thing About Pam Joel Schwartz Main role[58]
2022 The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers Coach Colin Cole Main role (Season 2)[59]
2023 Buddy Games Himself Host

Video games

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Year Title Voice role Notes
2015 Skylanders: SuperChargers High Volt [60]
2017 Call of Duty: WWII Technical Sergeant William Pierson Also motion capture
2022 The Callisto Protocol Jacob Lee Also motion capture[61]

References

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  1. ^ Stated on Who Do You Think You Are?, December 10, 2018
  2. ^ "Josh Duhamel Is a (Strong) Man in Tights on 'Ellen DeGeneres'". OK!. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  3. ^ "Josh Duhamel Mourns Stepfather Who 'Pulled' Him from 'Wrong Side of the Tracks Into a Life with Possibility'". Peoplemag. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  4. ^ Duncan, Capt. Kristen D. (June 30, 2011). "'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' filmed at Hurlburt, Airmen included as 'extras'". Air Force Special Operations Command. Retrieved September 28, 2022. The two had a chance Minot High School Class of 1991 reunion between acting takes
  5. ^ a b Hatty, Michele (February 6, 2005). "Meet up-and-comer Josh Duhamel". USA Weekend. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  6. ^ "NBC.com". NBC. Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  7. ^ "Josh Duhamel Biography". People Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  8. ^ Rainey, Candice (July 1, 2005). "Everybody's All American". GQ. New York, NY: Advance Publications.
  9. ^ "Duhamel Earns A Degree - 13 Years After Starting It". Contact Music. New York, NY: contactmusic.com. October 4, 2005.
  10. ^ a b "IMTA Alum Josh Duhamel Transforms Into Action Hero". International Modeling and Talent Agency. July 2, 2007. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved July 26, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "Josh Duhamel: People.com". People Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  12. ^ "Best New Couple". Soap Opera Digest. 2000.
  13. ^ Aspenson, Carolyn (February 5, 2009). "Redefining the Super Couple". eyeonsoaps.net. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  14. ^ "The 29th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards". Soapcentral. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  15. ^ McClintock, Pamela (September 26, 2007). "'Transformers' sequel sets 2009 date". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  16. ^ "Actor Josh Duhamel To Drive Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car At Indy 500". indy500.com. April 30, 2009. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  17. ^ The Associated Press, Josh Duhamel named host of Kids' Choice Awards, The Miami Herald, January 23, 2013
  18. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 27, 2015). "Josh Duhamel Boards Hulu's '11/22/63' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  19. ^ McNary, Dave (March 23, 2018). "Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel to Reunite in Family Comedy 'Think Like a Dog'". Variety. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  20. ^ "Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel headed for New Orleans and 'Think Like a Dog'". NOLA.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  21. ^ Debruge, Peter (February 26, 2018). "Film Review: 'Love, Simon'". Variety. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  22. ^ Petski, Denise; Nellie, Andreeva (February 11, 2019). "'Jupiter's Legacy': Josh Duhamel, Leslie Bibb, Ben Daniels & Matt Lanter Among 7 Cast In Netflix Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  23. ^ Ausiello, Michael (June 2, 2021). "Jupiter's Legacy Cancelled — But Netflix Has Already Ordered a Spinoff". TVLine. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 2, 2021). "Josh Duhamel Commits To Jennifer Lopez's 'Shotgun Wedding' After Armie Hammer's Exit; Jennifer Coolidge & Sonia Braga Also Join – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  25. ^ "Josh Duhamel Joins Renée Zellweger In NBC Limited Series 'The Thing About Pam'".
  26. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (January 24, 2022). "'Mighty Ducks': Josh Duhamel Set as New Male Lead in Disney+ Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  27. ^ "Bandit Review: Josh Duhamel Steals The Show As A Legendary Canadian Bank Robber". The Wrap. September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  28. ^ Thomas, Leeann (April 23, 2010). "Three Romantic Restaurants in Minot, North Dakota". Yahoo! Voices. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  29. ^ "Squirrel Not On The Menu At Duhamel's Restaurant". Cinema blend. June 26, 2009. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  30. ^ "Actor Josh Duhamel makes presidential endorsement". June 29, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  31. ^ "Josh Duhamel is promoting his home state for another two years". Valley News Live. April 20, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  32. ^ "Josh Duhamel Reveals His Pick-Up Line on Fergie". People. Time Inc. June 19, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  33. ^ "Fergie and Josh". Elle. March 4, 2009. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
  34. ^ "It's Official: Fergie & Josh Are Married!". People. Time Inc. January 10, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  35. ^ "Josh and Fergie Duhamel Welcome Son Axl Jack". People. August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  36. ^ "Fergie and Josh Duhamel Separate After 8 Years of Marriage: 'We Are and Will Always be United'". People. September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  37. ^ Grossman, Lena (June 1, 2019). "Fergie Files for Divorce From Josh Duhamel Almost 2 Years After Separation". E!. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  38. ^ Mizoguchi, Karen (November 25, 2019). "Fergie and Josh Duhamel Finalize Their Divorce Over 2 Years After Announcing Separation". People. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  39. ^ Murphy, Helen (February 26, 2020). "Josh Duhamel and Girlfriend Audra Mari Step Out Holding Hands in Los Angeles". People. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  40. ^ Hautman, Nicholas (December 9, 2019). "Josh Duhamel's New Girlfriend Audra Mari: 5 Things to Know About Her". Us Weekly. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  41. ^ "Josh Duhamel Is Engaged to Former Miss World America Audra Mari". Vanity Fair. January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  42. ^ "Jish Duhamel Announces Engagement to Audra Mari and Gets Congratulations from Ex-Fergie". people.com. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  43. ^ Nicholas Rice (September 12, 2022). "Josh Duhamel Marries Audra Mari in North Dakota Wedding Ceremony". People. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  44. ^ Franesca Gariano (September 12, 2022). "Josh Duhamel and Audra Mari's Relationship Timeline". People. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  45. ^ Moorman, Taijuan (January 17, 2024). "Josh Duhamel and Audra Mari announce birth of son Shepherd Lawrence: See the sweet photo". USA Today.
  46. ^ a b "Josh Duhamel Says 'All the Hollywood Stuff' Was a Factor in His Marriage to Fergie Ending". Peoplemag. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  47. ^ "The Softer Side of Josh Duhamel". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays. Parade. September 19, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  48. ^ "Actor Josh Duhamel makes presidential endorsement". June 29, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  49. ^ "Josh Duhamel Is Obsessed With His Doomsday Prepper Cabin". Inverse. May 19, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  50. ^ "Josh Duhamel Shares What Led to His Divorce From Fergie". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  51. ^ "SAHF Inductees". hostfest.com. Norsk Høstfest.
  52. ^ "MSU Summer Theatre to include Josh Duhamel Stage". May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  53. ^ Couch, Aaron (March 31, 2021). "'Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One' Sets Voice Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  54. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 4, 2022). "Prime Video Takes U.S. Rights To Jennifer Lopez Lionsgate Romantic Comedy 'Shotgun Wedding'". Deadline Hollywood.
  55. ^ Anop, Nirat (December 28, 2017). "LA to Vegas - Episode 1.03 - Two and a Half Pilots - Press Release". SpoilerTV.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  56. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 23, 2017). "'Unsolved': Josh Duhamel, Jimmi Simpson & Bokeem Woodbine To Topline USA Pilot On Tupac Shakur & Biggie Smalls Murders".
  57. ^ Mateo, Alex (July 7, 2021). "Blade Runner: Black Lotus Anime Reveals English/Japanese Casts". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  58. ^ Otterson, Joe (August 20, 2021). "Josh Duhamel joins Renee Zellweger in NBC true crime series 'The Thing About Pam'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  59. ^ Petski, Denise (January 24, 2022). "Josh Duhamel To Star In 'The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers' Season 2". Deadline. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  60. ^ Vicarious Visions. Skylanders: SuperChargers. Activision. Scene: Closing credits, 7:13 in, Voice Actors.
  61. ^ "Now that the cats out of the bag, allow us to introduce @joshduhamel as Jacob Lee 👀". Twitter. May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
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