Johnny Messner (born April 11, 1970) is an American film and television actor best known for his portrayal of a muscular military man in the 2004 film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid.
Biography
Messner was born on April 11, 1970, in Syracuse, New York. He is of German, Italian and Spanish descent.[1] He lived in Europe for 13 years while his father served in the United States Air Force, mainly in Germany and England. During this time, he developed a love for sports while playing on teams at military bases. He has one brother and one sister.[2] He briefly attended the San Diego State University to major in sports broadcasting but eventually decided to drop out.[3] Soon after that he went back to New York where he pursued an acting career.[4] He has several tattoos; one depicts Italian actress Monica Bellucci, and another is of his father.[4]
Known as an action hero, he starred in numerous genre films including Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004), Tears of the Sun (2003), Running Scared (2006), Arena (2011), Kill 'em All (2012), The Good, the Bad, and the Dead (2015), Silencer (2018), and Beyond the Law (2019). He portrayed the main protagonist, an ex-police officer Burke Wyatt, in the 2008 action film Ring of Death, created for Spike TV.[9] A torture sequence, shot for the film, required Messner to be waterboarded.[10]
Messner's ex-partner is Kathryn Morris, whom he met while shooting Cold Case.[11] They have twin sons.[12] Messner is currently married to Avril Grace.[13][14]
