Brian Austin Green

Early life

Green was born in Van Nuys, California, the son of Joyce and George Green. He has some Scottish and Jewish ancestry. His middle name, "Austin", was added to differentiate himself from another actor when he joined the Screen Actors Guild as a child.

Career

Prior to his role on Beverly Hills, 90210, Green had a recurring role for three seasons (1986–1989) on the CBS primetime soap opera Knots Landing, playing the role of Brian Cunningham, the son of Abby Cunningham Ewing (Donna Mills). He reprised his role in the television miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac (1997). He appeared in the 1987 pilot of Good Morning, Miss Bliss as Adam Montcrief.

Producer Aaron Spelling stated that Green was cast as David Silver because of their similar personalities. The character was often scripted to reflect Green's own interests. As the series progressed, the character began to experiment with hip hop music and DJing, as did Green himself. In 1996, Green dropped "Austin" from his professional name and attempted a career as a rapper, releasing one album, One Stop Carnival, produced by The Pharcyde member Slimkid3. In the 1990s, Green was a guest star on Growing Pains, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Melrose Place, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Fantastic Four, Mad TV, Biker Mice from Mars, Malibu Shores, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac.

Green appeared briefly in the multiple award-winning Showtime drama series Resurrection Blvd. as Luke Bonner (2001–2004), a police officer attending law school. He had a cameo on Hope & Faith where he met Megan Fox; they started dating in 2004. He appeared on the ABC sitcom Freddie (2005) starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. He was a guest star on The Twilight Zone, Las Vegas and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He also appeared alongside former 90210 cast member Ian Ziering in the Tony Scott film Domino as parodies of themselves.

Green appeared in a horror short called Grace, which was set around a miscarriage gone bad, and features Gilmore Girls actress Liza Weil as his love interest. It premiered at the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors on June 2, 2006, and was reworked as a full-length feature film (2009). He was a guest star on George Lopez in 2006 as Chris.

Green played Derek Reese in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a Resistance fighter sent to the past by the future John Connor. The character is the older brother of Kyle Reese (John Connor's father) and paternal uncle of John. Green was a recurring character in season 1 but became a regular at the start of season 2, following a positive response from critics and fans. His character is killed by a Terminator in the penultimate episode, but another Derek from an alternate timeline is introduced in the series finale and would have remained on the show if it had been renewed for a third season.

Personal life

Green won the celebrity portion of the Grand Prix of Long Beach in early 2010.

In April 2017, Green co-created a podcast with Derek Russell titled ...With Brian Austin Green. The show went on indefinite hiatus in 2022, with Green signing an exclusive deal with iHeartRadio to start a new podcast, Old-ish, in 2023 alongside Sharna Burgess and Randy Spelling.

In June 2022, Green revealed that he has suffered from ulcerative colitis.

Relationships

Green dated his Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Tiffani Thiessen from 1992 to 1995.

During his time on 90210, he dated Tichina Arnold, but they ended their relationship due to the hardship of being in an interracial relationship. They remain on good terms. In 1999, Green started dating his Beverly Hills, 90210 castmate Vanessa Marcil, whom he met on set. The two became engaged in July 2001 and had son Kassius in 2002. They planned to wed that year, but ended their relationship in 2003.

In 2004, Green began dating actress Megan Fox, having first met on the set of Hope & Faith when he was 30 years old and she was 18. Fox said Green was initially hesitant to enter a relationship with her due to the age difference. Fox said, "I had to convince him that I was slightly more responsible and well-spoken and had other things to bring to the table besides being 18." They became engaged in 2006 but broke off their engagement in February 2009. Later that year, their home was targeted by a group of fashion-motivated criminals known as "The Bling Ring", who initially targeted them to steal Fox's designer clothes.

In June 2010, Green and Fox announced they were engaged again, and several days later on June 24, the two wed at the Four Seasons resort on the island of Hawaii. They have three sons together, born in 2012, 2014, and 2016. Fox filed for divorce from Green on August 21, 2015, a few days after the couple announced their separation. They reconciled in early 2016. On April 25, 2019, Fox filed to dismiss the divorce in Los Angeles, California. In May 2020, Green announced that he and Fox had separated after nearly 10 years of marriage. In November 2020, Fox filed for divorce from Green for a second time. They finalized their divorce on October 15, 2021.

Green has been dating Australian professional dancer Sharna Burgess since October 2020. They announced they were expecting their first child together on February 4, 2022. Their son was born on June 28, 2022. On September 22, 2023, the couple announced their engagement.

Philanthropy

Both Green and ex-wife Megan Fox are supporters of Generosity Water, and have funded the creation of over ten water wells for the organization. Through his podcast, Green organized a charity event to benefit the organization on September 1, 2018.. He hosted another charity event on August 31, 2019, a live Beverly Hlls, 90210 reunion podcast taping at Torrance High School (the original West Beverly High). The event featured fans, original castmates Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Carol Potter, Christine Elise McCarthy, Joe E. Tata, and Doug Emerson, and special musical guest Color Me Badd.

Green and girlfriend Sharna Burgess took part in the Search4Smiles campaign supporting the Trueheart Search Engine, which donates 80% of their profits to charity.

Paparazzi lawsuit

In March 2012, photographer Delbert Shaw sued Green and ex-wife Fox in Los Angeles County Superior Court for allegedly assaulting him after he took photographs of the couple while Green and Fox were vacationing in Hawaii in 2010. In June 2012, Green said he was defending himself against Shaw and that Fox should not be included in the lawsuit. In January 2013, the judge ordered the paparazzo to pay the couple $620 towards their legal fees. The case was ultimately dismissed by the court.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Nominated for Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Drama Series for Knots Landing (1987)

Nominated for Best Young Actor in a Nighttime Drama Series for Knots Landing (1988)

Won Best Young Actor Starring in a TV Movie, Pilot or Special for Adventures in Babysitting (1989)

Nominated for Best Young Actor Supporting or Recurring Role For a TV Series for Beverly Hills, 90210 (1991)

Won Best Young Actor Co-Starring in a Television Series for Beverly Hills, 90210 (1992)

Won Palm Beach International Film Festival Special Jury Prize for a feature film directorial debut for Fish Without a Bicycle (2003)

Won Best Feature Philadelphia FirstGlance Film Festival for Fish Without a Bicycle (2003)

Won Prize Best Dramatic Feature Los Angeles DIY Film Festival for Fish Without a Bicycle (2003)

Discography

One Stop Carnival (1996)

Esthero: Wikked Lil' Grrrls (2005) (drums)

Wedding Band (2012–2013) (soundtrack released exclusively as singles on iTunes as Mother of the Bride)