Cameron Monaghan
{{short description|American actor and model (born 1993)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Cameron Monaghan
| image = Cameron Monaghan 2022.jpg
| caption = Monaghan in 2022
| birth_name = Cameron Riley Monaghan
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1993|08|16}}
| birth_place = Santa Monica, California, U.S.
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|model}}
| years_active = 2002–present
| website = {{URL|https://www.cameronmonaghan.net/}}
}}
Cameron Riley Monaghan (born August 16, 1993{{Cite web |first=Mike |last=Rose |date=August 16, 2023 |title=Famous birthdays list for August 16, 2023 includes celebrities Steve Carell, Angela Bassett |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2023/08/famous-birthdays-list-for-august-16-2023-includes-celebrities-steve-carell-angela-bassett.html |access-date=May 3, 2024 |website=Cleveland.com}}) is an American actor and model. The accolades he has received include nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award.
Monaghan is known for his role as Ian Gallagher on the Showtime comedy-drama series Shameless and as twins Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, who serve as origins for the Joker, on the DC Comics-based TV series Gotham.{{Cite web |last=Pearce |first=Tilly |date=May 14, 2018 |title=Gotham{{'}}s Cameron Monaghan FINALLY explains why he's not 'The Joker' |url=https://metro.co.uk/2018/05/14/gotham-star-cameron-monaghan-finally-explains-cant-joker-show-renewed-fifth-final-season-7545454/ |website=Metro |language=en-GB |access-date=April 27, 2020}} He also portrayed Cal Kestis in the action-adventure game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Monaghan began his career as a child model at the age of three and as a child actor at the age of seven.
Early life
Monaghan was born in Santa Monica, California, the only child of Diane Monaghan, an insurance claims specialist and single mother. He and his mother relocated to Boca Raton, Florida, shortly after his birth. Recognizing that Monaghan was an exceptionally outgoing child, his mother sent his picture to modeling agencies when he was three. He appeared on the cover of his first catalogue at the age of five and appeared in his first regional commercial at seven.{{cite web |last=Kernicky |first=Kathleen |date=February 15, 2003 |title=The Music Boy |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-02-15/lifestyle/0302140405_1_cameron-monaghan-winthrop-paroo-gifted-program |work=Sun-Sentinel |language=en-US |access-date=November 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826004448/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-02-15/lifestyle/0302140405_1_cameron-monaghan-winthrop-paroo-gifted-program |archive-date=August 26, 2012}}{{cite web |last=Kernicky |first=Kathleen |date=December 31, 2003 |title=Auld Acquaintances – Stardom Beckons |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-12-31/lifestyle/0312290323_1_cameron-music-florida-philharmonic-orchestra |work=Sun-Sentinel |language=en-US |access-date=November 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826004514/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-12-31/lifestyle/0312290323_1_cameron-music-florida-philharmonic-orchestra |archive-date=August 26, 2012}}
He attended Addison Mizner Elementary School and began to develop his acting skills by appearing in the Little Palm Children's Theatre's productions of Stuart Little, Winnie-the-Pooh, and The Pumpkin King (a theatrical adaptation of The Nightmare Before Christmas), as well as appearing as Alex in the small independent film The Wishing Stone, which was filmed in the Lake Worth, Florida area.
Monaghan moved to the Los Angeles area when he was approximately 10 years old.{{cite web |last=Yehuda |first=Anna Ben |date=March 13, 2014 |title=Q&A: Cameron Monaghan on Shameless; Jamming with Jeff Bridges |url=http://la-confidential-magazine.com/the-latest/people-and-parties/postings/cameron-monaghan-talks-shameless-and-the-giver |work=Los Angeles Confidential |language=en-US |access-date=March 24, 2014}}
Career
= Early career =
Monaghan first came to national attention in 2003 for his role as Winthrop Paroo in the ABC television adaptation of The Music Man. When recounting the decision to cast the 9-year-old Monaghan, director and executive producer Jeff Bleckner explained, "There are some people, when you put them up on film, they sort of pop off the screen at you. That's how it was with Cameron. From the second we saw him, he was it. We were looking for anybody who had that wonderful appeal. And Cameron had it."
In 2004, Monaghan began a recurring role as Chad, one of Dewey's classmates on the Fox comedy series Malcolm in the Middle, which earned him the Young Artist Award as Best Young Television Actor in a Recurring Role.{{cite web |title=26th Annual Young Artist Awards |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms26.htm |work=Young Artist Awards |language=en-US |access-date=March 24, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304222052/http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms26.htm |archive-date=March 4, 2008}} The following year, he began a recurring role as Palmer Noid on the Nickelodeon situation comedy Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. Subsequent guest-starring television roles followed, including appearances on Criminal Minds, Numbers, The Mentalist, Monk, Three Rivers, Fringe, The Glades, and Terriers.{{cite web |title=Cameron Monaghan Credits |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/cameron-monaghan/credits/225532 |work=TV Guide |language=en-US |access-date=March 24, 2014}}
In 2005, Monaghan transitioned to theatrical film roles, appearing as Timmy in the independent western Brothers in Arms. The following year, he appeared as Kevin O'Doyle, the bothersome next-door neighbor in the fantasy comedy Click. A series of subsequent feature film roles followed, including appearances in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Dog Gone, Safe Harbor and Another Harvest Moon, as well as portraying the boy detective Bob Andrews in the Three Investigators film series.
=''Shameless''=
{{Main|Ian Gallagher}}
In April 2010, Monaghan was cast as an ensemble cast member on the Showtime comedy-drama series Shameless.{{cite web |last=Fienberg |first=Daniel |date=April 8, 2010 |title=Showtime makes a Shameless pickup |url=http://www.hitfix.com/articles/showtime-makes-a-shameless-pickup |work=HitFix |access-date=March 24, 2014}} On the series, which premiered in January 2011, Monaghan portrays Ian Gallagher, the gay bipolar teenage son of a large dysfunctional Chicago family. Sarah Hughes of The Independent commended Monaghan's portrayal for providing "one of the more nuanced depictions of a gay teenager to be seen on US TV."{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/meet-the-new-gallaghers-2180200.html |title=Meet the new Gallaghers |last=Hughes |first=Sarah |date=January 10, 2011 |work=The Independent |access-date=March 30, 2011}} Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe described Monaghan's performance as "extraordinary."{{cite web |last=Gilbert |first=Matthew |date=January 7, 2011 |title=All of a dysfunctional family |url=https://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2011/01/07/macy_and_a_touch_of_humor_lift_dysfunctional_family_drama_shameless/ |work=The Boston Globe |language=en-US |access-date=March 30, 2011}} The gay-interest media outlet AfterElton.com cited Monaghan's portrayal of Ian in naming him to its list of "2011's Break-Out TV Actors".{{cite web |last=Reker |first=Art |date=December 22, 2011 |title=The Year In Television: 2011's Break-Out TV Actors |url=http://www.thebacklot.com/the-year-in-television-2011s-break-out-tv-actors/12/2011/ |work=AfterElton.com |access-date=December 22, 2011}} In February 2014, Showtime announced it had renewed the series for a fifth season, scheduled to begin airing in 2015.{{cite web |url=http://www.seat42f.com/showtime-renews-shameless-house-lies.html |title=Showtime Renews Shameless And House of Lies |date=February 18, 2014 |access-date=March 24, 2014 |work=Seat42F}} For his work in the fifth season, Monaghan received a Critic's Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. The seventh season began airing in October 2016. The eighth season, consisting of 12 episodes, went into production in May 2017; it premiered on November 5, 2017.{{cite web |last=Jade |first=Saura |date=August 7, 2017 |title=TVLine Items: Shameless Return Date, DC's Legends Hails Caesar and More |url=http://tvline.com/2017/08/07/shameless-season-8-premiere-date-showtime/ |accessdate=October 23, 2023 |publisher=TVLine |archive-date=December 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228020046/http://tvline.com/2017/08/07/shameless-season-8-premiere-date-showtime/ |url-status=dead }} The series was renewed for a ninth season which premiered on September 9, 2018.{{cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=November 8, 2017 |title=Shameless Renewed For Season 9 By Showtime |url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/shameless-renewed-season-9-showtime-1202204195/ |website=Deadline |language=en-US |access-date=October 8, 2018}} Monaghan announced via Instagram that he would be leaving the series following the sixth episode of the ninth season.{{cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=October 8, 2018 |title=Shameless Star Cameron Monaghan Announces Series Exit |url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/shameless-cameron-monaghan-leaving-show-1202972884/ |work=Variety |language=en-US |access-date=October 8, 2018}} However, Cameron returned for the tenth season which premiered in late 2019.{{cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |date=January 31, 2019 |title=Shameless Renewed for Season 10 at Showtime |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/shameless-renewed-season-10-at-showtime-1170679 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |access-date=January 31, 2019 |quote=Showtime entertainment co-president Gary Levine announced that Monaghan will indeed return for season 10.}}
= 2011 to present =
Monaghan appears in a variety of episodic television roles. In 2011, he guest-starred as Nick Peyton, a teenage boy accused of murdering his Marine father, on the CBS crime series NCIS. That same year he appeared as Jonathan McKenna on the TNT mystery series Rizzoli & Isles. In 2012, he guest-starred as Eddie Sandow, a 19-year-old who creates a hostage situation after his father is accused of sexual assault, on the NBC crime series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Monaghan also appears in a variety of feature film roles. In 2011, he co-starred as high school sophomore Corey Doyle in the Disney teen drama Prom. In 2012, he portrayed Jake, the son of an attractive YMCA director in the sports themed comedy 2nd Serve. In 2014, Monaghan starred as Adam McCormick, a small-town high school athlete who becomes consumed by the death of one of his classmates in the independent drama Jamie Marks Is Dead. That same year, he appeared as Mason Ashford, the best friend and romantic interest to Rose in the fantasy adventure film Vampire Academy.{{cite web |last=Patten |first=Dominic |date=May 10, 2013 |title=Vampire Academy Adds Blue Bloods Sami Gayle, Shameless Cameron Monaghan & More To Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2013/05/vampire-academy-adds-blue-bloods-sami-gayle-shameless-cameron-monaghan-more-to-cast-496094/ |website=Deadline |language=en-US |access-date=May 11, 2013}}{{cite web |last=Davis |first=Michele |date=February 19, 2014 |title=This is Me: Cameron Monaghan |url=http://zooeymagazine.com/2014/02/this-is-me-cameron-monaghan/ |work=Zooey Magazine |access-date=March 24, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330064422/http://zooeymagazine.com/2014/02/this-is-me-cameron-monaghan/ |archive-date=March 30, 2014}} He also starred as Asher in the dystopian film The Giver.{{Cite web |title='The Giver' actor Cameron Monaghan on Asher's expanded role |url=https://ew.com/article/2014/06/18/the-giver-cameron-monaghan/ |access-date=February 19, 2024 |website=EW.com |language=en}}
From 2015 to 2019, Monaghan was featured as a recurring guest star in all five seasons of Fox's DC Comics-based television series Gotham. He plays the antagonistic twin brothers Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, who both serve origin stories for the famous Batman villain Joker.{{Cite web |last=Mancuso |first=Vinnie |date=April 1, 2019 |title=New 'Gotham' Joker Teaser Reveals Cameron Monaghan Going Full Joker |url=https://collider.com/gotham-joker-cameron-monaghan-video-image/ |website=Collider |language=en-US |access-date=May 6, 2023}}
Monaghan plays Cal Kestis, the player character in the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,{{Cite web |last=Dedmon |first=Tanner |date=April 13, 2019 |title=Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Stars Gotham Actor Cameron Monaghan as Cal Kestis |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order-gotham-cameron-monaghan-cal-kestis/ |website=Comic Book |language=en-US |access-date=May 6, 2023}} and its 2023 sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
In July 2023, it was announced that Monaghan would join the cast of Tron: Ares alongside Jared Leto.{{cite web |last=Couch |first=Aaron |date=July 13, 2023 |title='Tron: Ares' Enlists 'Yellowjackets' Star Sarah Desjardins |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tron-ares-casts-sarah-desjardins-1235534747/ |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter}}
Filmography
= Film =
= Television =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2003
| data-sort-value="Music Man, The" | The Music Man | Winthrop Paroo | Television film |
| 2004–2005
| Chad | 6 episodes |
| rowspan="2" | 2005
| Poi, Ping (voice) | Episode: "The Fortuneteller" |
| Threshold
| Josh Foster | Episode: "Blood of the Children" |
| 2005–2006
| Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | Palmer Noid | 3 episodes |
| 2006
| Jeffrey Charles | Episode: "The Boogeyman" |
| 2007
| Andy (voice) | Episode: "Flip-Flopped" |
| rowspan="6" | 2009
| Fringe | Tyler Carson | Episode: "Of Human Action" |
| data-sort-value="Mentalist, The" | The Mentalist
| Elliot | Episode: "Blood Brothers" |
| Monk
| Danny Cooper | Episode: "Mr. Monk's Favorite Show" |
| Numbers
| Todd | Episode "Jacked" |
| Safe Harbor
| Larry Parker | Television film |
| Three Rivers
| Auden Drinkwater | Episode: "Place of Life" |
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| data-sort-value="Glades, The" | The Glades | Shane Conners | Episode: "Marriage is Murder" |
| Terriers
| Cody Grice | Episode: "Pimp Daddy" |
| rowspan="2" | 2011
| NCIS | Nick Peyton | Episode: "Out of the Frying Pan" |
| Rizzoli & Isles
| Jonathan McKenna | Episode: "Don't Hate the Player" |
| 2011–2021
| Main cast |
| 2012
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Eddie Sandow | Episode: "Father's Shadow" |
| 2015–2019
| Gotham | Recurring role |
| 2016
| Tom Fairfax | Main cast |
| 2017
| Jeff | Episode: "The Weekend Warrior" |
=Video games=
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| Year | Title | Role | class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019
| Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | rowspan="3" | Cal Kestis | rowspan="3" | Voice, motion capture, and likeness | |||
| 2023 | |||
| TBA
| Star Wars Jedi: 3 |
= Web series =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2008
|Young boy |Episode: "Helpful Bus" |
| 2011
| Corey & Lucas for the Win! | Corey Doyle | 6 episodes |
| 2020
|Ferris Bueller |Episode: "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" |
Awards and nominations
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline}}
- {{IMDb name}}
- {{Twitter}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monaghan, Cameron}}
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American child models
Category:American male child actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male video game actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:Male actors from Santa Monica, California
Category:Male motion capture actors