Devon Sawa
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use Canadian English Template:Infobox person
Devon Edward Sawa (born September 7, 1978) is a Canadian actor. Born and raised in Vancouver, Sawa began his career promoting children's action toys. He made his film debut with a supporting role in Little Giants (1994) and received wide recognition for playing the title role as a human boy in Casper (1995). Sawa also had starring roles in the films Wild America (1997), SLC Punk! (1998), Idle Hands (1999), and Final Destination (2000).
Following his lead roles in the poorly received films Slackers and Extreme Ops (both 2002), Sawa acted in various direct-to-video independent film productions. He also played the title character in the Eminem music video "Stan" and was cast as Owen Elliot / Sam Matthews on the CW action drama series Nikita (2010–2013). Sawa experienced a career resurgence in the 2020s. He played multiple roles on the Syfy and USA Network horror series Chucky (2021–2024) and had a starring role in the horror film Heart Eyes (2025).
Early life
Devon Sawa was born on September 7, 1978,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in Vancouver, the son of Joyce and Edward Sawa, a mechanic. He has two older siblings. His father was of Polish descent, and his mother is "a little bit of everything".<ref name="feb2000int" />
Career
1994–2000
Sawa began his career in 1992 at age 14 as a children's action toy spokesman. He made his film debut in Little Giants in 1994 and received wide recognition for playing the title role as a human boy in Casper the following year. In Now and Then (1995), Sawa played the town bully, Scott Wormer. He subsequently appeared in the films Wild America (1997), SLC Punk! (1998), Idle Hands (1999), and Final Destination (2000). In 2000, Sawa played the title character in the Eminem music video "Stan".<ref>D. Sawa DevonSawa.org Filmography: "Stan" Template:Webarchive</ref> He later did voice acting, voicing Flash Thompson in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series. Sawa continued to work steadily in the 2000s by appearing in several independent films, including Extreme Dating, Shooting Gallery, Devil's Den, Creature Of Darkness, Endure, 388 Arletta Avenue, The Philly Kid, and A Resurrection.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2010–2019
In 2010, Sawa portrayed Owen Elliott on The CW action drama series Nikita.<ref name=nikita/><ref name=nikitaowen/> In July 2012, he was promoted to series regular in the third season of Nikita; the show ended after four seasons in 2013.<ref name=tvl120711/> In 2016, Sawa played the lead role in Punk's Dead, a sequel to SLC Punk! by the same director, James Merendino. In 2017, he portrayed the role of Nico Jackson in Somewhere Between; the show ended after one season. In 2019, Sawa appeared as Lester Clark Jr. in Escape Plan: The Extractors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also starred in the thriller The Fanatic, making his first appearance of wide release since 2002. He played Hunter Dunbar, an actor who is stalked by a character named Moose. The movie was directed by Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst.
2020–present
Sawa returned to his lead roles, starred in the films like Hunter Hunter (2020) and Black Friday (2021), which both received favorable reviews.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Sawa married Canadian producer Dawni Sahanovitch in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They have two children together, a son born in 2014 and a daughter born in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Sawa has described himself as being irreligious, an atheist, and supportive of religious freedoms.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>
In June 2022, Sawa gave a lengthy interview to The Independent, where he said that he sought out roles in which the character smoked marijuana to help get away from his teen heartthrob status which began with Casper. Sawa also said that between 2004 and 2009, he "drank a lot" until becoming sober after meeting his wife in Vancouver.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Little Giants | Junior Floyd | |
| 1995 | Casper | Casper McFadden | Template:Efn |
| Now and Then | Scott Wormer | ||
| 1997 | The Boys Club | Eric | |
| Wild America | Mark Stouffer | ||
| 1998 | A Cool, Dry Place | Noah Ward | |
| SLC Punk! | Sean | ||
| Around the Fire | Simon Harris | ||
| 1999 | Idle Hands | Anton Tobias | |
| 2000 | Final Destination | Alex Browning | |
| The Guilty | Nathan Corrigan | ||
| 2002 | Slackers | Dave Goodman | |
| Extreme Ops | Will | ||
| 2004 | Extreme Dating | Daniel Roenick | |
| 2005 | Shooting Gallery | Paul the Pawn | Direct-to-video |
| 2006 | Devil's Den | Quinn | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | Creature of Darkness | Andrew | |
| 2010 | Endure | Zeth Arnold | |
| 2011 | Final Destination 5 | Alex Browning | Archive footage; uncredited<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 388 Arletta Avenue | Bill Burrows | Direct-to-video | |
| 2012 | The Philly Kid | Jake | Direct-to-video |
| 2013 | A Resurrection | Travis Blair | |
| 2014 | A Warden's Ransom | Miller | |
| 2015 | The Exorcism of Molly Hartley | John Barrow | Direct-to-video |
| Life on the Line | Duncan | Direct-to-video | |
| 2016 | Punk's Dead | Sean | |
| 2019 | Escape Plan: The Extractors | Lester Clark Jr. | Direct-to-video |
| The Fanatic | Hunter Dunbar | ||
| Jarhead: Law of Return | Ronan Jackson | Direct-to-video | |
| 2020 | Disturbing the Peace | Diablo | |
| Hunter Hunter | Joseph Mersault | ||
| Death Rider in the House of Vampires | Death Rider | Direct-to-video | |
| 2021 | Black Friday | Ken Bates | |
| 2022 | Gasoline Alley | Jimmy Jayne | Direct-to-video |
| 2023 | Who Are You People | Karl | |
| 2024 | Consumed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Quinn | |
| All the Lost Ones | Conrad | ||
| 2025 | Heart Eyes | Zeke Hobbs | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| TBA | The Girl in the River | Filming<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Unsub | Young John Wesley | Episode: "And the Dead Shall Rise to Condemn Thee: Part 2" |
| 1992–1994 | The Odyssey | Yudo | 3 episodes |
| 1993 | Sherlock Holmes Returns | Young James Moriarty Booth | TV film |
| 1995 | Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years | Hank Valen | Episode: "The Hanging" |
| 1995–1996 | Action Man | Additional voices | 26 episodes |
| 1996 | Night of the Twisters | Dan Hatch | TV film |
| Robin of Locksley | Robin McAllister | TV film | |
| 2003 | Spider-Man: The New Animated Series | Flash Thompson | Voice, episode: "Flash Memory" |
| 2010 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Matt Bernhart | Episode: "The Bank Job" |
| 2010–2013 | Nikita | Owen Elliot / Sam Matthews | Recurring role (seasons 1–2); main role (seasons 3–4) |
| 2015 | Broad Squad | Patrick Byrne | TV film |
| 2016 | Real Detective | Eddie Herman | Episode: "Redemption" |
| 2017 | Somewhere Between | Nico Jackson | Main role |
| 2018 | Hawaii Five-0 | Brad Woodward | Episode: "O Ka Mea Ua Hala, Ua Hala Ia" |
| 2020 | MacGyver | Donovan James O' Mailey | Episode: "Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey" |
| 2021 | Magnum P.I. | Robbie Nelson | 2 episodes |
| 2021–2024 | Chucky | Logan Wheeler / Lucas Wheeler | Recurring role (season 1) |
| Father Bryce | Recurring role (season 2) | ||
| James Collins / Randall Jenkins | Main role (season 3) | ||
| 2022 | Hacks | Jason | Episode: "The Click" |
| 2024 | Murder in a Small Town | Gordon Murphy | Episode: "A Touch of Panic" |
| 2025 | Twisted Metal | Harold | Episode: "VAVAVUM" |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Stan" | Eminem | Stanley |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Movie / Mini-Series – Young Actor | Night of the Twisters | Template:Nom |
| 1999 | Teen Choice Awards | Most Disgusting Film SceneTemplate:Efn | Idle Hands | Template:Nom |
| 2000 | Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Idle Hands | Template:Nom |
| 2001 | Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Final Destination | Template:Won |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actor – Horror | Final Destination | Template:Nom | |
| 2021 | HNiD Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Hunter Hunter | Template:Runner-up<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Notes
References
External links
Template:Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor Template:Authority control
- 1978 births
- 20th-century Canadian male actors
- 21st-century Canadian male actors
- Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States
- Canadian male child actors
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian people of Polish descent
- Canadian male television actors
- Canadian male voice actors
- Canadian atheists
- Living people
- Male actors from Vancouver