Connor Jessup

Connor William Jessup (born June 23, 1994) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Ben Mason on the TNT science fiction television series Falling Skies (2011–2015), Taylor Blaine and Coy Henson in the ABC anthology series American Crime (2016–2017), and Tyler Locke in the Netflix series Locke & Key (2020–2022). He served as executive producer for the independent film Amy George, which played at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2011, Jessup was cast as a main character in the TNT science fiction series Falling Skies. He starred on the show for five seasons. Jessup's performance received positive reviews and the film won various awards, including the Best Canadian First Feature Film award at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. The film won three awards at the Atlantic Film Festival and won the Vancouver International Film Festival award for Best Canadian Feature Film. It also screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2015, Jessup also starred in the feature film Closet Monster, which won the Best Canadian Film Award at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, and screened at various film festivals around the world, before subsequently being released nationwide in July 2016.

In 2016, Jessup starred in the Emmy-winning ABC series American Crime as Taylor Blaine. His performance was praised by critics. He returned for the third season as Coy Henson.

In 2018, Jessup was cast as Tyler Locke, one of the main roles in the Netflix series Locke & Key, an adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's popular comic series of the same name.

Jessup will star in Apichatpong Weerasethakul's upcoming film Jengira's Magnificent Dream.

Filmmaking Jessup has stated in numerous interviews that his intention is to work in the film industry beyond acting, as a director and filmmaker. In an interview with the Toronto Star, Jessup said that directing "is where my mind and heart [are] at the moment". In 2014, Jessup starred in the short film Fragments, and in 2015, Jessup's short film Boy, which he wrote and directed, and was funded by bravoFACT, premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2016, Jessup was included in Filmmaker Magazines annual list of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film. His short film Lira's Forest, which he wrote and directed, premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Jessup wants to expand this story with a feature film, Simon's Forest. The film was released in the second quarter of 2018. He contributed his own film to the program, Night Flight, inspired by the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

Julian and the Wind, a short film written and directed by Jessup, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024. Jessup directed the music videos for Frances Whitney's "Biggest Fan" and Sebastian Croft's debut single "Tokyo", which were both released in 2025.

Influences As a director, Jessup has expressed a particular fascination with Japanese film and culture and has stated in interviews that he is highly influenced by East Asian cinema, including directors Hirokazu Kore-eda, Edward Yang, Yasujirō Ozu, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. He has also expressed admiration for directors Abbas Kiarostami, Andrew Haigh, and Ira Sachs.

Personal life Jessup is gay and came out publicly in a post on Instagram in June 2019.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Type 2012 Blackbird Sean Randall 2014 Skating to New York Casey Demas 2015 Closet Monster Oscar Madly 2019 Strange But True Ronnie Disappearance at Clifton HillWhite LieOwen 2025 Peak Everything (Amour Apocalypse)Tom Jengira's Magnificent Dream

Television

Filmmaking credits