Joshua Jackson

Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian and American actor. He is known for his portrayals of Pacey Witter on The WB's teen drama Dawson's Creek (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the Fox science fiction series Fringe (2008–2013), a troubled married man on Showtime's The Affair (2014–2018), and Christopher Duntsch in the Peacock crime drama series Dr. Death (2021–2023). For the last of these, he was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor. His other credits include When They See Us, Little Fires Everywhere (2020), and Doctor Odyssey (2024–2025).

Outside of television, he came to prominence with his role in the Mighty Ducks film series (1992–1996). His other film appearances include Apt Pupil (1998), Urban Legend (1998), Cruel Intentions (1999), The Skulls (2000), Gossip (2000), The Safety of Objects (2001), The Laramie Project (2002), Cursed (2005), Bobby (2006), and Shutter (2008). For his performance in the Canadian independent drama One Week (2008), Jackson won the Genie Award for Best Actor.

Early life Jackson was born on June 11, 1978, in Vancouver, British Columbia to parents John and Fiona. His mother is a casting director. Jackson's father is from Texas, and his mother is a native of Ballyfermot, a surburb of Dublin, Ireland. She immigrated to North America in the late 1960s. He has a younger sister, Aisleagh, and two older half brothers, Jonathan and Lyman. He was raised Roman Catholic.

Jackson lived in California until the age of 8 when he moved to Vancouver with his mother and younger sister; he has said that his father was a bad parent and husband and abandoned the family when they were in the U.S. He attended Ideal Mini School and later switched to Kitsilano Secondary School. He attended high school with actor Ryan Reynolds.

Career

Jackson started acting in a small role in the film Crooked Hearts in 1991. The next year, he played the role of Charlie in a musical version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. At this point, with the help of the play's casting director Laura Kennedy, he joined the William Morris Agency. Soon after, he landed the role of Charlie (#96) in The Mighty Ducks series, playing a young and aspiring hockey player.

Jackson went on to appear as Pacey Witter on Dawson's Creek, which was created by Kevin Williamson and ran on the WB network from 1998 to 2003, and also starred James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams, and Katie Holmes. While the show was on hiatus, he appeared in several movies including Cruel Intentions (an adaptation of Les Liaisons dangereuses that also starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe), The Skulls, The Safety of Objects, The Laramie Project and a short cameo in the remake of Ocean's Eleven in which he appears as himself in a poker scene with Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Holly Marie Combs. In 2000, he also guest-starred in Season 12 of The Simpsons, voicing the character of Jesse Grass, a "hunky environmentalist" and love interest for Lisa Simpson in the episode "Lisa the Tree Hugger". He also was cast as "Beau" in the movie Gossip in 2000 with actors James Marsden, Kate Hudson and Norman Reedus.

Shortly after Dawson's Creek ended in 2003, Jackson played the lead role in films alongside Dennis Hopper (Americano), Harvey Keitel (Shadows in the Sun), and Donald Sutherland (Aurora Borealis). In 2005, Jackson moved to the UK and made his stage debut on the London West End with Patrick Stewart in David Mamet's two-man play, A Life in the Theatre. The play was a critical and popular success, and ran from February to April of that year. Jackson said that he would consider returning to the stage, to try his hand on Broadway. His next film role was in Bobby, directed by Emilio Estevez, Jackson's co-star from The Mighty Ducks. He played a lead role in Shutter, a U.S. remake of film of the same name. He starred and acted as executive producer in the Canadian independent film One Week, which opened on March 6, 2009.

From 2008 to 2013, Jackson played the lead role of Peter Bishop in the science-fiction series Fringe, created by J. J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. The series was the second-highest rated new show of the 2008–2009 season after The Mentalist. BuddyTV ranked him #9 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2010" list, #19 in 2011 and #14 in 2012.

Jackson was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the film One Week. He won the award on April 12, 2010. He held and hosted the satirical Pacey-Con in 2010, directly across the street from the Comic-Con, sporting a bowling shirt and giving out fan fiction, written by Dawson's Creek fans, to those waiting in the Comic-Con entrance line. Footage of the event was recorded for a video, entitled "Pacey-Con", which he was filming for Will Ferrell's Funny or Die celebrity humor website. In 2013, Jackson appeared in the IFC film Inescapable with Marisa Tomei and Alexander Siddig. Jackson wrote the first story from the comic book trilogy Beyond the Fringe, titled "Peter and the Machine". Jackson starred in the successful television show The Affair, where he played Cole Lockhart, the protagonist husband of the unfaithful Alison Lockhart.

In March 2018, Jackson made his theatrical debut on Broadway in Children of a Lesser God, where he played James Leeds, an unconventional teacher at a school for the deaf who gets in a conflicted professional and romantic relationship with a deaf former student, Sarah Norman (Lauren Ridloff). The play ran through May 2018.

In 2019, Jackson starred as defense attorney Mickey Joseph in the miniseries When They See Us.

In 2020, Jackson co-starred with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington in the miniseries Little Fires Everywhere based on the novel by Celeste Ng.

Jackson was cast as Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon who was convicted of intentionally maiming his patient, in Dr. Death which was based on the podcast of the same name, replacing Jamie Dornan.

In 2023, Jackson played the lead in the series Fatal Attraction with Lizzy Caplan, inspired by the 1980s thriller film of the same name.

Personal life Jackson was in a relationship with Dawson's Creek co-star Katie Holmes during the first two seasons of the show's run. Holmes said that Jackson was her first love.

From 2006 to 2016, he was in a relationship with German actress Diane Kruger.

Jackson began a relationship with actress Jodie Turner-Smith in 2018. They married on August 18, 2019. On April 13, 2020, the couple welcomed their daughter. In October 2023, it was revealed that Turner-Smith had filed for divorce from Jackson. In May 2025, it was reported that the couple had reached a divorce settlement.

In December 2023, Jackson and fellow actor Lupita Nyong'o confirmed they were dating. In October 2024, Nyong'o announced they were no longer together.

Jackson owned his childhood home in Topanga, California. In 2025, the house burned down during the Palisades Fire. He previously lived in Wilmington, North Carolina, where Dawson's Creek was filmed, and in New York City, where Fringe filmed its first season. In 2009, he moved back to Vancouver to shoot four seasons of the show before the last episode was aired on January 18, 2013.

Jackson is a fan of the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks ice hockey teams, and the San Francisco 49ers American football team.

Filmography Film + Year Title Role Notes 1991 Crooked Hearts Tom (11 years) 1992 The Mighty Ducks Charlie Conway 1993 Digger Billy 1994 D2: The Mighty Ducks Charlie Conway Andre Mark Baker 1995 Magic in the Water Joshua Black 1996 D3: The Mighty Ducks Charlie Conway 1997 Ronnie and Julie Ronnie Scream 2 Film Class Guy #11998 The Battery Michael Papperman Short film Apt Pupil Joey Urban Legend Damon Brooks 1999 Cruel Intentions Blaine Tuttle Muppets from Space Pacey Witter Uncredited cameo 2000 The Skulls Lucas 'Luke' McNamara Gossip Beau Edson 2001 The Safety of Objects Paul Gold Ocean's Eleven Himself Cameo 2002 The Laramie Project Matt Galloway Lone Star State of Mind Earl Crest Alternative title: Cowboys and Idiots 2003 I Love Your Work John Everhart 2005 Cursed Jake Taylor Racing Stripes Trenton's Pride Voice Americano Chris McKinley Aurora Borealis Duncan Shorter The Shadow Dancer Jeremy Taylor Alternative title: Shadows in the Sun 2006 Bobby Wade Buckley 2007 Battle in Seattle Randall 2008 Shutter Benjamin Shaw Gashole Himself Documentary One Week Ben Tyler 2012 Lay the Favorite Jeremy Inescapable Paul 2015 Sky Detective Ruther 2025 Karate Kid: Legends Victor Lipani 2026 Happy Hours TBA

Television + Year Title Role Notes 1991 Payoff Young Mac Television film 1996 Champs Matt Mazzilli 2 episodes Robin of Locksley John Prince, Jr. Television film 1997 Ronnie & Julie Ronnie Monroe On the Edge of Innocence Sammy The Outer Limits Devon Taylor Episode: "Music of the Spheres" 1998–2003 Dawson's Creek Pacey Witter Main role: 124 episodes 2000 Saturday Night Live Himself/host Episode: "Joshua Jackson/NSYNC" The Simpsons Jesse Grass Voice, episode: "Lisa the Tree Hugger" 2006 Capitol Law Mark Clayton Unsold TV pilot 2008–2013 Fringe Peter Bishop Main role: 96 episodes 2014–2018 The Affair Cole Lockhart Main role: 29 episodes 2016 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Purvis Episode: "Kimmy Goes to a Hotel!" Years of Living Dangerously Himself Episode: "Collapse of the Oceans" 2019 When They See Us Mickey Joseph Episode: "Part Two" 2020 Little Fires Everywhere Bill Richardson Miniseries; 7 episodes 2021 Dr. Death Dr. Christopher Duntsch Main role (season 1): 8 episodes 2023 Fatal Attraction Dan Gallagher Lead role; Miniseries 2024–2025 Doctor Odyssey Dr. Max Bankman Main role, also executive producer

Stage

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work Result 1993 Young Artist Award Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture The Mighty Ducks 1999 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actor Dawson's Creek 2000 Choice Liar in a Film The Skulls Young Hollywood Award Male Superstar of Tomorrow 2001 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actor Dawson's Creek 2002 2003 2005 Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Best Actor Aurora Borealis 2006 Hollywood Film Festival Best Ensemble of the Year Bobby Satellite Awards Best Actor – Motion Picture Aurora Borealis 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Bobby 2009 Teen Choice Awards Choice Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fringe 2010 Genie Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role One Week Teen Choice Awards Choice Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fringe 2011 2012 2013 Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television 2016 People's Choice Awards Favorite Premium Cable TV Actor The Affair 2017 2018Drama League AwardsDistinguished Performance AwardChildren of a Lesser God 2022Critics' Choice Television AwardsBest Actor in a Movie/MiniseriesDr. Death