Kenny Johnson

Kenny Johnson (born July 13, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Detective Curtis Lemansky in The Shield, Butch "Burner" Barnes in Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Detective Ham Dewey in Saving Grace, Herman Kozik in Sons of Anarchy, Matt Webb in Prime Suspect, Caleb Calhoun in Bates Motel, Dominique Luca in the CBS drama series S.W.A.T., and Tommy Welch on Chicago Fire (2014–2015).

Early life Johnson was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and was raised on a 30-acre farm in Weathersfield, Vermont. For his college education, he attended Central Connecticut State University, where he played football and basketball.

Prior to starting his acting career, Johnson spent approximately four years modelling for agencies including Wilhelmina and Ford Models.

After The Shield, Johnson had recurring roles in Cold Case, first as a supposed murder victim and later as a love interest for Lilly Rush. He was later cast in the TNT series Saving Grace, as Detective Hamilton "Ham" Dewey. Johnson appeared during the second, third, and fourth seasons of Sons of Anarchy as sergeant-at-arms and biker Herman Kozik. He also directed and starred in the short film, I Heard the Mermaids Singing.

In August 2010, Johnson appeared in the Fox series Lie to Me, along with several fellow cast members from The Shield. In 2011, Johnson appeared in Lifetime's series The Protector, with fellow Sons of Anarchy co-star Ally Walker. Johnson also appeared as a regular in NBC's crime drama series Prime Suspect, playing the contractor boyfriend of the lead character, Detective Jane Timoney (Maria Bello). Also in 2011, Johnson starred as Frank Connor, a convicted drug smuggler who leaves prison after 22 years for one youthful mistake, in Few Options. In 2012, he guest starred as Tyler Gray in the sixth season of Burn Notice, and as Greg Marshall in the fourth season of The Mentalist. That following year, Johnson portrayed U.S. Marshal Max Clayton in the eighth and final season of Dexter.

Johnson appeared as Caleb Calhoun, the estranged brother of Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga), in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel. He recurred in the second season, became a main cast member for the third season, and guest starred in the fourth and fifth seasons. He was then a recurring cast member in the fifth season of Covert Affairs, playing former CIA paramilitary operative James Decker. Johnson co-starred in the 2015 thriller film Solace. In August 2015, it was reported that Johnson would be part of the main cast for the second season of ABC's anthology series Secrets and Lies.

From 2017 to 2024, Johnson portrayed main character Officer Dominique Luca in the CBS drama series S.W.A.T., based on the 2003 film of the same name, but the series also closely follows the original 1975–76 ABC series, also of the same name.

Personal life He married his long-term girlfriend, Cathleen Oveson on December 21, 2005. They have one child, Angelica Scarlet (born 7 May 2009). Angelica is also an actress, most notably in a recurring role on S.W.A.T. as Kelly, where the character played by the elder Johnson, Dominique Luca, becomes her mentor.

On July 18, 2018, Johnson suffered unspecified injuries while filming the premiere episode of the second season. The scene involved Johnson simulating Luca hanging from the landing gear of a helicopter while the helicopter flies away. Johnson later sued the production company, Sony, over the incident. The case was settled in February 2023—the terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.

Johnson has dyslexia and has spoken publicly about it to raise awareness and to combat stigma.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1990 The Forbidden Dance Dave 1990 Mirage Greg 1995 Bushwhacked State Patrolman 1998 Archibald the Rainbow Painter 1998 Major League: Back to the Minors Lance "The Dance" Pere 1998 Blade Heatseeking Dennis 2001 Under Heavy Fire Jimmy Joe 2006 Desolation Canyon Reynolds 2006 Zzyzx Lou 2007 The Ungodly Officer Murphy 2008 I Heard the Mermaids Singing Al Short film; also director 2011 Few Options Frank Connor Also co-producer 2013 Timmy Muldoon and the Search for the Shadoweyes Bandit Shotgun Lenny Video short 2015 Solace David Raymond 2015 Blue David Murphy 2016 Run the Tide Bo 2017 Check Point Roy Boyle Also producer 2021 Howl Levi 2023 Nine Ball Nicky

Television Year Title Role Notes 1992 Red Shoe Diaries Tracer 2 episodes 1993 The Webbers Chuck Television film 1993 Family Matters Gorgeous Waiter Episode: "Walk on the Wild Side" 1994 Grace Under Fire Skip Episode: "June 15, 1997" 1994 Something Wilder Chad Episode: "Love Native American Style" 1996 Pacific Blue Deke Episode: "Over the Edge" 1996 Caroline in the City Blair Episode: "Caroline and the Ex-Wife" 1996 The Big Easy George Stodermayer Episode: "Stodermayer" 1996 Sliders Slain Skater Episode: "The Dream Masters" 1996 The Burning Zone Dr. Jake Lietman Episode: "Blood Covenant" 1997 Sins of the Mind Anders Pilot episode 1999 Just Shoot Me! Brian McDonald Episode: "The Odd Couple (Part 2)" 1999 Ryan Caulfield: Year One Detective Billy Zabo Episode: "A Night at the Gashole" 1998–2000 Pensacola: Wings of Gold Butch "Burner" Barnes Main cast (season 2), 27 episodes Guest Star (Season 3), 3 episodes. 2001 The Huntress Kevin Styles 2 episodes 2001 18 Wheels of Justice Sonny Episode: "Crossing the Line" 2002–2006 The Shield Detective Curtis Lemansky Main cast, 66 episodes 2002 One on One Brandon Episode: "The Way You Make Me Feel" 2003 Boomtown Robert "Bobby" Cherry Episode: "Haystack" 2005 Smallville Tommy Lee Episode: "Mortal" 2006 Desolation Canyon Press Reynolds Television film 2006 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Randy Bolen Episode: "Time of Your Death" 2006 Aquaman Sheriff Unsold pilot 2006 Cold Case Joseph Shaw 5 episodes 2007–2010 Saving Grace Detective Ham Dewey Main cast, 46 episodes 2009–2011 Sons of Anarchy Herman Kozik 12 episodes 2010 NCIS: Los Angeles Tommy Boyd Episode: "Past Lives" 2010 Lie to Me Malcolm Hessler Episode: "Pied Piper" 2011–2012 Prime Suspect Matt Webb Main cast, 13 episodes 2011 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Detective Sean Riggs Episode: "Dirty" 2011 The Protector Detective Cummings Episode: "Help" 2012 The Mentalist Greg Tayback Episode: "So Long, and Thanks for All the Red Snapper" 2012 Burn Notice Tyler Gray 3 episodes 2013 Dexter U.S. Marshal Max Clayton 3 episodes 2014–2017 Bates Motel Caleb Calhoun Main role (season 3), 10 episodes Guest cast, 8 episodes 2014 Castle Mr. Harden Episode: "In the Belly of the Beast" 2014 Motive Doug Slater Episode: "For You I Die" 2014–2015 Chicago Fire Tommy Welch 7 episodes 2014 Covert Affairs James Decker 3 episodes 2016 Secrets and Lies Danny Voss Main cast (season 2), 10 episodes 2017–2024 S.W.A.T. Dominique Luca Main cast, season 1–6 Guest cast, season 7 (130 episodes) 2023–2024 Mayor of Kingstown Charlie Pickens 6 episodes2025FBI: InternationalDean Bartlett3 episodes