Josh Duhamel Biography

Summary

"Joshua David 'Josh' Duhamel" (, ; born November 14, 1972) is an American actor and former fashion model. He first achieved acting success in 1999 as Leo du Pres on ABC's "All My Children" and later as the chief of security, Danny McCoy, on NBC's "Las Vegas". He is also well known for his role as one of the protagonists, Captain William Lennox, in the box office hit "Transformers" as well as its sequel, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and he is the official pace car driver for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 driving the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car.

Early life

Duhamel was born in Minot, North Dakota, the son of Bonnie, a physical education teacher, and Larry David Duhamel, an advertising salesman. His parents divorced during his youth, and although he remains close to both, he grew up with his mother and his younger sisters Ashlee, Mckenzee and Kassidy. Duhamel attended Minot State University and played quarterback for the university's football team. He planned to attend dental school but dropped out one-and-a-half credits shy of his undergraduate degree.

Career

Duhamel has stated, 'After college, I followed an ex-girlfriend to northern California, did a bunch of odd jobs and then sort of fell into modeling.' He won the title of Male Model of the Year in an IMTA (International Modeling and Talent Association) modeling competition in 1997 (the first runner-up was actor Ashton Kutcher).

Duhamel began his acting career as an extra in the music videos for Donna Summer's song, 'I Will Go With You (Con te partirò)' in 1998 and Christina Aguilera's song, 'Genie In A Bottle' in 1999. Later that year, he won the role of Leo du Pres on the ABC soap opera "All My Children". His work on the show, especially his character's pairing with Greenlee Smythe (portrayed by actor Rebecca Budig), garnered critical acclaim. In 2000, he posed fully nude for Greg Gorman's 'As I See It' photography book. In 2003, he earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for the Special Fan Award for America's Favorite Couple in 2002, shared with Budig, and a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Leo du Pres. Duhamel opted to leave "All My Children" in 2002 to pursue other acting opportunities.

In 2003, Duhamel landed a prime time role on the NBC show "Las Vegas", playing Montecito Casino security agent, Danny McCoy. He succeeded James Caan as president of the Montecito after Caan departed at the end of the fourth season. The series was cancelled in 2008.

Duhamel made his big-screen acting debut in 2004's "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!" and continued on to star in the thriller "Turistas" (2006). After watching an episode of "Las Vegas" in which Duhamel's character had just returned from the war in Iraq, Steven Spielberg handpicked him for the role of Captain William Lennox in 2007's summer blockbuster film "Transformers" (a film for which Spielberg was the executive producer). Duhamel reprised the role for the sequel, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", released in June 2009.

Personal life

Duhamel met, and began dating, Stacy 'Fergie' Ferguson in September 2004. Ferguson, a singer for the hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, appeared on Duhamel's show "Las Vegas" with her band in an episode titled 'Montecito Lancers' (which aired on November 1, 2004). The couple wed on January 10, 2009 at the Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu, California. Duhamel and Ferguson reside in Brentwood, California in a house that they purchased together in 2007. In 2005, Duhamel became the co-owner of 10 North Main, a restaurant located in the downtown section of Minot, North Dakota, which features dishes such as elk and pheasant.