Cameron Monaghan | |
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 Monaghan in 2025 | |
| Born | Cameron Riley Monaghan (1993-08-16)August 16, 1993 (age 32) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2002–present |
| Website | www |
Cameron Riley Monaghan (born August 16, 1993[1]) is an American actor and model. The accolades he has received include nominations for aBAFTA Award and aCritics' Choice Television Award.
Monaghan is known for his role asIan Gallagher on theShowtimecomedy-drama seriesShameless and as twinsJerome and Jeremiah Valeska, who serve as origins for theJoker, on theDC Comics-based TV seriesGotham.[2] He also portrayedCal Kestis in theaction-adventure gameStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequelStar Wars Jedi: Survivor. Monaghan began his career as achild model at the age of three and as achild actor at the age of seven.
Monaghan was born on August 16, 1993, inSanta Monica, California, the only child of Diane Monaghan, an insurance claims specialist and single mother. He and his mother relocated toBoca Raton, Florida, shortly after his birth. Recognizing that Monaghan was an exceptionally outgoing child, his mother sent his picture to modeling agencies when he was three. He appeared on the cover of his first catalogue at the age of five and appeared in his first regional commercial at seven.[3][4]
He attended Addison Mizner Elementary School and began to develop his acting skills by appearing in the Little Palm Children's Theatre's productions ofStuart Little,Winnie-the-Pooh, andThe Pumpkin King (a theatrical adaptation ofThe Nightmare Before Christmas), as well as appearing as Alex in the small independent filmThe Wishing Stone, which was filmed in theLake Worth, Florida area.[3][4]
Monaghan moved to theLos Angeles area when he was approximately 10 years old.[5][6]
Monaghan first came to national attention in 2003 for his role as Winthrop Paroo in theABC television adaptation ofThe Music Man. When recounting the decision to cast the 9-year-old Monaghan, director and executive producerJeff Bleckner explained, "There are some people, when you put them up on film, they sort of pop off the screen at you. That's how it was with Cameron. From the second we saw him, he was it. We were looking for anybody who had that wonderful appeal. And Cameron had it."[3]
In 2004, Monaghan began a recurring role as Chad, one of Dewey's classmates on theFox comedy seriesMalcolm in the Middle, which earned him theYoung Artist Award asBest Young Television Actor in a Recurring Role.[7] The following year, he began a recurring role as Palmer Noid on theNickelodeon situation comedyNed's Declassified School Survival Guide. Subsequent guest-starring television roles followed, including appearances onCriminal Minds,Numbers,The Mentalist,Monk,Three Rivers,Fringe,The Glades, andTerriers.[8]
In 2005, Monaghan transitioned to theatrical film roles, appearing as Timmy in the independent westernBrothers in Arms. The following year, he appeared as Kevin O'Doyle, the bothersome next-door neighbor in the fantasy comedyClick. A series of subsequent feature film roles followed, including appearances inThe Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,Dog Gone,Safe Harbor andAnother Harvest Moon, as well as portraying the boy detective Bob Andrews in theThree Investigators film series.[8]
In April 2010, Monaghan was cast as anensemble cast member on theShowtime comedy-drama seriesShameless.[9] On the series, which premiered in January 2011, Monaghan portraysIan Gallagher, thegaybipolar teenage son of a large dysfunctional Chicago family.Sarah Hughes ofThe Independent commended Monaghan's portrayal for providing "one of the more nuanced depictions of a gay teenager to be seen on US TV."[10] Matthew Gilbert ofThe Boston Globe described Monaghan's performance as "extraordinary."[11] The gay-interest media outletAfterElton.com cited Monaghan's portrayal of Ian in naming him to its list of "2011's Break-Out TV Actors".[12] In February 2014, Showtime announced it had renewed the series for a fifth season, scheduled to begin airing in 2015.[13] For his work in the fifth season, Monaghan received aCritic's Choice Award nomination forBest Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. The seventh season began airing in October 2016. The eighth season, consisting of 12 episodes, went into production in May 2017; it premiered on November 5, 2017.[14] The series was renewed for a ninth season which premiered on September 9, 2018.[15] Monaghan announced via Instagram that he would be leaving the series following the sixth episode of the ninth season.[16] However, Cameron returned for the tenth season which premiered in late 2019.[17]
Monaghan appears in a variety of episodic television roles. In 2011, he guest-starred as Nick Peyton, a teenage boy accused of murdering his Marine father, on theCBS crime seriesNCIS. That same year he appeared as Jonathan McKenna on theTNT mystery seriesRizzoli & Isles. In 2012, he guest-starred as Eddie Sandow, a 19-year-old who creates a hostage situation after his father is accused ofsexual assault, on theNBC crime seriesLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit.[8]
Monaghan also appears in a variety of feature film roles. In 2011, he co-starred as high school sophomore Corey Doyle in theDisney teen dramaProm. In 2012, he portrayed Jake, the son of an attractiveYMCA director in the sports themed comedy2nd Serve. In 2014, Monaghan starred as Adam McCormick, a small-town high school athlete who becomes consumed by the death of one of his classmates in the independent dramaJamie Marks Is Dead. That same year, he appeared as Mason Ashford, the best friend and romantic interest to Rose in the fantasy adventure filmVampire Academy.[8][18][5] He also starred as Asher in the dystopian filmThe Giver.[19]
From 2015 to 2019, Monaghan was featured as a recurring guest star in all five seasons ofFox'sDC Comics-based television seriesGotham. He plays the antagonistic twin brothersJerome and Jeremiah Valeska, who both serve origin stories for the famousBatman villainJoker.[20]
Monaghan playsCal Kestis, theplayer character in the 2019 video gameStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,[21] and its 2023 sequel,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
In July 2023, it was announced that Monaghan would join the cast ofTron: Ares alongsideJared Leto.[22]
Monaghan will star as a younger version ofMichael Connelly's characterHarry Bosch in theMGM+ seriesBosch: Start of Watch.[23]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Wishing Stone | Alex | |
| 2005 | Brothers in Arms | Timmy | |
| 2006 | Click | Kevin O'Doyle | |
| The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause | Traffic cop #1 | ||
| 2007 | The Three Investigators and the Secret of Skeleton Island | Bob Andrews | |
| 2008 | Dog Gone | Dexter | |
| 2009 | Safe Harbor | Larry Parker | |
| The Three Investigators and the Secret of Terror Castle | Bob Andrews | ||
| 2010 | Another Harvest Moon | Jack | |
| 2011 | Prom | Corey Doyle | |
| 2012 | 2nd Serve | Jake | |
| 2014 | The Giver | Asher | |
| Jamie Marks Is Dead | Adam McCormick | ||
| Mall | Jeff | ||
| Vampire Academy | Mason Ashford | ||
| 2017 | Amityville: The Awakening | James Walker | [24] |
| The Year of Spectacular Men | Ross Wyatt | [25] | |
| 2018 | Anthem of a Teenage Prophet | Luke Hunter | [26] |
| 2019 | Reign of the Supermen | Kon-El / Superboy (voice) | Direct-to-video[27][28] |
| 2021 | DC Showcase: Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! | Kamandi (voice) | Short film; direct-to-video[28] |
| 2022 | Shattered | Chris Decker | [29] |
| Paradise Highway | Finley Sterling | [30] | |
| My Love Affair with Marriage | Sergei | [31] | |
| 2025 | Tron: Ares | Caius |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Music Man | Winthrop Paroo | Television film |
| 2004–2005 | Malcolm in the Middle | Chad | 6 episodes |
| 2005 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Poi, Ping (voice) | Episode: "The Fortuneteller" |
| Threshold | Josh Foster | Episode: "Blood of the Children" | |
| 2005–2006 | Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | Palmer Noid | 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Criminal Minds | Jeffrey Charles | Episode: "The Boogeyman" |
| 2007 | Shorty McShorts' Shorts | Andy (voice) | Episode: "Flip-Flopped" |
| 2009 | Fringe | Tyler Carson | Episode: "Of Human Action" |
| The Mentalist | Elliot | Episode: "Blood Brothers" | |
| Monk | Danny Cooper | Episode: "Mr. Monk's Favorite Show" | |
| Numbers | Todd | Episode "Jacked" | |
| Safe Harbor | Larry Parker | Television film | |
| Three Rivers | Auden Drinkwater | Episode: "Place of Life" | |
| 2010 | The Glades | Shane Conners | Episode: "Marriage is Murder" |
| Terriers | Cody Grice | Episode: "Pimp Daddy" | |
| 2011 | NCIS | Nick Peyton | Episode: "Out of the Frying Pan" |
| Rizzoli & Isles | Jonathan McKenna | Episode: "Don't Hate the Player" | |
| 2011–2021 | Shameless | Ian Gallagher | Main cast |
| 2012 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Eddie Sandow | Episode: "Father's Shadow" |
| 2015–2019 | Gotham | Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska | Recurring role |
| 2016 | Mercy Street | Tom Fairfax | Main cast |
| 2017 | Son of Zorn | Jeff | Episode: "The Weekend Warrior" |
| 2025 | Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy | Cal Kestis (voice) | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Cal Kestis | Voice,motion capture, and likeness[28] |
| 2023 | Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | ||
| TBA | Star Wars Jedi: 3 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | James Gunn's PG Porn | Young boy | Episode: "Helpful Bus" |
| 2011 | Corey & Lucas for the Win! | Corey Doyle | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | Acting for a Cause | Ferris Bueller | Episode: "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special – Supporting Young Actor | The Music Man | Nominated | [32] |
| 2005 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Television Series – Recurring Young Actor | Malcolm in the Middle | Won | [7] |
| 2006 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Television Series – Guest Starring Young Actor | Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | Nominated | [33] |
| 2012 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Television Series – Guest Starring Young Actor 18–21 | Rizzoli & Isles | Nominated | [34] |
| 2015 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Shameless | Nominated | [35] |
| 2016 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV: Villain | Gotham | Nominated | [36] |
| 2019 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV: Villain | Gotham | Won | [37] |
| 2020 | NAVGTR Awards | Performance in a Drama, Lead | Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Nominated | [38][39] |
| 2023 | Golden Joystick Awards | Best Lead Performer | Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Nominated | [40] |
| 2023 | The Game Awards | Best Performance | Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Nominated | [41] |
| 2024 | British Academy Games Awards | Performer in a Leading Role | Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Nominated | [42] |
Showtime entertainment co-president Gary Levine announced that Monaghan will indeed return for season 10.
Media related toCameron Monaghan at Wikimedia Commons
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