I am starting a new series of articles, which I hope to have posted once a month, spotlighting actors who do more than just act in TV and/or movies. The first spotlight will be on actor/singer Christian Kane.
Christian Kane may be a well-known actor now thanks to his role as Eliot Spencer in the popular TNT series Leverage, but it is his singing ambitions that are garnering him even more attention.
But let’s take a look at where Christian got started. He was born in Dallas, Texas in June of 1974. Due to his family being in the oil business, they moved often, but eventually the family settled in the small town of Norman, Oklahoma.
Christian Kane - Early In His Career
Christian was always interested in films and music and while in college the dream of a career in the entertainment industry grew and he headed off to Los Angeles. He landed a job as an assistant at an entertainment company, where he told them he would deliver scripts if they would submit him for projects too. In 1997, he was cast in his first big role in the short-lived TV series FAME L.A., based on the hit movie and the popular 1980’s TV series. Originally he was cast as a comedian, but after he sang for the producers, his part was rewritten as a singer.
It was around this time that Christian met Steve Carlson, who became his songwriting partner. They founded the band KANE and were soon playing at clubs like The Viper Room and The Mint, becoming well known in Los Angeles for their high-energy performance on stage and original songwriting.
Christian continued to get work, appearing in the short-lived WB series Rescue 77 and landing a small role in the box office movie Edtv. But it was his role in the popular WB series Angel, playing lawyer Lindsey McDonald, that put him on the map. He was a recurring character in three of the show’s five seasons.
Christian Kane - Angel
He appeared in two films in 2000; the first being The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, the first feature film by now executive producer extraordinaire Greg Berlanti, starring Timothy Olyphant and Dean Cain and the second was Love Song, starring R&B artist Monica.
Over the course of the next four years, he made appearances in the TV shows Dawson’s Creek and Las Vegas, had roles in the box office movies Summer Catch, Life or Something Like It, Just Married, Secondhand Lions, Taxi and Friday Night Lights and he appeared in the made-for-TV movies Crossfire Trail and The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron.
More work came his way during 2005 and 2006, including the TV mini-series Into the West, the motion pictures Her Minor Thing and Keep Your Distance and he did voice work on the video game 24: The Game.
He then had a lead role in the CBS TV series Close to Home for a short time before appearing in the independent film Four Sheets to the Wind. He appeared in the Carrie Underwood music video “So Small” in 2007 and then landed his lead role in Leverage.
Christian Kane
All the while, Christian continued to perform with Carlson as KANE, receiving airplay from LA country radio and eventually being voted the winner of the Country Thunder Young Guns Contest and playing numerous sold out shows in LA. The two made regular trips to Nashville to hone their writing skills, collaborating with some of the best songwriters in the world. This led to Christian being signed to a publishing deal with EMI Music Publishing and later a record deal with Columbia Records. While he recorded a full album with Columbia, he parted ways with the record label, ending up with Bigger Picture Group, releasing his first self-titled EP this past March.
Besides his work on Leverage, which will be returning for a few episodes this December on TNT, Christian appeared in the psychological thriller Hide and he is set to play a lead role in the horror thriller Death Walks the Street, for which he will also serve as co-executive producer.
UPDATED: Christian’s first music video for his hit song “The House Rules” was released this month on CMT. You can see that video here.
You can learn more about Christian and his music here. You can also purchase his EP at iTunes.
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