Josh Holloway is an American film and television actor best known for his portrayal of James ‘Sawyer’ Ford on the hit television show ‘Lost.’ His performance as Gabriel Vaughn in the television series ‘Intelligence’ and the science fiction film ‘Colony’ made him famous. His life had been a hardship from the start, as he was one of four boys of poor parents who had to live in a trailer during his childhood and work part-time jobs to support his family when he was eleven years old. Despite finishing high school and enrolling in university to pursue higher education, he was unable to continue after the first quarter owing to a lack of cash. He decided to pursue modeling because he was attractive and tall. He was drawn to acting as a child since he was a film enthusiast, and he quickly established himself in the field of acting while also being a successful model. He began his career as a lead in the television series ‘Lost,’ then went on to star in films such as ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.’ His wife is of Indonesian and Chinese ethnicity, while he is of Scottish and Dutch ancestry.
Childhood and Adolescence
Josh Holloway was born Josh Lee Holloway on July 20, 1999, in San Jose, California, United States.
His mother was a nurse, and his father was a surveyor who had spent two years in medical school before dropping out.
His family relocated from San Jose, California, to Free Home, Georgia, when he was two years old.
He grew raised in Free Home, Georgia, with one older brother and two younger brothers.
Josh graduated in 1987 from Canton, Georgia’s ‘Cherokee High School.’
Josh, along with his siblings, had to live in a trailer and look for work at an early age to sustain themselves because the Holloway family was destitute.
He acquired a part-time job gathering dead chicken carcasses from farms near his home for disposal when he was eleven years old.
Josh adored being outside, and one of his boyhood ambitions was to work as a forest ranger.
After graduating from high school, he enrolled at the ‘University of Georgia,’ but had to drop out after the first quarter of his first year due to a lack of financial support and a lack of enthusiasm in his studies. Nonetheless, he liked his brief tenure at the university.
Career of Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway quit college to pursue a career as a model and relocated to Los Angeles, California.
After a while, his good looks and bad-boy image began to attract a lot of attention, and he began receiving modeling assignments.
During the 1990s, he traveled all across Europe and the United States as a runway model for major names like ‘Calvin Klein,’ ‘Dolce & Gabbana,’ and ‘Donna Karan.’
He also worked as a model for still photography at this time, and his images were published in a number of magazines.
He had an appearance in one of the episodes of the CBS television series ‘Angel’ in 1999.
In 2001, he made his next debut as an actor in the film ‘Cold Heart,’ followed by appearances in the films ‘Moving August’ and ‘Mi Amigo.’
In 2003, he had a brief role in the comedy film ‘Doctor Benny,’ followed by a prominent role opposite John Rhys-Davies and David Keith in the sci-fi picture ‘Sabretooth.’
Later, he appeared in the TV show ‘Addicted To Love’ in the episode ‘Good Girls Don’t,’ ‘Separation Anxiety’ in the episode ‘The Lyon’s Den,’ and ‘Medieval Crimes’ in the episode ‘Walter, Texas Ranger.’
He appeared in the ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ episode ‘Assume Nothing’ in 2003.
He made an appearance on the show ‘NCSI’ in the episode ‘My Other Left Foot’ in 2004.
He had considering quitting acting and entering the real estate market as an agent before landing his acting break in ‘Lost.’ As a result, he obtained a license in 2009 for a job that would allow him to support himself and his family if he did not find work as an actor.
Josh Holloway’s biggest break in the acting world came when he was cast in the television series ‘Lost’ as James ‘Sawyer’ Ford, a con guy who sounded like a perfect Southern gentleman.
The show, which told the story of a group of people who survived a plane disaster on a secret island in the tropics, was an instant smash and earned producer ABC the highest ratings for a long time.
After the sixth and final season of ‘Lost’ ended in May 2010, Josh Holloway participated in a slew of projects. The roles were for films, television series, modeling, and computer games, among other things.
In 2007, he starred in the horror film ‘Whisper,’ and he was also chosen as the ambassador for Davidoff’s fragrance ‘Cool Water.’
In 2009, he starred in the comedy ‘Stay Cool,’ and was also cast as ‘gambit’ in the film ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine.’ Josh declined the job because it was too similar to the one he played in ‘Lost,’ and he didn’t want to recreate his performance.
Later, he made an appearance in the film ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.’
He starred in the CBS television drama ‘Intelligence,’ which was based on cybercrime and aired in 2014, however it was canceled after the first season.
He also starred in the film ‘Sabotage,’ which came out the same year.
He is currently starring in the sci-fi series ‘Colony,’ which is produced by USA Network and set in Los Angeles.
Achievements & Awards
Josh Holloway’s photo on the collectible covers of the magazine ‘TV Guide’ in 2005 was the most popular among all the other actors and actresses from the television series ‘Lost.’
He was named one of the ’50 Most Beautiful People’ by the magazine ‘People’ in 2005, and he appeared on the cover of the same magazine four times.
He has received numerous nominations for the ‘Teen Choice Awards.’
He and his ‘Lost’ co-stars received the ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ for ‘Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series’ in 2006.
In January 2006, ‘On Touch Weekly’ called him the ‘hottest hunk’ on television, ‘the sixteenth sexiest person worldwide’ by British magazine ‘OK,’ and ‘the second sexiest celebrity in Hollywood’ by US magazine ‘Weekly.’
Personal History and Legacy
On October 1, 2004, Josh Holloway married his long-time lover, Yessica Kumala.
From his marriage, he has a daughter named Java and a son named Hunter Lee.
Estimated Net Worth
Josh Holloway is an American model and actor with a $12 million net worth. On the hit television series “Lost,” Josh Holloway made his debut as James “Sawyer” Ford. He also had recurrent appearances on the neo-Western series “Yellowstone,” as well as main roles on the CBS series “Intelligence” and the science-fiction series “Colony.” Holloway has acted in a number of films, including “Whisper,” “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” and “Paranoia.”
Trivia
He was born on the same day that NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin took their first steps on the Moon.
They were robbed of their cash, credit cards, and automobile on October 13, 2005, while he was at home in Hawaii Kai, 12 miles east of Honolulu. The incident left them startled, but they were unharmed. Soon later, the robber was apprehended.