Colton Haynes is an actor, singer, and model from the United States. He is best known for his role as Jackson Whittemore in the television show “Teen Wolf.” The TV show is loosely based on the same-named supernatural film from 1985. His portrayal of Roy Harper/Arsenal in the superhero television series “Arrow” has cemented his spot in the entertainment sector. He started modeling at the age of fifteen and has since worked for top companies such as Ralph Lauren, J.C. Penney, and Kira Plastinina. He made his television debut in 2007 on the show ‘CSI: Miami,’ but it wasn’t until 2010 that he landed his first important role in the film ‘The Gates.’ In the second and third seasons of ‘Arrow,’ his recurrent part was quickly transformed into a prominent role. Colton is also known for his roles in the television shows ‘Privileged,’ ‘Pushing Daisies,’ and ‘Melrose Place,’ as well as his portrayal as Grace’s kid in the television film ‘Always and Forever.’ With a lot of success from the television network, his film career took a big step forward in 2015 with the American blockbuster ‘San Andreas.’ He is presently starring in the ‘FX’ horror anthology ‘American Horror Story,’ and will play Kevin in the comedy picture ‘Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,’ which will be released in 2018.
Childhood and Adolescence
On July 13, 1988, Colton Lee Haynes was born in Andale, Kansas parents Dana Denise Mitchell and William Clayton Haynes. He was raised on a farm with his five siblings.
Colton’s parents were hippies, so he had to move around a lot. He attended three high schools: ‘Navarre High School’ in Florida, ‘Andale High School’ in Kansas, and ‘Samuel Clemens High School’ in Texas, eventually graduating from the latter.
He enjoyed singing and sports throughout his school years. He was named ‘Gatorade Player of the Year’ in Tennis during his junior year and was nominated for Prom King in his senior year.
During his high school years, Colton spent his summers working as the ‘Red Robin bird Mascot’ at a restaurant. He then became a model, working for companies such as ‘Fitch’ and ‘Abercrombie’.
Modeling and the Beginnings of an Acting Career
Abercrombie & Fitch was one of his first photo shoots. He began modelling in his mid-teens and worked in campaigns for J.C. Penney, Kira Plastinina, and Ralph Lauren, a multi-billion dollar fashion house, within a few years.
He’s been in editorials for major magazines including ‘Teen Vogue’ and ‘Arena,’ as well as working on a campaign for America’s top wireless communications service provider.
In 2007, he had his first uncredited appearance as the cafe child in the sci-fi action picture ‘Transformers.’ In the same year, he appeared as Brandon Fox in the episode ‘Bang Bang Your Debt’ on the TV show ‘CSI: Miami.’
He even starred in the music video for ‘My Chemical Romance’s’I Don’t Love You’ in 2007. He also tried out for the part of Edward Cullen in the supernatural romance ‘Twilight,’ which went to Robert Pattison.
He appeared as Alexander in the ‘All About Friends and Family’ episode of ‘Privileged,’ and as Ares Kostopolous in the ‘Pushing Daisies’ episode ‘Frescorts.’
In 2009, he played Scott Holland in the television film ‘Always and Forever,’ and Jessie Roberts in the television series ‘Melrose Place.’ He then went on to play Shane in the scandalous adult television show ‘Look,’ which was terminated after only one season.
Short Films & Television
In 2010, he was cast as Brett Crezski in the ABC television series ‘The Gates.’ For eleven episodes, he co-starred in the sitcom with Frank Grillo, Janina Gavankar, and James Preston.
After the show was canceled, Colton was cast in the lead role of Carl Mccormick in the short film ‘Yearbook’ in 2011. He also played Linus van Pelt in another short film, ‘Charlie Brown: Blockhead’s Revenge.’
By 2011, he had landed another major part as Jackson Whittemore in the MTV series “Teen Wolf,” which lasted 24 episodes. In the same year, he appeared as Kai in the episode “Dogs of War” of “The Nine Lives of Chloe King.”
In 2013, he signed a recurring role in the crime-action television series ‘Arrow’ as Roy Harper, a street gangster. He returned as a key character in the second and third seasons of the show, playing Arsenal, Arrow’s protégé.
He’s also been in a number of music videos. Some of these included Leona Lewis’ ‘Trouble,’ Victoria Justice’s ‘Gold,’ and Andy Grammer’s ‘Honey, I’m Good’ music video.
In 2013, he began to explore his vocal abilities by recording samples of popular song covers. His cover of ’19 You+Me’ went viral in November, and he and Travis Atero published a record called ‘Baby It’s Christmas’ with the help of fans.
Recent Projects of Colton Haynes
In 2014, he returned to modeling and was photographed by Bruce Weber for the ‘Abercrombie & Fitch’ international campaign titled ‘Making of a Star.’
After a credited role in the American catastrophe picture ‘San Andreas’ in 2015, in which he played Job O’Leary, a slew of offers in Hollywood poured in.
In 2016, he appeared as Luke Grinder in the episodes ‘The Retooling of Dean Sanderson’ and ‘Divergence’ of the TV series ‘The Grinder.’ He even played Tyler in the TV show “Scream Queens.”
Colton was cast as a prominent character in the television horror series ‘American Horror Story,’ which premiered in 2017. In the same year, he was cast as Real Scooty in the American dark comedy picture ‘Rough Night,’ in which he co-starred with Scarlett Johansson.
He will play Kevin in the upcoming comedy film “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” which has not yet been released. He also provided the voice for the character ‘Thor’ in the computer game ‘Marvel Avengers Academy.’
Major Projects of Colton Haynes
Colton’s portrayal of Brett, a jock who transforms into a werewolf over time, on the TV drama ‘The Gates,’ received a lot of praise. Despite the fact that the show was canceled, it helped him land a number of notable roles in other television shows.
‘Arrow’ garnered excellent reviews, with a Metacritic score of 73 out of 100. His performance was praised by Entertainment Weekly, which called the show “intelligent” with a “mature and humorous” storyline and “energetic action.”
Personal Experiences of Colton Haynes
Haynes has suffered from anxiety his entire life as a result of rumors about his sexual orientation. In a 2016 interview with ‘Entertainment Weekly,’ he came out of the closet and stated that he is gay.
Haynes and celebrity florist Jeff Leatham had been dating for a long time before Haynes publicly announced his engagement to the latter on March 11, 2017.
Haynes has a wall at his house named ‘The Great Wall of Positivity,’ where he records all of his happy experiences.