As soon as you realize that Dylan Bruce draws his inspiration from the phenomenal actor and film producer, Michael J. Fox, you will understand why it’s as though he would stop at nothing to assert himself in the industry. A good instance of this was in 2008 when he stirred quite a controversy in an attempt to take over Jay Kenneth Johnson’s role as Philip Kiriakis in the popular daytime series, Days of Our Lives.
As it happened, Jay was having a hard time striking a deal with the producers of the show when Dylan auditioned for the role in case the former actor didn’t reach an agreement with the producers. While a good number of people would agree that it was an uncool move, it goes to show how determined the actor is, and over the years, that ruthlessness has helped him to establish an impressive career featuring several movies and TV shows.
The Actor’s Early Years Were Spent In Canada and Washington
Even though Dylan Bruce was brought up in Boundary Bay on the Washington-British Columbia border, records have it that he was born in the coastal seaport city of Vancouver in British Columbia. As you will easily find, the actor was born in 1980 on the 21st of April. While it is difficult to tell anything about his parents, even their names, it is known that he isn’t their only child as he was raised with a brother and two sisters.
There are reasons to believe that Dylan Bruce nursed an interest in becoming a professional actor since he was a kid. Also, he was equally athletically inclined and started skiing at the age of five. Although he would later devote his time to building a career in acting, Dylan hasn’t abandoned his passion for sports completely. He stills plays sports, such as football, lacrosse, and ice hockey, in his spare time.
The actor earned his degree in Drama and Economics from a public research university in Seattle, Washington, i.e. University of Washington. Following his graduation, he relocated to Los Angeles, California to intensify his pursuit of a career in acting. But before then, he had already established himself as a model in Seattle, appearing on the cover of at least one magazine.
He Started Out Playing Minor Roles
To the best of our knowledge, Dylan kicked off his career in 2005, playing the main role of Martin Kail in the web series 24: Conspiracy. Despite the role being a “main role,” the fact that the show was a low-budget, mobile-only release, means that Bruce got only very visibility off of it.
Still in 2005, the Canadian native continued to score more bit parts including as a Dream Guy in Passions and as a waiter in the Friends’ spin-off, Joey. In the following year of 2006, Dylan Bruce appeared as a doorman in The Sopranos and the next year, as Anthony in Las Vegas and a young man in CSI: NY.
Playing the Handsome Doc on As the World Turns Brought Him His First Taste of Fame
From 2007 to 2008, Dylan Bruce was Chris Hughes in As the World Turns and there is no doubt that the American soap opera remains one of his best-known works. In addition to the Canadian sci-fi series, Orphan Black, these are the works that Dylan Bruce is best known for. Both projects are also a testament to how talented he is as he portrayed widely different roles in them.
As the World Turns is one of the longest-running soaps on American TV and primarily revolves around the intrigues and happenings in the Hughes family. In the series, Dylan Bruce portrayed the role of Chris Hughes, a medical doctor as well as a scion of the influential family.
"When I was on As the World Turns"….
— Dylan Bruce (@DylanBruce) January 26, 2015
Chris embarks on relationships with several women but finally settles down with his first love named Kate. He also survives a rare disease and successfully undergoes a heart transplant. Dylan Bruce appeared on As the World Turns from 2007 to 2008 totaling 100 episodes.
Even though his time on the show was short-lived, by soap opera standards, he enjoyed the chance of working with seasoned veterans and his performance eventually helped him to build up a name in the industry. It also helped him to land other projects including the sci-fi series, Orphan Black.
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A String of TV Films Followed After As the World Turns
Bruce probably took a break after As the World Turns, as the next time he was seen was in 2010. The year he appeared in his debut feature film Unstoppable, an action-thriller that also featured Chris Pine. That same year, he got his next major small-screen role – the recurring role of Brian Nelson in The Bay, a digital drama series that later moved to Amazon Prime. His role lasted for a total of 22 episodes, ending in 2012.
In addition to minor parts in shows such as the police procedural, NCIS, and Matador, Bruce appeared in a lot of TV film including Love’s Christmas Journey (2011), Willed to Kill (2012), Flowers in the Attic (2014) and Petals on the Wind (2014).
He had a recurring role as Adam Donner in Arrow between 2013 and 2014, as well as in Heroes Reborn in 2015.
Playing the Tough Cop in Orphan Black
Dylan Bruce’s other recognized role is that of Paul Dierden in Orphan Black, a main role that began in 2013. Orphan Black revolves around a bunch of clones who are the result of an experiment by a nefarious organization named the Dyad Institute. When they discover this fact, they embark on a run for their lives, pursued by the authorities, the institute as well as religious bodies who believe they are evil. Orphan Black featured the likes of Tatiana Maslany and Jordan Vagaries while Dylan portrayed the role of a cop named Paul.
Paul is initially conflicted between doing his job and helping the clones but he eventually sides with them and even goes ahead to give his life to protect them.
Dylan appeared on Orphan Black for four seasons, 2013 -2016, and contributed in making the show a hit. Orphan Black received high ratings and was broadcast in countries such as the UK, Australia, US, and Canada. It also spurned a Japanese remake as well as a dedicated fan club known as CloneClub.
Dylan Bruce continued to actively pursue his career. Some of his other roles are Tom Price in American Gothic (2016), Tim Tucker in First Round Down (2016), Bobo Winthrop in Midnight, Texas (2017 – 2018), and Nolan Wells in The Murders (2019); the last two being main roles.
