Jason Priestley

Early Career and Breakthrough on 90210

His early roles included a part on Airwolf in 1987 and two episodes of 21 Jump Street in 1987 and 1988. In 1989, he secured a regular role as Todd, a foster child, on the short-lived sitcom Sister Kate starring Stephanie Beacham. This early work provided a foundation for his career, but it was his next audition that would change his life. In 1990, Priestley was cast as Brandon Walsh, the moral centre of the new Fox series Beverly Hills, 90210 . The show, which followed the lives of a group of teenagers transplanted from Minnesota to the wealthy Los Angeles neighbourhood, became a global phenomenon and defined a generation. Priestley's portrayal of the earnest and principled Brandon made him an instant teen idol and a household name. His work on the series earned him two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama, in 1993 and 1995. Beyond acting, Priestley began directing episodes of the show, helming 15 installments over its run. He remained a series regular until his character's departure in 1998, though he continued to serve as an executive producer until the show concluded in 2000.

Post-90210 Acting and Directing Work

Following his departure from Beverly Hills, 90210, Priestley actively pursued a diverse range of roles to move beyond his teen idol image. He took on a leading role in the 1997 film Love and Death on Long Island, playing a teen idol struggling for serious recognition, a part that mirrored his own career challenges. On television, he joined the cast of the supernatural drama Tru Calling as Jack Harper from 2004 to 2005 and was a regular on the 2006 series Love Monkey. A significant career shift occurred when he began focusing more on directing, helming episodes for series such as 7th Heaven and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. His feature film directorial debut was the 2013 independent road trip comedy Cas & Dylan, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Tatiana Maslany. Throughout the 2010s, he built a steady reputation as a television director, working on numerous Canadian and American series including Saving Hope, Working the Engels, The Night Shift, Rookie Blue, Dark Matter, Van Helsing, and Ghost Wars. He also directed his former co-star Luke Perry in the 2011 Mark Channel movie Goodnight for Justice and directed the episode of 90210 when Tori Spelling returned to the franchise.

• 2007: Starred in the Lifetime comedy-drama Side Order of Life.
• 2008: Guest-starred as Blake on NBC's My Name Is Earl and directed five episodes of The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
• 2009: Directed and co-produced all 12 episodes of the web series The Lake and starred in the BBC adaptation of The Day of the Triffids.
• 2015: Starred with Gael García Bernal in the comedy Zoom, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Acclaimed Canadian Television Roles

In the 2010s, Priestley achieved critical acclaim and industry recognition for his work on two major Canadian television series. From 2010 to 2013, he starred as the morally bankrupt used-car salesman Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick in the HBO Canada series Call Me Fitz. His performance was a dramatic departure from Brandon Walsh and earned him several major awards, including a Canadian Screen Award and a Monte Carlo Television Festival award. Following this success, from 2016 to 2021, he starred as Matt Shade, a former professional hockey player turned private investigator, in the Global TV series Private Eyes opposite Cindy Sampson. He also directed multiple episodes of both series and from 2016 to 2018 starred opposite Molly Ringwald in the series Raising Expectations, which he also directed. These roles re-established him as a leading man in Canadian television and demonstrated his range and longevity.

In August 2016, Jason Priestley was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. He is a recipient of the ACTRA National Award of Excellence. Priestley earned multiple awards for the Canadian comedy series Call Me Fitz, including Best Comedy Actor at the Canadian Screen Awards. In 2025, it was announced that Priestley would reprise his role as Matt Shade in Private Eyes: West Coast, a spinoff of Private Eyes set in Victoria, British Columbia, four years after the original series concluded. He is also starring in and directing the upcoming Private Eyes West Coast.

Motorsports Involvement and Ownership

Beyond acting, Jason Priestley has maintained a deep and sometimes dangerous passion for motorsports. His interest began with rally racing in the early 1990s, driving a Toyota Celica in the SCCA Pro Rally Series. He transitioned to circuit racing in 1996, competing in IMSA GTS, USRRC GT1, and Motorola Cup competition driving Ford Mustangs for Multimatic Motorsports. In 1999, he participated in the first Gumball 3000 rally driving a Lotus Esprit V-8. This hobby took a serious turn on August 11, 2002, when he was severely injured during an Indy Pro Series practice session at Kentucky Speedway after his car hit a wall at nearly 180 miles per hour. After recovering, he moved into team ownership. In 2008, he was a joint owner of the Rubicon Race Team, which attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 but suffered a crash and gearbox problems during qualifying. He was also among the owners of the FAZZT Race Team, which competed in the 2010 IndyCar Series with Canadian driver Alex Tagliani. The team was later bought by Sam Schmidt Motorsports, and Tagliani, still driving the car, won the pole position for the 2011 Indianapolis 500. Priestley has also served as a commentator and interviewer for ABC's coverage of IndyCar racing, blending his professional and personal interests.

Personal Life and Public Engagements

Jason Priestley was born in Vancouver to Sharon Kirk, an actress and acting coach, and Lorne Dale Priestley. He has been married twice, first to make-up artist Ashlee Petersen from February 1999 to January 2000. He married his second wife, make-up artist Naomi Lowde, on May 14, 2005. The couple have two children, a daughter born in July 2007 and a son born in July 2009. In July 2007, during an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Priestley announced he had become a naturalized citizen of the United States. The family relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2024, citing educational reasons for their children. In 2014, HarperOne published his autobiography, Jason Priestley: A Memoir. Priestley has also been involved in notable public statements, including recounting in 2017 that he had punched film producer Harvey Weinstein at a party in 1995 after Weinstein grabbed his arm. In July 2024, following the death of his former 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty, he paid tribute to her on social media, calling her a force of nature and later stating in an August interview that her death still came as a surprise despite her long cancer battle.

Recent Projects and Ongoing Career

Jason Priestley remains a prolific figure in film and television, balancing acting, directing, and producing. Starting in 2024, he joined the cast of the CBC and CW crime-comedy series Wild Cards, playing George Graham, the incarcerated con-artist father of a lead character, a role he continued through the show's third season. Other recent credits include the Viaplay limited series Börje, about hockey legend Börje Salming, and the festival film All There Is. Behind the camera, he has produced and directed for series such as the Netflix show My Life With The Walter Boys and the documentary Offside: The Harold Ballard Story, which was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award. In 2025, the announcement of Private Eyes: West Coast confirmed he would return to one of his most popular Canadian roles. He continues to be a featured speaker at industry events like the Banff World Media Festival, where in 2026 he was scheduled to speak on topics including Canadian actors on the global stage.

• 2024 to present: Recurring role as George Graham on Wild Cards (CBC/The CW).
• 2023: Appeared in Börje (Viaplay) and Mort sur la Piste (French film).
• Directing: Episodes of My Life With The Walter Boys (Netflix) and documentary Offside: The Harold Ballard Story.
• 2025 announcement: To star in and direct the spinoff Private Eyes: West Coast.

Awards and Recognition

Throughout his career, Jason Priestley has received significant recognition for his work, particularly within the Canadian industry. His two Golden Globe nominations for Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1993 and 1995 marked his early international acclaim. His performance in Call Me Fitz earned him a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, a Best Comedy Actor award at the Monte Carlo Television Festival, and a Best TV Performance by a Male at the Canadian Comedy Awards. In 2016, he was honoured with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. He is also a recipient of the ACTRA National Award of Excellence, acknowledging his overall contribution to Canadian performing arts. These awards highlight his status as a leading Canadian talent who has achieved success both at home and abroad.

Questions about Jason Priestley

Is Jason Priestley Canadian or American?

Jason Priestley holds dual citizenship. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is a Canadian citizen by birth. In July 2007, he announced on Late Night with Conan O'Brien that he had recently become a naturalized citizen of the United States. He has lived and worked extensively in both countries throughout his career.

What is Jason Priestley's connection to Barenaked Ladies?

Priestley is a longtime fan of the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. In the mid-1990s, he used his fame to help promote the band in the United States by directing their music video for "The Old Apartment" and persuading American stations to air it. He also invited the band to perform on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. In 1999, he directed the feature-length documentary Barenaked in America about the band's tour. Band member Ed Robertson has credited Priestley with being instrumental in their early American success.

What is Jason Priestley doing now in 2026?

As of 2026, Jason Priestley continues to act and direct. He can be seen in the third season of the CBC/CW series Wild Cards, where he plays George Graham. It was announced in 2025 that he will star in and direct the upcoming spinoff series Private Eyes: West Coast, reprising his role as Matt Shade. He also remains active as a director on other projects and as a speaker at industry festivals.

Did Jason Priestley ever return to Beverly Hills, 90210?

Yes, Jason Priestley returned to the 90210 franchise in a unique way. In 2019, he reunited with original cast members Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, and Tori Spelling for the meta-series BH90210. The six-episode series featured the actors playing heightened, fictionalized versions of themselves trying to get a reboot of the original show off the ground. The series aired in August and September 2019 but was canceled after one season.

What is Jason Priestley best known for?

Jason Priestley is best known globally for playing the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the hit television series Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1998, a role that made him a teen idol and earned him two Golden Globe nominations. He also directed 15 episodes of that series. In Canada, he is highly recognized for his award winning role as the morally bankrupt car salesman Richard 'Fitz' Fitzpatrick in the HBO Canada series Call Me Fitz from 2010 to 2013. He starred as former hockey player turned private detective Matt Shade in the Canadian series Private Eyes from 2016 to 2021, a role he is set to reprise in a 2025 spinoff. These roles show his long standing versatility in television.

What happened to Jason Priestley's racing career?

Jason Priestley was an avid amateur race car driver who competed in rally series and circuit racing throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. His active driving career was severely impacted by a serious crash on August 11, 2002, during an Indy Pro Series practice session at Kentucky Speedway where his car hit a wall at nearly 180 miles per hour. After recovering from his injuries, he transitioned into team ownership and management. He became a joint owner in the Rubicon Race Team for the 2008 Indianapolis 500 and was among the owners of the FAZZT Race Team that competed in the 2010 IndyCar Series. He has also provided commentary for ABC's television coverage of IndyCar racing.

Sources and further reading

• Jason Priestley (Wikipedia)
• Speaker Jason Priestley, Banff World Media Festival 2026 (banffmediafestival.playbackonline.ca)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-27.