Brian Bonsall

Brian Eric Bonsall was born on December 3, 1981, in Torrance, California. His acting career began at the age of three, notably taking on the role of Andrew ‘Andy’ Keaton in the popular NBC sitcom ‘Family Ties’ from 1986 to 1989. During this period, he received three Young Artist Awards for his performance, marking his early success in television. He also appeared in the made-for-TV movie ‘Do You Know the Muffin Man?’ in 1990, for which he earned another Young Artist Award nomination. Bonsall made his feature film debut in the 1992 horror film ‘Mikey,’ playing the titular character. He also notably played Alexander Rozhenko, the son of Worf, in seven episodes of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ between 1992 and 1994, showcasing his versatility across different genres. His film credits also include roles alongside Patrick Swayze in ‘Father Hood’ (1993) and as Preston Waters in the Disney comedy ‘Blank Check’ (1994). He co-starred with Bob Saget in the TV movie ‘Father and Scout’ (1994) and appeared in other television series such as ‘The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!’ and ‘The Young Riders.’

In 1995, Bonsall decided to step away from acting, moving to Boulder, Colorado, where he graduated from Boulder High School in 2000. This period marked a significant turning point as he shifted his focus to music. He co-founded the rock band Late Bloomers in 1998 and later played in other Boulder-based punk bands like Thruster and The Light on Adam’s Stereo. His commitment to music continued to grow, leading him to join the punk rock band The Ataris in 2016 as a guitarist, with whom he also toured. In October 2017, he married Courtney Tuck, and they have one child. Bonsall has publicly stated that he has been clean and sober since his 2010 arrest, reflecting on his past mistakes as part of a learning process. He has since been involved in a very well-known acoustic duo called ‘Bootjack&Bonz’ and leads the popular Denver-based punk rock band Lights In The Sky where he sings and plays rhythm guitar. His recent acting credits include “Slaughsages” (2018) and ‘You’re Melting!’ (2022).

Beyond his public career, Bonsall faced a challenging personal situation when a serial rapist he met in jail in 2004, Nathan Loebe, impersonated him to lure victims. Bonsall learned of this deception from one of Loebe’s victims, who recognized him as the “real Brian Bonsall.” This experience deeply affected him, leading him to cooperate with the FBI, which ultimately led to Loebe’s arrest and subsequent sentencing to 274 years in prison in 2019.