Henry Ian Cusick

Henry Ian Cusick was born on April 17, 1967, in Trujillo, Peru, to a Peruvian mother and a Scottish father. His early life involved moves to Madrid, Spain, and Trinidad and Tobago, where he resided for ten years and attended Presentation College, San Fernando. At the age of fourteen, his family relocated to Newton Mearns, Scotland. He enrolled at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama but had to leave in his second year. Cusick’s acting career began in classical theatre at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland, where he secured his first leading roles, including Dorian Gray in ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray,’ Hamlet in ‘The Marovitz Hamlet,’ and Horner in ‘The Country Wife.’

His performances in 1994, as Torquato Tasso in the Edinburgh International Festival production of ‘Torquato Tasso’ and as Creon in the Citizens Theatre production of ‘Oedipus,’ earned him a special commendation at the 1995 Ian Charleson Awards. Cusick transitioned to screen roles, appearing in television series like ‘Casualty’ and ‘The Book Group’ before portraying Jesus Christ in the 2003 film ‘The Gospel of John.’ A significant turning point came in 2005 when he was cast as Desmond Hume in the ABC series ‘Lost.’ This role, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, started as a recurring guest part in the second season and evolved into a main cast role from seasons three to six, appearing in 77 episodes. The role was secured after a chance meeting with ‘Lost’ executive producer Carlton Cuse.

Cusick has continued to work in television and film, taking on notable roles such as Marcus Kane in the CW drama ‘The 100’ (2014-2019, 80 episodes), Stephen Finch in the ABC drama ‘Scandal’ (2012, 6 episodes, with a guest appearance in 2015), Dr. Jonas Lear in the Fox drama ‘The Passage’ (2019, 10 episodes), and Russ Taylor in the CBS drama ‘MacGyver’ (2020-2021, 28 episodes). He has also explored directing, with the short film ‘dress’ (2013) winning awards at the Peace on Earth film festival and the Hawaii International Film Festival. He also directed two episodes of ‘The 100’ in 2017 and 2018. His recent work includes roles in ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ (2023-2024, 5 episodes), ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ (2024, 2 episodes), and ‘The Wingfeather Saga’ (2022-present, 9 episodes).