Marc Blucas

Actor

About

Also Known As

Marcus P Blucas

Birth Place

Girard, Pennsylvania, USA

Born

January 11, 1972

Biography

Filmography

Season for Love (2018)

Miss Christmas (2017)

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)

Operation Christmas (2016)

The Irresistible Blueberry Farm (2016)

Sleeping With Other People (2015)

Biography

A tall, blond, clean-cut star athlete from small-town Pennsylvania, Marc Blucas had supporting roles on film and television before winning his big break, playing vampire hunter Riley Finn in a regular role on the popular supernatural TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (The WB) beginning in 1999. A top high school basketball player and subsequent college hoops achiever with Wake Forest University, Blucas played overseas for the Manchester Giants for a season after the NBA draft didn't pick him up. An admirer of the film "A Few Good Men," he initially looked to go from the basketball court to a court of law with a career as an attorney, but realized his passion was sparked by the acting aspect of the film. Exceptional athletic skill made the neophyte stand out from millions of would-be actors, and opened additional doors for him. He made his film debut when producers needed a babyfaced basketballer to portray a benched Knick in the feature "Eddie" (1996), and won a behind-the-scenes technical coordinator job on the basketball-themed biopic "Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story" (CBS, 1996). Serious about his new craft, Blucas became an eager acting student and spent time developing his skills before going out for further roles. In 1998, a bit part in "Pleasantville" turned into an important opportunity for Blucas, whose basketball knowledge was a useful commodity for the filmmakers. He ended up with a larger acting role, and also assisted the production by choreographing the film's basketball scenes.

The following year, Blucas returned to television with a supporting role in the NBC event miniseries "The 60s" and a guest part on the UPN comedy "Clueless." That fall he caught an enviable break with another TV series based on a hit teen film, replacing David Boreanaz's Angel as Buffy Summers' love interest on the popular series "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." Blucas played a Superman-like graduate student/vampire hunter, who, clad in a camouflage jumpsuit, rids the world of the evil undead by dark of night. While the gig proved a fun adventure and a dream job for an actor's exposure, Blucas soon found that not all of the diehard fans were ready for him when he stumbled upon the inevitable anti-Riley Web sites. The actor took the barbs in stride, and his character, a mysterious displaced farm boy do-gooder, soon developed his own loyal fan base. Blucas banked on his popularity translating to the big screen when he co-starred with fellow teenage heartthrob Freddie Prinze Jr. and The WB cohort Jessica Biel in Mike Tollin's sports-themed romance "Summer Catch" (2001). Supporting roles in the films "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001), "We Were Soldiers" (2002) and "Sunshine State" (2002) followed.

In 2002, he co-starred in the Robert Harmon feature thriller, "They" and landed a major role in the acclaimed indie "I Capture the Castle" (2002) playing one of a pair of brothers who fall for the same woman (Rose Byrne). In another high-profile indie, "Prey for Rock and Roll" (2003) Blucas was cast a virginal ex-con who serves as Mr. Right for the frontwoman (Gina Gershon) of an all-female rock band. The actor was then seen in a supporting roles in the long-delayed airline comedy flop "A View From the Top" (2003) and the ill-recieved historical drama "The Alamo" (2004) before being cast as the handsome Secret Service agent who goes undercover at a college to protect a spirited Presidential offspring (Katie Holmes) in the romantic comedy "First Daughter" (2004).