We all know him as the womanizing trust-fund baby on Ugly Betty, but did you know Eric Mabius’ acting roots—and we’re getting Freudian here—spawned from moving around a lot as child?

 

Growing up throughout the East Coast, Eric Mabius moved almost constantly until graduating from the renowned arts school, Sarah Lawrence College. Immersing himself in acting, writing and film theory, he made college the jumping-off point for his first roles in theatre in smaller off-Broadway productions.

Mabius landed his first film role as the object of Heather Matarazzo's affection, the teen rock star in Todd Solondz's Sundance winner, Welcome to the Dollhouse. Following the enormous success of this independent film, he chose his roles carefully, carving out a truly unique and unpredictable niche for himself that continues to challenge and impress audiences.

Embodying dark and troubled characters in some projects and heroic leading men in others, Mabius has, in memorable fashion, built an impressive resume that includes more than 25 films (seven of which appeared at Sundance) and over a dozen television projects. His credits on the big and small screens encompass a wide variety of genres, from action (Sony's Resident Evil and ABC's critically acclaimed Eyes) to drama (opposite Mischa Barton as the bad boy Dean of Discipline on The O.C. and the ground-breaking The L Word) and comedy (Cruel Intentions and Welcome to the Dollhouse), as well as mystery (Minus Man and Tempted), horror (Reeker, The Crow: Salvation and in the Sundance favorite, Black Circle Boys) and romance (A Christmas, in Gregg Araki's Splendor and in the CBS movie Dancing at the Harvest Moon).

Mabius has achieved both critical and audience acclaim in the many of the varied projects he has undertaken, which he attributes to finely-crafted scripts, brilliant directors and skilled fellow cast members -- all elements that have drawn him and continue to draw him in his distinctive acting choices.