Stephen Adam Amell (born May 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor, producer and occasional professional wrestler best known for playing Oliver Queen / Green Arrow on The CW superhero series Arrow (2012–2020), the show that started the Arrowverse. Predominantly a television actor, Amell has also had notable roles in the films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) and Code 8 (2019). In 2019, it was announced that he would star in the upcoming Starz wrestling drama series Heels.
A lifelong professional wrestling fan, Amell has made appearances in major professional wrestling promotions, including working a match for WWE in 2015 and for Ring of Honor in 2017, joining the stable Bullet Club and later The Elite.
Early life
Stephen Amell was born May 8, 1981 in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Sandra Anne Bolté and Thomas J. Amell. He is a first cousin of actor Robbie Amell. He attended St. Andrew’s College, a private independent school for boys.
Acting career
2004–2012: Early career
Amell appeared in two episodes of the fourth season of Queer as Folk as the Liberty Ride spinning instructor in 2004. Amell played Adam in the first season of the television series Dante’s Cove; he was replaced in the second season by Jon Fleming. In 2007, Amell won a Gemini Award for his guest-starring role on ReGenesis. The same year he was also nominated for a Gemini Award in the Best Ensemble Cast Category for Rent-a-Goalie.
He had recurring roles in the TV series Da Kink in My Hair and Heartland. On December 3, 2010, Amell joined the cast of The Vampire Diaries as werewolf ‘Brady’ for season 2. Amell starred as the real life criminal Joran van der Sloot in the Lifetime film Justice for Natalee Holloway which originally aired in May 2011.
On October 2, 2011, season 3 of HBO’s series Hung premiered with Amell starring as busboy-turned-prostitute Jason, a younger rival “ho” to Thomas Jane’s Ray Drecker. He also appeared as Jim in the fourth season of 90210. Amell announced on October 28, 2011, that he had just finished filming the Christmas episode of New Girl with Zooey Deschanel and Max Greenfield. He touches on the experience of filming his first “network half-hour comedy” in an interview with Daemon’s TV. On November 9, 2011, Amell was announced for the recurring role of Scottie, a paramedic on ABC’s Private Practice. He also played the role of Travis McKenna in Blue Mountain State.
2012–2020: Arrow
Amell on the set of Arrow in September 2014
In January 2012, Amell was cast as Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow in The CW series Arrow, based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name. This series and role led to Amell appearing as the character on other superhero series on the network as part of the growing Arrowverse on shows such as The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, as well as the CW Seed webseries Vixen.
Amell co-starred in the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, released on June 3, 2016, as vigilante Casey Jones. Amell announced in May 2017 that he would be participating on a special celebrity edition of American Ninja Warrior. Amell demonstrated great physical abilities which was reflective of his athleticism in his portrayal of Oliver Queen. In 2017, Amell took part in the directorial debut of former Heartland co-star Michelle Morgan, a short film entitled Mi Madre, My Father, playing the estranged father of a six-year-old girl. Morgan raised funds for the production through a crowdfunding campaign. The film premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
In March 2019, Amell announced the end of Arrow with its eighth and final season which aired in late 2019.
2020–present: Post-Arrow
His first post-Arrow project was announced in August 2019 as Heels, a Starz drama series set in the world of independent professional wrestling. In December of the same year, it was announced that short-form streaming platform Quibi were developing a spin-off series starring Amell and his cousin Robbie Amell, developed from their crowd-funded film Code 8.
Professional wrestling
WWE (2015)
As an avid professional wrestling fan, Amell campaigned for a guest appearance on WWE’s weekly Raw program. In May 2015 it was reported that he was tentatively set to wrestle Stardust (Cody Rhodes) at WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view in August. Amell made his first WWE appearance on the May 25 episode of Raw, where he had a confrontation with Stardust. Amell returned to Raw in early August; after being assaulted in the audience by Stardust, Amell got into the ring to attack him until being contained by security. Following a backstage segment with Triple H, it was announced that Neville would team with Amell to face Stardust and King Barrett at SummerSlam. At the event on August 23, 2015, Amell and Neville defeated Barrett and Stardust in a tag team match. Amell participated in the wrestling, and, behind the scenes, wrestlers were said to have been impressed with Amell’s performance. Amell became friends with Rhodes, with whom he later also worked on Arrow. On December 21, 2015, Amell was awarded a Slammy for the “Celebrity Moment of the Year” for his dive onto Stardust during the match.
Ring of Honor (2017)
Amell returned to professional wrestling for Ring of Honor on November 17, 2017, at Survival of the Fittest. On the day of the show, Amell joined the Bullet Club faction, and teamed with Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) in a five-on-four tag team match. They defeated The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian), Flip Gordon, and Scorpio Sky, and Amell again participated in the wrestling, including being put through a table by The Addiction.
All In (2018)
On August 6, 2018, it was announced that Amell would be competing at All In, in his first-ever singles match, where he was defeated by Christopher Daniels.
All Elite Wrestling (2020)
On February 29, 2020, Amell made an appearance at All Elite Wrestling’s Revolution, he accompanied Cody Rhodes alongside Rhodes’ Nightmare Family for his match against MJF.
Philanthropy
Amell has hosted a number of successful fundraising campaigns via the crowd funded merchandise platform Represent.com. In 2014, Amell partnered with the charity Fuck Cancer to raise almost a million dollars with the release of a T-shirt featuring his face on the front (with a Post-it note on his forehead and featuring the organization’s name). He ended up selling over 60,000 shirts from this campaign. In January 2015, Amell launched his second Represent.com campaign featuring a word he made up, Sinceriously, to benefit two mental health charities: Paws and Stripes and Stand For The Silent. In August 2015, Amell used his guest appearance on WWE Raw with Stardust to raise funds via his third campaign for children’s hospice Emily’s House in Toronto. The campaign raised $300,000, and Amell and Stardust presented a cheque together at Emily’s House. During the Red Nose Day special of American Ninja Warrior, Amell donated $35,000 for completing all six obstacles, and an extra obstacle, the Salmon Ladder.
Personal life
Amell married his first wife, fellow Canadian Carolyn Lawrence, on December 8, 2007, in Toronto. The couple divorced in 2010. Amell married actress and model Cassandra Jean on December 25, 2012, in a private ceremony in the Caribbean, and for a second time in New Orleans on May 26, 2013. The couple have a daughter, Mavi, born in October 2013.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Tracey Fragments | Detective | |
| 2007 | Closing the Ring | Teddy Gordon | |
| 2009 | Screamers: The Hunting | Guy | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | Stay with Me | Travis | Short film |
| 2016 | Code 8 | Drone Operator | Short film Also executive producer |
| 2016 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | Casey Jones | |
| 2018 | Mi Madre, My Father | Hal Nelson | Short film Premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival |
| 2019 | Code 8 | Garrett Kent | Also executive producer |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Queer as Folk | Spinning Instructor | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Degrassi: The Next Generation | Doorman | Episode: “Ghost in the Machine: Part 2” |
| 2005 | Missing | Ian Harrington | Episode: “Paper Anniversary” |
| 2005 | Tilt | Bellboy | Episode: “Rivered” |
| 2005 | Beautiful People | Jason | 5 episodes |
| 2005 | Dante’s Cove | Adam | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | The House Next Door | Buddy Harrelson | Television film |
| 2006–08 | Rent-a-Goalie | Main role; 18 episodes | |
| 2007 | ReGenesis | Craig Riddlemeyer | 2 episodes |
| 2007–09 | Da Kink in My Hair | Matthew | 4 episodes |
| 2007–12 | Heartland | Nick Harwell | 6 episodes |
| 2009 | Flashpoint | Peter Henderson | Episode: “Exit Wounds” |
| 2010 | Blue Mountain State | Travis McKenna | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | CSI: Miami | Peter Truitt | Episode: “Sleepless in Miami” |
| 2010 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Marine Gunnery Sergeant Andrew Weaver | Episode: “Bounty” |
| 2010 | The Cutting Edge: Fire and Ice | Philip Seaverm | Television film |
| 2011 | The Vampire Diaries | Brady | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | A.J. Gust | Episode: “73 Seconds” |
| 2011 | Justice for Natalee Holloway | Joran van der Sloot | Television film |
| 2011 | Hung | Jason | Main role (season 3); 10 episodes |
| 2011 | 90210 | Jim | 2 episodes |
| 2011–12 | New Girl | Kyle | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Private Practice | Scott Becker | 7 episodes |
| 2012–2020 | Arrow | Oliver Queen / The Hood / Arrow / Green Arrow / Spectre / The Flash | Lead role; 169 episodes |
| 2013 | When Calls the Heart | Wynn Delaney | Television film |
| 2014–2019 | The Flash | Oliver Queen / Green Arrow / Arrow | 9 episodes |
| 2015 | Reelside | Himself | Episode: “Superheroes” |
| 2015 | WWE Raw | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2016–2020 | DC’s Legends of Tomorrow | Oliver Queen / Green Arrow / Dark Arrow / Spectre | 6 episodes |
| 2017 | American Ninja Warrior | Himself | Episode: “Celebrity Ninja Warrior for Red Nose Day” |
| 2017–2019 | Supergirl | Oliver Queen / Green Arrow / Dark Arrow | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Batwoman | Oliver Queen / Green Arrow | Episode: “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two” |
| TBA | Heels | Jack Spade | Main role |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dudes Being Dudes in Wine Country | Himself | Also co-creator |
| 2015–16 | Vixen | Oliver Queen / The Arrow / Green Arrow (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 2017–present | Being The Elite | Himself | Cameo |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Injustice: Gods Among Us | Green Arrow | Arrow skin |
| 2014 | Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham | Green Arrow | |
| 2020 | Fortnite: Battle Royale | Green Arrow | Arrow skin |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Gemini Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role Dramatic Series | Won | ||
| Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series | Won | ||||
| 2008 | Gemini Awards | Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | IGN Awards | Best TV Hero | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | NewNowNext Awards | Cause You’re Hot | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Nominated | |||
| Choice TV Breakout Star | Won | ||||
| 2014 | IGN Awards | Best TV Hero | 2nd place | ||
| People’s Choice Awards | Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor | Nominated | |||
| Leo Awards | Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Nominated | |||
| Constellation Awards | Best Male Performance in a 2013 Science Fiction Television Episode | Won | |||
| Young Hollywood Awards | Super Superhero | Won | |||
| 2015 | Best. Ever. TV Awards 2015 | Best Couple and Steamiest Moment (shared w/ Emily Bett Rickards) | Won | ||
| MTV Fandom Awards | Ship of the Year (shared w/ Emily Bett Rickards) | Won | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Nominated | |||
| Choice TV Liplock (shared w/ Emily Bett Rickards) | Nominated | ||||
| Slammy Awards | Celebrity Moment of the Year | Won | |||
| 2016 | MTV Fandom Awards | Ship of the Year (shared w/ Emily Bett Rickards) | Won | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Liplock (shared w/ Emily Bett Rickards) | Nominated | |||
| CinemaCon Award | Male Star of Tomorrow | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | Won | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer Movie Actor | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Hero | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor Action | Won | |||
| People’s Choice Awards | Favorite Social Media Celebrity | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor Action | Nominated | ||
| Choice TV Ship (with Emily Bett Rickards) | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor Action | Won | [63 |