Blake Shields on AllMovie

Blond-haired actor Blake Shields began his career with bit roles in such popular television series as Silk Stalkings, The West Wing, and Boy Meets World before transitioning into features in the independent film Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, with a more substantial role opposite Freddie Prinze Jr. marking his first leading role in a wide-release feature. Born in Ithaca, NY, Shields traveled the globe with his family as a youngster before they decided to settle in Israel for a five-year stretch. Upon returning stateside, Shields' family moved to Boise, ID, and the aspiring young actor ingratiated himself with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and the Washington Street Players. A stint at the American Academy of Arts in Los Angeles found Shields starring in productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Burn This, and Hamlet among others, with performances as a street singer in Old Town Pasadena and Venice Beach helping the up-and-comer to better develop his vocal skills.

After rebelling against the high-school administration in New Port South and joining the Judd Apatow crew in episodes of Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, Shields found regular roles in HBO's Carnivàle and Showtime's Sleeper Cell, showing marked maturity while helping to solidify the foundation of an enduring career. In 2007, Shields was cast on the New Orleans-set cop show K-Ville, but the series proved to be short-lived.