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For an actor who claims not to enjoy horror films as recreational viewing, Dan Byrd certainly has racked up his fair share of genre credits. Yet, despite prominent roles in such high-profile frighteners as Firestarter 2: Rekindled, Mortuary, and The Hills Have Eyes, young Byrd also managed to build the foundation for a successful television career and squeeze in roles in such family-friendly fare as A Cinderella Story in between stints of fending off mutants, vampires, and sadistic serial killers.

A devoted actor since the age of eight, the Marietta, GA, native honed his craft in numerous stage roles before making the transition to the screen with appearances in Judging Amy, ER, CSI, Touched by an Angel, and Joan of Arcadia. While The Hills Have Eyes marked Byrd's first substantial role in a feature film, he has since gone on to appear as the son of John Travolta's character in the 2006 crime thriller Lonely Hearts and as one of many whose lives collide in the most unexpected of ways in the ensemble drama Jam. Additionally, Byrd has set himself apart from the pack by taking home honors at The Burbank International Children's Film Festival for his performance in The First of May, and by winning a Young Artist Award for his role in the Emmy-nominated television series Any Day Now. He appeared in the short-lived television series Aliens in America in 2007, but had a substantial part in the surprise 2010 box office hit Easy A.