American actor Marc Blucas was born on January 11, 1972 in Butler, Pennsylvania. An aspiring basketball player, he played the sport during his stint at Girard High School. He would later enter the varsity team at Wake Forest University until his graduation in 1994. After failing to enter the NBA, he moved to England and played for the defunct Manchester Giants, a team in the British Basketball League. He then decided to pursue a career as a lawyer, but changed his mind and took up acting instead.
From his screen debut in the 1995 television movie Inflammable, Blucas has appeared in several films—Dilemma, Eddie and Pleasantville, where he played a small role as the town’s basketball hero—as well as guest roles on television. In 1999, he took on the role in which he is most recognized. He joined the cast of the hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Riley Finn, the boyfriend of lead Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar). His character worked undercover for the Initiative, although she would later find out about it in the fourth season. Blucas initially thought he blew the audition, but was later invited back by series creator Josh Whedon; he appeared as a regular in the whole of the fourth and part of the fifth season.
After his departure from Buffy, Blucas appeared in numerous other films: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, We Were Soldiers, View from the Top, The Alamo, First Daughter and Meet Dave, among others. Only recently did he start taking lead roles in films, such as the film adaptation of the novel Thr3e and the thriller flick The Killing Floor. He also took guest roles in House and the American version of Eleventh Hour. Apart from acting, he has reentered the world of basketball, coaching the basketball team of an all-girls school in Los Angeles.