Scott Speedman was born September 1, 1975 in London, England but grew up in Toronto, Canada. His parents are of Scottish descent, and attended Earl Haig Secondary High School as a competitive swimmer. He was also a member of the Canadian Junior National Swim Team and was able to place ninth in the 1992 Olympic trials. His strongest meet was the distance freestyle, but he was forced to quit his athletic ambitions when he suffered a neck injury. Finding a new focus, he went to attend the University of Toronto and York University to study acting.
Scott Speedman had auditioned for the role of Robin in Batman Forever although the part eventually went to Chris O’Donnell. This, however, gave him enough exposure to be cast in a number of Canadian film and television roles. He made his television debut on the 1995 series Net Worth and made several small TV appearances. He studied at the New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse for a short time, then dropped out and returned to Toronto. He then got a call from a casting agent and soon after, landed the part of Ben Covington on the television series, Felicity. His character is a popular track star and swimmer, and became the object of Felicity Porter’s affection because he wrote a mysterious note on her yearbook. This earned Scott Speedman numerous roles, and he landed one opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in the film Duets. He continued to be a success on the big screen, and in 2002, he was cast alongside Kurt Russell in the acclaimed Dark Blue. He was also given a role in the independent drama My Life Without Me, earning a Golden Wave Award for his performance. His breakthrough into Hollywood came when he starred opposite Kate Beckinsale in the supernatural thriller Underworld. His portrayal of the werewolf Michael Corvin garnered him a Saturn Award in the Cinescape Face of the Future Award category. His next film was The 24th Day with James Marsden, and XXX: State of the Union in 2005. The next year, he reprised his role in the Underworld sequel, Underworld: Evolution. In 2008, he starred with Liv Tyler in the horror The Strangers, and was also in Adoration with Rachel Blanchard.