Television actor Joe Flanigan was born in Los Angeles, California on January 5, 1967. He grew up in a ranch in Reno, Nevada and then went to a boarding school in Ojai, California. He earned his History degree from the University of Colorado, and then studied for a year at the Sorbonne in Paris. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career and has appeared in numerous TV series such as First Monday and Sisters. The 6’2” actor is married to former actress Katherine Kousi and they have three sons.

John Sheppard is played by Joe Flanigan on the Sci-Fi Channel series Stargate Atlantis. Sheppard is an Air Force officer serving for the Stargate Atlantis team.