Shawn Ashmore is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Iceman in the X-Men film series.
Born on October 7, 1979 in Richmond, British Columbia, he started appearing in films and television movies in bit roles. He is usually cast as twins, along with his twin brother, Aaron Ashmore. He became a regular in teen series such as Nickelodeon’s Animorphs, as the group’s reluctant leader Jake Berenson, and in Disney Channel’s In a Heartbeat, as an EMT who doubles as a football player in school.
In 2000, Shawn Ashmore appeared in the film adaptation of X-Men, as one of the original members of the group, Iceman. He reprised the role in the two sequels—X2, released in 2003, and X-Men: The Last Stand, released in 2006—unlike other actors, who were replaced as their characters didn’t get major screen time in the earlier films.
In 2002, Ashmore appeared in the Disney Channel television movie Cadet Kelly, opposite Hilary Duff. Here, he played Brad Rigby, the love interest of Jennifer Stone (Christy Carlson Romano). He also had a guest appearance in the television series Smallville, as Eric Summer.
In 2004, Ashmore starred as the lead in the television miniseries Legend of Earthsea, which was based on Ursula K. Le Guin’s novels. He played the role of Ged, the young wizard-in-training; he stars alongside Danny Glover and Kristin Kreuk. In 2005, he appeared in a Canadian television movie, Terry, about amputee Terry Fox’s run across Canada. He was nominated for Canada’s Gemini Awards for Best Actor in a Mini-series as well as for Best Television Movie.
He last appeared in the 2008 thriller Solstice, alongside Elisabeth Harnois and Tyler Hoechlin. He is slated to appear in another horror film alongside Jonathan Tucker and Jena Malone, The Ruins, which is executive produced by Ben Stiller.