It’s been three years now since I started watching Arrow but only recently did it occur to me to try and find some intel about Green Arrow’s other secret identity – Stephen Amell. Born May 8, 1981 in Toronto, Ontario in Canada, Stephen Amell first appeared on our TV screens as a spinning instructor on the TV series Queer as Folk in 2004. Ironically, at the time he was cast in this role, he was an actual spinning instructor in real life.
In 2005, Stephen Amell was cast on the supernatural gay soap opera Dante’s Cove as the ostensibly straight, inevitably gay Adam. He left the series after only one season. His departure was rumored to be caused by his opposition to enacting gay love scenes. In 2007 he got the part of Craig Riddlemeyer on the science-fiction thriller Re-Genesis, a role for which he won an award.
Stephen Amell in Dante’s Cove
After another recurring role on Da Kink in My hair, Stephen Amell made a leap to mainstream American projects by landing parts in shows such as CSI Miami, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Vampire Diaries, where he player Brady, a werewolf in the second season. Continuing on his way as a rising star, he booked a string of recurring roles on some of America’s other wildly popular series like New Girl, 90210 and Private Practice.
Stephen Amell in NCIS – Los Angeles
Stephen Amell made the headlines when it was announced that he was in the running to replace Andy Whitfield, the actor portraying Spartacus. Although he did not land that part, he managed to book another iconic heroic role – that of Oliver Queen, better known as the Green Arrow. He now plays the ruthless vigilante who bears physical, mental and emotional scars after five years of being separated from his family and friends.
He married actress and model Cassandra Jean December 25, 2012. It was a private ceremony May 26, 2013, in New Orleans. There was a second ceremony held due to the fact that the first had been a little too private. In October 2013 the couple was blessed with a daughter, Mavi Alexandra.