Bradley Hawkins embarked on his acting career in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early 1990s, initially appearing on stage in various theatrical productions before transitioning to on-camera acting.
After relocating from Sunnyvale, California to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1997, Hawkins pursued a career in education, teaching film studies, acting, and humanities courses at the high school level, while also directing several stage productions throughout his 12-year tenure as an educator.
Following his retirement from teaching in 2012, Hawkins returned to acting on-camera and expanded his creative endeavors as an award-winning indie film director, specializing in family-friendly shorts.
His directorial debut, the comedy "Roller Coaster" (2015),garnered 30 film festival awards across the United States. Hawkins' subsequent short, the comedy-fantasy "Filling In" (2016),more than doubled the award count of his directorial debut and was screened in 19 states across the country, as well as in Australia, Canada, England, Italy, and Lithuania.
Hawkins' semi-autobiographical coming-of-age family drama "Calf Rope" (2020) exceeded the success and critical acclaim of his two previous short films, combined, and solidified his reputation as a successful filmmaker of family-friendly content.
However, Hawkins' latest work, "Night Voices" (2023),an intense psychological thriller exploring mature themes such as aging, grief, isolation, and spirituality, marks a departure from his previously self-imposed boundaries as a maker of family-friendly fare. This dark and redemptive film has won over 70 awards from both secular and faith-based film festivals worldwide and continues to tour the global film festival circuit.
As a result of his success as a film director and his extensive experience as a stage and on-camera actor, Hawkins has developed a reputation for drawing powerful performances from the talent in his films, with his cast members accumulating over 50 awards for their work in lead and supporting roles.
Throughout his 30-year career, Hawkins has studied with some of the country's most renowned acting coaches, refining his own unique coaching/directing style for actors of all ages. He continues to enjoy coaching and directing between film projects.
