Canadian American actor Brandon Jay McLaren is renowned for his extensive and diverse range of characters portrayed on both the big and small screens. He has gained notable recognition for his television credits, including his fan-favorite portrayal of 'Xavier Watkins' on the comedy-action series Turner & Hooch, the Disney+ reboot of the classic 1989 buddy-cop film, and the ABC action series The Rookie, alongside Nathan Fillion. Furthermore, he has appeared as 'Buckley' on season five of the acclaimed FX series Snowfall, created by Dave Andron, Eric Amadio, and John Singleton.
In 2021, McLaren starred on the hit Netflix drama series Firefly Lane, alongside Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke. Prior to this, he played the role of psychological profiler 'Oliver Yates' for three seasons on the popular CBS action-drama series Ransom and starred as 'Dr. Simon' on the third season of the Emmy-nominated Lifetime series UnReal, opposite Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer, earning him a UBCP/ACTRA Award nomination.
From 2013 to 2015, McLaren starred as undercover agent 'Dale Jakes' on the USA drama series Graceland, for which he won a Best Actor Golden Maple Award in 2015. His television credits also include recurring roles on Chicago Fire (NBC),Slasher (Chiller Network),Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce (Bravo),Falling Skies (TNT),Harper's Island (CBS),and The Killing (AMC),earning him a 2012 Leo Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series.
In addition to his television work, McLaren has appeared in several films, including the independent feature Plush, directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Emily Browning, and the cult horror comedy Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, which became a Sundance Film Festival favorite and won the 2012 SXSW Audience Award. Other film credits include the comedies She's The Man and Dead Before Dawn 3D. In 2015, McLaren executive produced and starred in the independent film Almost Anything, which premiered at Cinequest.
Born and raised in Vancouver, Brandon is of Trinidadian and Grenadian descent. He attended high school at Johnston Heights Secondary, where he took theater courses and developed his passion for acting. A star soccer player in his youth, he received a full athletic scholarship to attend the State University of New York at Albany. After graduating with a degree in Human Biology, McLaren returned to Vancouver to pursue acting full time. He now resides in Los Angeles and can be followed on Instagram at @brandonjaymclaren and on Twitter at @brandojay.
