John Corbett is an American actor who has received numerous prestigious award nominations for his exceptional performances in various television shows and films. He is best known for his roles as Chris Stevens in Northern Exposure (1990) and Aidan Shaw in Sex and the City (1998),for which he received Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Born John Joseph Corbett on May 9, 1961, in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Sandra (Pavilack) and John Marshall Corbett, he is of English, Irish, Lithuanian, and Russian-Jewish descent. John was raised Catholic and graduated from Wheeling Central Catholic High School in 1979. Before pursuing an acting career, he worked at a boiler-making factory in California for six years before an injury led him to enroll at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California, where he studied hairdressing and took acting classes in the evenings.
Corbett's breakthrough role came when he was cast as Chris Stevens in Northern Exposure (1990),for which he received numerous award nominations, including Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. He then played the lead role in The Visitor (1997),earning a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actor. Corbett also portrayed one of Sarah Jessica Parker's love interests in Sex and the City (1998),receiving his second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
In 2002, Corbett starred as the male lead opposite Nia Vardalos in the blockbuster romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) and reprised his role in its sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016). He also starred as the husband of Toni Collette's character in United States of Tara (2009) and portrayed guitarist Josiah 'Flash' Bacon in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2015).
Corbett has been in a relationship with actress Bo Derek since 2002 and resides on a ranch in Santa Ynez, California. Aside from acting, he has released two country music albums, "John Corbett" in 2006 and "Leaving Nothin' Behind" in 2013.
