Iain De Caestecker

Iain De Caestecker was a Scottish actor who broke out in the fall of 2013 when he began appearing as the gifted weapons expert, Leo Fitz, on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (ABC 2013- ). Born in Glasgow in December of 1987, De Caestecker always knew he wanted to become an actor. He and his brother would rustle up a video camera and star in their own home movies together, with Iain also serving as director. Both of De Caestecker's parents were doctors, and although they knew he enjoyed acting with his brother, they just assumed that when it came time, Iain would pursue a stable career in medicine, just like them. Still, they supported young Iain as he temporarily lived out his dream. At 13, he landed his first movie role in the horror-comedy "The Little Vampire," and followed that up by nabbing a recurring part on the long-running U.K. soap opera "Coronation Street" (ITV, 1960- ). Before long, De Caestecker's parents realized that acting was more than just a meaningless hobby to Iain - it was his passion. When it came time to attend college, De Caestecker stayed close to home, studying drama at Langside College in Glasgow. By the 2010s De Caestecker's career really began to take off, with recurring parts on "Lip Service" (BBC Three 2010-12), "The Fades" (BBC Three 2011), and "Young James Herriot" (BBC One 2011), the latter of which earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 2012 British Academy Scotland Awards. Already a hot commodity in his native country, De Caestecker began making waves across the pond when in 2013 he landed the part of weapons expert Leo Fitz on Joss Whedon's superhero series, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." The show debuted in September of 2013 to overwhelmingly positive praise and was renewed for a second season in May of 2014, which was also the year De Caestecker appeared as the lead in Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, "Lost River." That film, however, received mostly negative reviews after its world premiere at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.