Ian Verdun

California native Ian Verdun toiled in bit parts on television before landing his big break with a supporting role on the fantasy-drama series "Siren" (ABC/Freeform, 2018- ). Born Ian McShane Verdun, he divided his extracurricular hours in high school between football and acting in student theater productions. By the time he was 16, however, acting had won over athletics as his primary interest, and Verdun pursued it as his major at the California Institute of the Arts. After graduating in 2007, he performed in the Los Angeles theater scene while also landing minor roles on television series like "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 2005- ).  Frustrated by the lack of substantive screen projects, Verdun took matters into his own hands and created his own series, "Life's a Drag" (2015-2016), an online comedy series about a desperate actor (played by Verdun) who turns to drag performance to make ends meet. The show earned critical praise and an Outstanding Pilot Award at the Brooklyn Web Festival, and preceded an upturn of Verdun's own fortunes. In 2018, he was cast in the series "Siren" (Freeform 2018- ) as a suspicious fisherman in a small coastal town that becomes the haven for an alleged mermaid.