Thomas Mann
Beginning in 2012, actor Thomas Mann was a thoughtful presence in a diverse array of features, including his star-making turn in "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" (2015), as well as "Project X" (2012), "Blood Father" (2015) and "Kong: Skull Island." Born Thomas Randall Mann, Jr. in Portland, Oregon on September 27, 1991, he was raised in Dallas, Texas, where he briefly attended Plano East Senior High School before heading west to try his hand at the entertainment industry. He began appearing on-screen in 2009, logging guest roles in teen-oriented television series like "iCarly" (Nickelodeon, 2007-2012) before making his debut as a feature lead, playing a teen whose 17th birthday goes awry in the raunchy coming-of-age film "Project X" (2012). Supporting turns in films like "Fun Size" (2012) and "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" (2013) preceded his breakout turn as a young film buff who gains a new perspective on life through a friend with a terminal illness in the indie hit "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" (2015). Critical praise for the film, and his performance in particular, led to a slew of film roles, including teenage spy Hailee Steinfeld's romantic interest in "Barely Legal" (2015) and a private school student running a drug ring in "The Preppie Connection" (2016). Independent features such as these, as well as the Mel Gibson action film "Blood Father" (2015) and the drama "Brain on Fire" (2016), dominated Mann's c.v. until 2017, when he appeared in "Kong: Skull Island" as vinyl record-loving soldier on the trail of the titular monster. Mann was soon back in the independent fold with supporting role in the third season of "Fargo" (FX, 2014- ) and "Amityville: The Awakening" (2017), the tenth incarnation in the long-running haunted house franchise.