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Eric Johnson (b. 1979) plays Flash Gordon in the Sci Fi Channel Flash Gordon series.

Biography[]

Johnson is a Canadian actor whose first major role was Whitney Fordman, a romantic rival for Clark Kent in the first season of the TV series Smallville. Johnson has also made guest appearances on Criminal Minds, The Ghost Whisperer and The Unit.

Johnson says that he appreciates the "regular guy" aspect of Flash's character:

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What I really like about Flash is he's such a unique comic hero in that he has no superpowers. He's a guy caught in extraordinary circumstances. That's what I really responded to in this. He doesn't have a trump card he can fall back on. Through sheer willpower and determination, he has to try and succeed. He becomes like the sports hero -- the quarterback on the football field. You want that guy out there."
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Johnson says that his experiences on Smallville helped to prepare him for the science fiction fanbase that he'll attract: "I got a taste of that rabid fan base when I was on Smallville, and it's always good to know about your character when it's centered on a big mythology like this. But ultimately the fans will always know more than the actors, always."

A TV Guide article described the filming of a scene between Flash and Princess Aura, who orders Flash to take off his clothes. Johnson commented wryly on the scene:

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"They keep finding ways to get me out of my clothes", Johnson says with a laugh. He also had a bare-chested torture scene in the show's August 10 premiere, but the actor claims he doesn't mind being treated like intergalactic man-meat because "my character is about so much more than that."
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Personal life[]

Eric Johnson was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. When he was only 9, his desire to be the center of attention made him to enroll a theater school. He developed a passion for audience, and he secured performing roles in professional theater as well as landing film and television roles.

Johnson married Adria Budd in 2004; they met when Budd was a cast assistant on Smallville. The couple is expecting their first child in October 2007. Johnson and his wife, Adria Budd Johnson, are also involved in the social- and ecological-change organization named the Hollywood Hill.

Sources[]

  • "Flash Forward: Sci Fi Channel brings cult hero Flash Gordon into the 21st century", TV Guide, Michael Logan. August 13, 2007.

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