Though his striking good looks may have made Jonathan Bennett an object of affection for the “plastics” in Mean Girls, his talent and commitment are what led to his becoming one of the most sought after young actors in Hollywood. Diversifying his talent, he just released The Burn Cookbook: An Unofficial Unauthorized Cookbook for Mean Girl Fans and became a fan favorite on “Dancing with the Stars.” In 2014, he demonstrated his hosting skills on MTV’s competition series “Copycat,” which helped pave the way to hosting the Food Network’s “Cake Wars,” as well as his 2017 gig as the official host of the “Times Square’s New Year’s Eve Countdown,” and his recent role with NBC’s Winter Olympic coverage in 2018. Additionally, he remained a part of the Viacom family with recurring arcs on VH1’s “Hit the Floor” and MTV’s “Awkward.”
Bennett’s first foray into a studio film was, in fact, Paramount’s smash hit Mean Girls from producer Lorne Michaels and writer Tina Fey, in which he starred opposite Lindsay Lohan. In the romantic comedy Love Wrecked for The Weinstein Company, Bennett transitioned into the love interest of Amanda Bynes. He has since starred in Warner Bros. prequel, The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, the comedy romp Bachelor Party Vegas, and National Lampoon’s Van Wilder: Freshman Year, as well as FOX’s Cheaper by the Dozen 2, and The Haunting of Sharon Tate, both with co-star Hilary Duff.
As both executive producer and star Bennett was in Authors Anonymous opposite Kaley Cuoco, and he continued to wear his producing hat as well as carry a supporting role in the feature Pawn with Ray Liotta and Forest Whitaker. In addition, he has starred in IFC Films’ dramatic thriller Submerged, the comedy Do Over, the crime thriller Paid in Full, and the indie drama Do You Take This Man. On the small screen, he starred in Lifetime’s “Romantically Speaking,” opposite Heather Morris, and the Hallmark original movie “Love at First Glance” opposite Amy Smart and Adrian Grenier.
Previously, Bennett reunited with Mean Girls Lacey Chabert in Hallmark Channel’s “Elevator Girl,” and he and he enjoyed the lead role in Lifetime’s “Holiday High School Reunion.” His additional film credits include The Assistants, Slightly Single in L.A., Memorial Day, Cats Dancing on Jupiter and Divorce Invitation opposite Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
Outside of the occasional guest star role on “Deception,” “Cane,” Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order: SVU,” David E. Kelley’s “Boston Public,” as well as “Smallville” and “Veronica Mars,” Bennett made his first and only foray into series television on the Emmy Award-winning “All My Children” after less than a month of having moved from his native Ohio to New York City.
No stranger to winning awards, Bennett took Best Actor honors at the 2003 Palm Beach International Film Festival for his lead role in the independent feature Season of Youth. Currently, Bennett resides in Los Angeles where he continues to hone his craft.
