Cam Joslin Gigandet (pronounced ji-gon-day) was born in Tacoma, Washington. A natural athlete, he played football while attending Auburn High School, but after realizing it wasn’t for him, he quit and began to focus on acting. After graduating in 2001, he headed for Los Angeles where he attended Santa Monica Community College, found an agent and began to audition.
His first role was a guest appearance on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He then landed a regular role on the long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless, but his contract wasn’t renewed, which was a big blow to his confidence. Soon after, however, Gigandet landed a recurring role on the WB Television Network’s drama series Jack & Bobby, quickly followed by a recurring role on seasons three and four of the popular Fox TV series The O.C. as the creepy Volchok. The highly-rated show brought him much attention, making him a young actor to watch.
He immediately made his feature film debut with a supporting role in MGM Pictures’ Who’s Your Caddy? (2007). Less than a year later he was starring on the big screen in Never Back Down (2008) and Twilight (2008), playing bad guy vampire James.
Having achieved star status, Gigandet has a number of other film roles in the works, including The Unborn (2009), in which he finally gets to play a good guy, alongside Gary Oldman.
Although Gigandet lives in Hollywood, he regularly visits his parents in Washington State, where he enjoys water-skiing with his family. He also enjoys riding his bicycle, surfing and has a black belt in martial arts.
