Dave Annable (Actor)

Dave Annable on Brothers & Sisters. (Photo: ABC)

About Dave Annable

He was one of the first cast on the series, but as the baby of the “Brothers & Sisters” (2006- ) clan, actor Dave Annable felt the responsibility, both onscreen and off, to rise to the occasion. The dark-haired, East Coast-bred actor – no stranger to going through the pilot wringer – admirably obeyed, plunging himself into the ABC primetime drama. As one of the more unknown actors in a cast that included Sally Field and Calista Flockhart, Annable began trumping them all, receiving critical notice and audience raves as the returned, traumatized Afghanistan war veteran, Justin Walker.

Annable was born in Suffern, NY on Sept. 15, 1979 and raised in the town of Walden. One of three siblings along with a sister and half-sister, Annable spent his upstate New York youth entrenched in athletic pursuits, actively involved in hockey, rugby and baseball. However, as he matured, he found a strong acting inspiration in television comedy star Michael J. Fox of “Family Ties” (NBC, 1982-89) fame. With a heavy concentration on sports, Annable figured he might eventually segue into becoming a gym teacher, but got more into performing at State University of New York (SUNY) at Plattsburgh. He added some production elements to his passion for acting while in school, joining up with its resident Plattsburgh State Television (PSTV) station, performing and hosting a talk show, and helping with camera and behind-the-scenes elements.

In the middle of his studies at SUNY, Annable headed down to New York City, where he studied with Richard Pinter at the city’s famed Neighborhood Playhouse. A couple of months into his city residence, he landed the first of a series of commercials, appearing in a spot for Starburst candy. Into the mid 2000s, he appeared in various prominent commercial spots, including one for Mountain Dew soda pop. Things just started taking off from there. In November of 2002, he landed a guest spot role on NBC’s uniform drama “Third Watch” (1999-2005). Beginning in August of 2003, the Revolution Studios’ romantic comedy “Little Black Book” began filming, with Annable signing on to play a small role as Bean. One year later, he appeared on an episode of “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment” (WB, 2002-04) when the Los Angeles-based prank series came to film in New York in November 2003.

A succession of pilots soon helped the actor gain some critical momentum and needed face-time. Annable landed a starring role in Fox’s sibling comedy pilot, “The Robinson Brothers,” about three brothers sharing a Los Angeles apartment. The pilot was shot in early March, but the network decided not to develop it into a series. Annable pressed on. August saw the release of “Little Black Book” to modest box office, then another pilot opportunity arose. Fox had acquired the rights to a pilot called “Spellbound” – a comedy about a supernatural New York man who falls for a mortal, which was previously developed by NBC. A year later, it was September 2004 and Annable had now stepped into the lead role when the series was redeveloped by its new network. That second pilot, however, failed to make the network grade as well.

Despite their lack of fruition, a high-profile appearance on two of Fox’s pilots brought Annable some positive attention from the casting agents so crucial to up-and-comers. He was cast as a lead in Fox’s drama thriller “Reunion” (2005), playing Aaron Lewis, one of several classmates who come together for a high school reunion and become suspects in a classmate’s murder. The ensemble cast subsequently headed up to Vancouver to film the series. Debuting in the 2005-06 fall season, “Reunion” failed to hook viewers and faced an abrupt cancellation by the end of the year. But at least this show had made it to air, giving viewers their first real look at the handsome actor with the chops to match.

Having left New York behind for Los Angeles, it was not long before Annable landed his biggest role yet. He was an early selection for the cast of ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters,” a drama about siblings who run the family business following their father’s abrupt passing. As Justin, the eager son who went to war in Afghanistan and returned home a changed man, Annable put his dramatic skills to good use. The series became one of the network’s top draws during the 2006-07 season, and Annable, as well as his castmates, reaped all the benefits. As an actor, you know you have arrived when the tabloids start running your picture. Annable found his personal life becoming public fodder when he began allegedly dating another ABC fan favorite, “Grey’s Anatomy” star Kate Walsh (Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd) in 2007. Overall, 2006-07 found the actor in a good place, riding out his rookie season on a successful network drama and enjoying a possible budding romance along the way.