Mark Gantt Explained

Mark Gantt
Birth Name:Mark Willingham Gantt IV
Birth Date:10 December 1968
Birth Place:Stockton, California, U.S.
Nationality:American
Occupation:Actor, director, producer, writer
Website:http://www.markgantt.com/
Years Active:1997 - present

Mark Willingham Gantt IV (born December 10, 1968) is an American actor, director, producer and writer. Gantt is best known for his role as Neal Bannen in the series The Bannen Way. Gantt grew up in Stockton, California, and comes from a law enforcement family; he drew upon those family experiences as part of the backstory for the title character in The Bannen Way.[1]

Career

Early career

Gantt got his start in the entertainment business working in the art department and props while training as an actor and director at the Beverly Hills Playhouse under Milton Katselas.[2] His credits on television shows and films include Criminal Minds,, Ocean's Eleven,, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Dexter, Major Crimes, and a role in The Arrangement on E!.[3]

The Bannen Way

Gantt plays the lead in The Bannen Way, which was designed as both a 16 episode web series and feature film.[4] It has been streamed more than 13 million, and was designed "to reach a demographic of men 18-34 years old".[5]

Directorial debut and collaborations

Gantt's feature directorial debut, Murder In Mexico: The Bruce Beresford Redman Story, was based on the real-life events involving CBS'sSurvivor producer, Bruce Beresford-Redman, who was convicted in Mexico of the murder of his wife, Mónica. The film premiered on Lifetime in September 2015.[6]

Directorial work

In April 2016, Mark directed Intricate Vengeance for Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's New Form Digital studio. It was part of the 2016 Incubator program, a series to showcase and produce original scripted pilots.[7] Mark directed branded series for platforms like AOL, Lifetime, and the Better Sleep Council.

In 2010 Gantt directed two episodes of the branded series, Suite 7 with Shannen Doherty, Dexter’s Jaime Murray, Warehouse 13's Eddie McClintock[8] and in 2011, the award-winning short film Donor starring Trevor Algatt and Alexis Boozer.[9]

In the year 2020, Mark Gantt directed two feature films, both of which made their debut on Lifetime. The titles of these films were A Deadly Price For Her Pretty Face (also known internationally as "Model Citizen").[10]

On October 20, 2023, Mark's fourth feature, Soul Mates was released in theaters. The film was written by Joseph S. Russo and Chris LaMont and stars Annie Ilonzeh, Charlie Weber, and Neal McDonough.[11]

Writing Efforts

Gantt co-wrote Her Boyfriend's Deadly Secret with Evan Unruh which premiered on Lifetime[12] and Deadly Infidelity, which premiered on Lifetime.[13]

Podcasts and Audiobooks

In 2021 Gantt co-wrote the Audible series A Devil in the Valley, alongside Paul Holes, and retired FBI Special Agent Jim Clemente.[14]

Mark Gantt and Brianne Davis launched Secret Life, a podcast that discusses love, sex, money, food, addiction, and hidden taboos.[15]

Producer Credits

Mark Gantt worked as a producer on Psychophonia, a thriller directed by his wife, Brianne Davis.[16] Mark and Brianne produced two horror/sci-fi films, The Night Visitor[17] and The Night Visitor 2: Heather's Story.

Speaker

In 2011, Mark hosted the first annual NATPE Digital Luminary Awards in Miami, Florida.

Personal life

Mark Gantt is married to Brianne Davis.[18]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
1997 Volcano Rookie Cop
2001 Straight Right Fila Man
2001 The Hollywood Sign Party Boy
2001 Oceans Eleven Bartender
2002 Good For Nothing Christian Van Dien
2003 Longshorman
2004 29 and Holding Claude
2005 Devil's Highway Vanni
2005 Pura Lengua Officer Jamison
2010 Taken By Force Stark
2010 Neal Bannen
2012 Among Friends Nick First AD
2012 Meridian Blake Royce
2013 Hidden In The Woods Costello's Accountant
2013 The Night Visitor Randy
2014 Foe Johan Meyer
2015 The Night Visitor 2: Heather's Story Randy
2015 Psychophonia Rudger
2020A Deadly Price for Her Pretty FaceDirector
2020The Secret Life of a Celebrity SurrogateDirector
2021Her Deadly BoyfriendWriter
2022Fatal MemoryWriter
2023Soul MatesDirector

TV Series/Internet Productions

Year Title Role
2000 Demon
2001 Donald Newberry
2002 Officer Mills
2003 Bartender
2005 Unscripted Actor
2005 Balfour
2006 Bar Owner
2006 Bartender
2010 Thomas Clancy
2011 Sergei
2011Mills
2011 Once Upon Marcus
2011Chet Grunwald
2012 Principal Dave
2012 Sound Advice Marco
2013 The Inn Jeffrey
2013 D-Tec Dobbs
2014 Bluff Nick Westin
2014 Ryan Brooks
2015 EMT Worker
2016 Detective Davis
2016 Adam Westfeldt (Recurring)
2017 Escaping Dad Jason
2017 Det. Alex Russ

Awards

Awards and nominations for Mark Gantt
YearAward ShowCategoryWork Result
2010 Best Male Actor in a Dramatic Web Series The Bannen Way
Best Dramatic Web Series
Best Writing in a Dramatic Web Series shared with Jesse Warren
Best Branded Web Series
Best New Web Series
2010 Best Drama Web Series
Best Editing
2011 Best Drama Web Series
Best Drama Web Series Suite 7
2012 First Glance Film Festival Philadelphia Best Director Short Film Donor
Indie Cinema Series Best of the Fest

Notes and References

  1. News: Nelson. Lauren. Gantt's Way. 23 March 2013. Lodi News-Sentinel. February 5, 2010.
  2. Web site: Woods. Mark Dundas. It takes a thief: Mark Gantt and "The Bannen Way". Simply Showbiz. 3 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140215135401/http://simply-showbiz.com/blog/archives/1628. February 15, 2014. dead.
  3. Web site: Gantt's Way. February 5, 2010 . 3 April 2013.
  4. Web site: Baldwin. Drew. 'The Bannen Way:' A Comedy on HBO?. Tubefilter. June 2, 2010 . 23 March 2013.
  5. Web site: Rowley. Melissa June. The Future of TV?: The Story Behind Crackle's "The Bannen Way". Mashable. April 2010 . 23 March 2013.
  6. Web site: September 25, 2015 . TV Review: 'Murder in Mexico: The Bruce Beresford-Redman Story' .
  7. Web site: April 5, 2016 . New Form Digital Launches Third Wave of Original Scripted Pilots .
  8. Web site: Cohen . Joshua . November 29, 2010 . Want to Sleep Better? Shannen Doherty and 'Suite 7' Can Help . 23 March 2013 . Tubefilter.
  9. Web site: FirstGlance Film Fest Philadelphia 15 Winners . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130326175705/http://www.firstglancefilms.com/philadelphia/winners . March 26, 2013 . 23 March 2013 . FirstGlance Philadelphia Film Festival.
  10. Web site: A Deadly Price for Her Pretty Face (2020) . 2023-09-21 . The A.V. Club . en.
  11. Web site: Gleiberman . Owen . 2023-10-19 . 'Soul Mates' Review: Two Innocents Get Trapped in a 'Saw' Game as Online Date From Hell . 2023-10-26 . Variety . en-US.
  12. Web site: Entertainment.ie . Mark Gantt - About . 2023-10-08 . Entertainment.ie . en.
  13. Web site: Gokhale . Stuti . 2022-01-01 . Where Was Lifetime’s Deadly Infidelity Filmed? Is it a True Story? . 2023-12-30 . The Cinemaholic . en-US.
  14. Book: A Devil in the Valley . en.
  15. Web site: 2021-08-23 . SECRET LIFE PODCAST Top 9 Episodes Revealed - The Drill Mag . 2023-10-08 . en-US.
  16. Web site: Kay2014-11-30T23:55:00+00:00 . Jeremy . Blanc/Biehn, partners ready Psychophonia . 2023-09-22 . Screen . en.
  17. Web site: Kay2013-07-23T13:46:00+01:00 . Jeremy . Taylor & Dodge to sell Night Visitor . 2023-09-22 . Screen . en.
  18. Web site: Yahoo Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos . 2023-12-31 . www.yahoo.com . en-US.