Born 26 January 1964 in Spokane, Washington and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Johansson is the son of legendary hockey star Ching Johnson, who was a member of the 1954 Stanley Cup-winning Detroit Red Wings.

Graced with his father's prowess, 6-ft. 2-in Johansson was named an All-Canadian Basketball Player in 1987 (not always a happy camper, ejected for fighting in five consecutive games versus University of Saskatchewan) while a student at the University of British Columbia (1985-87) , and was seriously considering a career in pro basketball when offered a spot with the Atlanta Hawks.

"My lifelong goal, I really wanted to get a medal in the Olympics - it was something I had destined myself to," he recalled. "I had made the Canadian team, I was touring the world, I was ready to go for the preliminary qualification tournament, I had offers to play pro ball in Europe (Sweden). But something happened. The fire went out in me just moments before it was all coming together. I sat down with my dad and said, 'I need a profound change in my life. I don't know what I want to do, but I don't want to be a professional athlete."

***CLICK HERE to learn more about Paul's days in collegiate basketball at UBC***

Though his father was disappointed initially in his son's choice to give up his athletic dreams, "after I started getting jobs and I got my first series and my second series, after things started rolling, he's warmed up to my acting now."

Armed with a college degree in English Literature funded by his athletic scholarship, as well as a rather infamous moment or two doing Canadian lottery commercials, Johansson set out to become a writer, when a talent scout encouraged him to move to L.A.  "I got into acting through writing."  He packed his bags and moved to California with a fellow actor - and future co-star - Jason Priestly (Brandon, 90210) - and soon after found himself quickly adjusting to soap opera stardom as Greg Hughes in "Santa Barbara".

Shortly after leaving, art imitated art when he was cast as Sally Field’s character’s much-younger husband in the soap spoof "Soapdish", which led to his being cast in the short-lived Fox sitcom "Parker Lewis Can’t Lose". "It was a critically well-received show by insider who's-whos," he notes. "It just didn’t have a huge following, more of a cult following."

After his Parker stint ended, Johansson decided to take a couple of years off from acting to write a novel, travel, and to appear in repertory theater. He was in his car, two weeks into a road trip, when he got a call from his agent informing him that Aaron Spelling wanted him to audition for the memorable role of Big Man on Campus John Sears on "Beverly Hills 90210".

It was a short hop from Beverly Hills to the wild west as Paul began a two year stint on the television series, "Lonesome Dove". Paul subsequently co-starred in "Highlander: The Raven" (the catalyst seeming to bring his global fandoms together), and has since spent a great deal of time traveling from one production to another, including "John Q" and a guest appearance on "The Drew Carey Show." Definitely a *working actor" Paul has now landed the role of Dan Scott with the WB's newest smash hit, "One Tree Hill."

Johansson has many aspirations behind the camera as well, and directed his first short film in 1997, "Conversations in Limbo", based on an Oscar Wilde short story, Day of Judgment.  Johansson financed the short, as well as cast it with his friends Jason Priestly, Costas Mandaylor, and Nick Cassavettes. "Conversations in Limbo" toured the international independent film festival circuit, and opened for the Toronto Short Film Festival in 1999. This 20 minute short film can now be seen on the Sundance Cable Channel.

Paul most recently called a wrap on a 6-year feature film project - "The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie" - which he wrote, produced, and directed. Starring Gena Rowlands and James Caan, this touching film about a young boy's turn to a more positive life aired on the Showtime Network, and is soon to be released on DVD. The contrast between his two films shows a credible sense of diversity both in his range of skill, and depth of personal character.

The actor would like to find a way to juggle directing and writing with performing, "but if I had to make a choice, I'd direct and write, unless I found the role absolutely something I couldn't say no to."   Johansson believes his destiny lies behind the camera. "My aspirations don't end at acting. People would say that being an actor is a very free art form, but it's very restrictive. If you can direct, and specifically direct what you've written yourself, then you have control You really are the ultimate storyteller. I've directed a few things, I'm writing and I want to produce; I'm very involved in many aspects of the business."

Johansson has also spent 10 years working on his novel. "It’s taking time because it’s like they say, 'Writing isn’t writing, it’s rewriting,’" he explains. "Every time I write a chapter, I rewrite it. I re-read it and say, 'No!' So I rewrite it. I’m stuck in this sort of literal suicide. Nothing can be perfect. One day you just have to submit it. People don’t think in words, they think in thoughts.  Words are only representations of thoughts, so writing never comes out as good as you pictured it. The limitations of language are why acting is a great outlet for me. I can put an emotion behind a word and change the meaning of the word, which is fun." 

Paul says it's easy to play some of his roles from his own life experiences. "I come from a street background, boxing, fighting, training. I've been in LA for about 12 years now, and I've sat out on my balcony and listened to the gunshots at night. I've been robbed and shot at. I've had guns put to my head in front of ATM machines and a knife pulled on me in New York."

Paul speaks French and considers himself fairly well-read with a background in literature.
"My favorite things to read about are history; I just finished a biography of Julius Caesar."
"Painting is the most boring thing in the world," he admits, "but I enjoy it. Anything that turns off your mind is great - sometimes even music is an intrusion. My dad has a great quote. He says 'Spend an hour a day listening to your own thoughts.' I try to do that."

© Paul Johansson