Cranston Johnson, the youngest of three children, was born in Gastonia, North Carolina. He pursued his passion for football, earning a football scholarship from Western Carolina University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management and finished his collegiate football career with All Southern Conference honors.
After his football days, Johnson landed his first job in the film industry as a featured extra in The 5th Quarter, starring Andie MacDowell, Aidan Quinn, and Ryan Merriman. This marked the beginning of his journey into the world of acting. He enrolled in a local acting workshop and eventually gained representation, taking method acting training with Burgess Jenkins and the Actor's Group.
Johnson's skills on camera began to blossom, and he was cast for numerous independent film and television projects. His first SAG booking came when he was cast as Shawn Griffin in the Jerry Rees directed film Susie's Hope, playing a powerful and chilling role as a man standing trial for animal cruelty.
In 2012, Johnson was cast in the Tyler Perry directed film The Single Moms Club, starring Nia Long, Tyler Perry, Wendy McLendon-Covey, and Amy Smart. He continued to build his resume with episodic television credits, including a recurring role on the critically acclaimed comedy Atlanta, starring Donald Glover.
Johnson also made appearances on Secrets and Lies, Constantine, Game of Silence, Survivor's Remorse, and Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell, all within a two-year span. His film credits include For The Love of Ruth, A Way Back Home, and Term Life, starring Vince Vaughn, Bill Paxton, and Hailee Steinfeld.
Johnson's passion for the craft and his commitment to excellence were celebrated when he was awarded Best Actor in a Short Film at the Rahway International Film Festival in 2015 for his work on the gripping A Letter To My Son. The short film was selected to over 20 film festivals, including the Riverrun International Film Festival, one of the premier film festivals in the Southeast.
His breakthrough role came in the fall of 2016 when he was cast as series regular Detective Marvin Hanson for the second season of SundanceTV's darkly comic swamp noir Hap and Leonard, starring James Purefoy and Michael K. Williams.
Johnson continues to study method acting in Winston Salem, North Carolina, crediting the class and instructor as an invaluable resource to his growth as an actor and human being. With his ability to play a wide range of characters, from funny to menacing, he has proved himself to be a dedicated student of his craft, committed to becoming a future leading man in the film industry.
