Sean Patrick Flanery was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and spent his formative years in a small town outside of Houston, Texas. During his time at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, he developed a fascination with a beautiful girl who would leave a particular building on campus every Monday. This sparked an unexpected chain of events, as Flanery decided to drop an English class and enroll in the university's theater department instead.
Through his studies, he penned a piece of children's theater and, driven by his creative passion, packed up his car and headed to Los Angeles with the ambitious goal of producing the play. It was during this journey that an agent approached him and expressed interest in representing him commercially. Flanery's first paid role in Hollywood was a Kellog's Corn Pops commercial, which starred none other than Paul Walker.
As his career progressed, Flanery landed a string of national commercials, followed by TV and film roles. He secured the title role in George Lucas' The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles in 1992, after previously starring in two films for the Mickey Mouse Club, Just Perfect (1990) and My Life as a Babysitter (1990). Since then, Flanery has appeared in numerous films and TV shows every year, including Powder (1995),The Dead Zone (2002),Saw 3D (2010),Suicide Kings (1997),and the cult hit The Boondock Saints (1999). Most recently, he starred in the TV show "Powers" for Sony, which was scheduled to premiere in early 2015.
Beyond his acting career, Flanery is an accomplished martial artist, having earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from the Renzo Gracie lineage on May 4th, 2008. He owns and operates his own BJJ academy, Hollywood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, in West Hollywood, California, where he continues to train regularly whenever his film schedule permits.
In addition to his martial arts pursuits, Flanery is a two-time winner of the Toyota celebrity race of Long Beach, taking home the top prize as both an amateur and a professional. He achieved this feat by qualifying on the pole both times.