Johansson became well-known to fans of 90210 for playing John Sears, a fraternity brother who unsuccessfully vied for the affections of Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) and set up Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering) to burglarize a professor's office. The character returned for the season 4 finale.
He also appeared in commercials, most notably as the delivery man in a Diet Coke commercial. He has appeared in the films Soapdish, John Q and Alpha Dog, and had a small uncredited role in The Notebook.[5] He portrayed the role of Dan Scott in One Tree Hill beginning in 2003 until the show's end in 2012. He subsequently featured in Takashi Miike's 2003 film Gozu, appearing as a man with a cow's head. In 2003 Johansson wrote and directed the film The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie. He has also directed several episodes of One Tree Hill. In 2006 he starred in Emily Skopov's Novel Romance, alongside Traci Lords and Sherilyn Fenn. He appeared in the 7th season of The Drew Carey Show, playing a sportscaster.
He is the director of Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011), the first third of a trilogy based on the novel by Ayn Rand. The film received an approval rating of 12% on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 52 critics.[6]
Personal life
His mother, Joanne Leone Johansson, died on October 15, 2011, after a 20-year battle with breast cancer. The eleventh episode of the ninth season of the CW's One Tree Hill (titled "Danny Boy") was dedicated to her memory.[7]
He is the son of professional hockey player Earl Johnson (ice hockey). Earl went by Johnson when he was playing hockey, but he later changed the family name to Johansson to reflect his Swedish heritage.
Paul was born in the US, but raised in Canada. He has citizenship in both countries.
^Murty, Govindini (July 21, 2010) Libertas Film MagazineArchived 2010-08-01 at the Wayback Machine "EXCLUSIVE: LFM Visits the Set of Atlas Shrugged + Director Paul Johansson's First Interview About the Film". Libertas Film Magazine. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
