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Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at our favorite crushes from the ’90s — from Jeremy Jackson and Jonathan Taylor Thomas to Freddie Prinze Jr., Mario Lopez and more — to see how they’ve grown up, evolved and overcome (or not!) the pratfalls of extreme fame at a young age. Let’s start with this former heartthrob… David Boreanaz — who celebrates his 54th birthday on May 16, 2022 — has dog walking to thank for landing his role on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The then-unknown actor was cast as brooding, handsome vamp Angel on “BTVS” after one of his neighbors suggested him for the part when he was regularly seen walking his dog past their home. David went on to star on his own spinoff, “Angel,” which ran for five seasons.
Keep reading to see where David and more ’90s heartthrobs ended up…
RELATED: Our favorite nostalgia-inducing photos of Freddie Prinze Jr.
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After “Angel” wrapped its fifth and final season in 2004, it wasn’t long before David Boreanaz landed another starring role on another television series! From 2005 to 2017, he portrayed FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth on FOX’s “Bones.” The same year “Bones” concluded, the Buffalo, New York native began starring on CBS’s “SEAL Team” as Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Jason M. Hayes. In early 2022, the series was renewed for a sixth season and a film. Unfortunately, David’s personal life has seen more ups and downs. In 2001, he married his second wife, actress-model Jaime Bergman; they share son Jaden and daughter Bella. In 2010, he publicly fessed up to having an extramarital affair with a woman later identified as onetime Tiger Woods mistress Rachel Uchitel because, he told People magazine he felt “as though I was being blackmailed or there was some sort of extortion.” Not long after, an extra from the set of “Bones” filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him, alleging that he attempted to fondle and kiss her. The lawsuit was “resolved,” the extra’s lawyer said, and ultimately dismissed. Despite all this, David and Jaime are — surprisingly — still together.
RELATED: Josh Hartnett’s hottest moments from the ’90s and 2000s
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Joey Lawrence starred on “Blossom” as the title character’s hunky sibling Joey Russo and on “Brotherly Love” as Joe Roman, the oldest of three brothers. There was no denying it — Joey was a total stud during the decade.
RELATED: ’90s stars: Where are they now?
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After the ’90s came to a close, Joey Lawrence went on to appear in several lesser known films, had a starring role on the short-lived series “Run of the House” and enjoyed recurring roles on the television shows “American Dreams” and “Half & Half.” In 2010, Joey struck gold when he began starring opposite Melissa Joan Hart on the ABC Family sitcom “Melissa & Joey,” which ran for four seasons until 2015. He also showed off his dancing prowess when he competed on the third season of “Dancing With the Stars” and finished in third place! He was married to first wife Michelle Vella from 2002 to 2005 and second wife Chandie Yawn-Nelson, with whom he shares two children, from 2005 to 2020. In May 2022, Joey married “Insecure” actress Samantha Cope.
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Dreamy Andrew Keegan — who dated fellow ’90s star LeAnn Rimes for years during the early days of their careers — was always just a call away when a ’90s movie needed a muscular stud. From playing bad boy Zack in “Camp Nowhere” and teen dad Wilson on “7th Heaven” to wannabe model Joey Donner in “10 Things I Hate About You,” he was everywhere.
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Andrew Keegan starred on “7th Heaven” off and on until 2004. Since then, he’s mostly starred in smaller independent films while popping up on one-off episodes of shows like “CSI” and “House.” In recent years, however, there’s been more focus on his personal life than on his acting career: In July 2011, he was arrested and allegedly tased after he refused to turn down the music at a house party. Two months earlier, he got stitches on his mouth after six men attacked him and his friends as they left a charity event. And in 2009, an ex-girlfriend accused him of throwing her into a wall and slashing her tires — claims he denied. His most recent trouble with the law came in May 2015 when the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control raided Full Circle Venice — the nondenominational spiritual community he founded — and busted the group for illegally selling kombucha. In 2016, Andrew and then-girlfriend Arista Ilona welcomed daughter Aiya Rose. It’s unclear when they called it quits.
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Jeremy Jackson starred as Hobie Buchannon, the son of David Hasselhoff’s character, on “Baywatch” from 1991 to 1999. He was just a kid when he made his debut in the role, but by the end of the decade, he’d transformed into one of the most desirable young men on television. But, sadly, there was a price to pay for his fame…
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Jeremy Jackson has barely acted since his time on “Baywatch” came to an end after he portrayed Hobie in the 2003 made-for-TV movie “Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding.” Instead, the former teen heartthrob — whose addiction issues kicked off early in his career — turned to reality TV. He starred on “Confessions of a Teen Idol” in 2009, sought help overcoming his addiction to steroids on the fifth season of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” in 2011 and briefly competed on the 15th season of the British version of “Celebrity Big Brother” in 2015 — but he got the boot early when he sexually harassed a female co-star. That same year, he was charged with stabbing a woman in Los Angeles while attempting to steal her boyfriend’s car. (He was accused of stabbing another man during an altercation earlier that year, though charges against him were never filed.) In 2017, a judge sentenced him to 270 days in jail. It’s unclear exactly how long he spent behind bars. To top it all off, his ex-wife, model Loni Willison — who’s struggled with her own addiction and mental health issues over the years — accused him of assaulting her during their marriage of two years, which ended in 2014. Now with jail time and several rehab stints behind him, Jeremy works as a recovery coach and personal trainer.
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The ’90s were good to Freddie Prinze Jr., who starred in the hit ’90s flicks “She’s All That” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” winning hearts around the globe in the process!
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After the ’90s came to an end, Freddie Prinze Jr. headlined the rom-coms “Down to You,” “Boys and Girls,” “Head Over Heels” and “Summer Catch.” He also created and starred on the short-lived ABC sitcom “Freddie,” had a prominent role on the eighth season of “24” and found his second calling as a voice actor. (He voiced Kanan Jarrus on “Star Wars Rebels” for years.) In 2002 — the same year they co-starred as Fred and Daphne in “Scooby-Doo” — Freddie and Sarah Michelle Gellar tied the knot. They’ve since welcomed two children: daughter Charlotte and son Rocky. In the late ’00s and early ’10s, Freddie worked for WWE as a member of the creative staff and later as a producer and director. In May 2022, he announced on his “Wrestling With Freddie” podcast that he’s starting his own wrestling company. According to the ’90s heartthrob, who in recent years hasn’t worked in front of the camera much aside from starring on the short-lived 2021 “Punky Brewster” revival, he had to return to acting in order to fund his new wrestling business venture, so he made the upcoming Netflix holiday flick “Christmas With You.”
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Whether you were Team Ben or Team Noel, one thing’s for sure: Scott Speedman was a total hottie in the ’90s! The Canadian actor left his native Toronto for the States after landing the role of University of New York freshman Ben Covington on The WB’s “Felicity.”
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After ‘Felicity,” Scott Speedman appeared in the dark fantasy-horror flick “Underworld” in 2003 and its 2006 sequel, “Underworld: Evolution.” He also acted in films including “XXX: State of the Union” and “The Vow.” After starring on the TNT drama series “Animal Kingdom” from 2016 to 2018, Scott continued to enjoy success on the small screen: After making a guest appearance on “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2018, he was brought back as a series regular in 2021. That same year, he landed a recurring role on the Penn Badgley-led psychological series “You.” Scott, who famously romanced “Felicity” co-star Keri Russell in the ’90s, has been in a relationship with clothing shop owner and podcast host Lindsay Rae Hoffman since 2017. They welcomed their first child, daughter Pfeiffer, in 2021.
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Mario Lopez shot into the spotlight portraying popular teen A.C. Slater — everyone’s favorite wrestler — on “Saved by the Bell” throughout the early ’90s.
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Mario Lopez went on to star on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Nip/Tuck” and the short-lived Netflix series “The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia,” which he co-created and executive produced. He also starred in several made-for-TV movies, voiced Cruz on “Elena of Avalor,” portrayed Vince Fontaine in 2016’s “Grease Live!” and played versions of himself in the comedies “Get Him to the Greek” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” as well as on several TV shows including “Jane the Virgin” and “This Is Us.” He also transitioned to a different type of on-camera work: The former teen heartthrob — who hosted the second and third seasons of the short-lived American version of “The X Factor” — hosted “Extra” for more than a decade and won two Emmys for his efforts before moving to “Access Hollywood” in 2019. He’s also dabbled in reality TV: He came in second on the third season of “Dancing With the Stars” back in 2006, and the 2010 VH1 reality show “Mario Lopez: Saved by the Baby” chronicled his path to welcoming his first child, daughter Gia, with then-girlfriend Courtney Mazza. (They connected when they co-starred in the 2006 Broadway revival of “A Chorus Line.”) They married in 2012 have since added sons Nico and Santino to their brood. In 2020, Mario returned to the role of A.C. Slater on Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” revival.
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Of the three boys who starred on the hit ’90s sitcom “Home Improvement,” Jonathan Taylor Thomas was by far the most crush-worthy. JTT — and his adorable dimples — also starred in “Tom and Huck,” “Wild America” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and he famously voiced a young Simba in 1994’s “The Lion King.”
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Jonathan Taylor Thomas essentially left Hollywood after “Home Improvement” came to an end. Between 2000 and 2005, he voiced Tyler Tucker on six episodes of “The Wild Thornberrys,” appeared in a handful of made-for-TV movies and popped up on episodes of “Ally McBeal,” “Smallville,” “8 Simple Rules” and “Veronica Mars.” Since then, he’s only acted twice: He popped up in a 2006 short film and then guest starred on four episodes of “Last Man Standing” between 2013 and 2015. (He also directed three episodes of the long-running Tim Allen sitcom.) During his time away from the spotlight, the former child star — who hasn’t been photographed in an official capacity since 2013 and has somehow managed to keep his personal life completely under wraps over the years — studied at Harvard, Columbia and St. Andrew’s University in Scotland.
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Skeet Ulrich shot into the spotlight in 1996 when two of the five films in which he starred that year — “The Craft” and “Scream” (pictured) — killed it at the box office. The following year, he had a small role in the Oscar-nominated romantic dramedy “As Good as It Gets.”
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In 2001, Skeet Ulrich welcomed twins Jakob Dylan and Naiia Rose with then-wife Georgina Cates, whom he married in 1997. It wasn’t meant to be, though: They divorced in 2005. He was then married to actress Amelia Jackson-Gray from 2012 to 2015 and was briefly engaged to Rose Costa in 2016 and 2017. More recently, he was linked to “Pretty Little Liars” alum Lucy Hale and to model Lindsay Kavcic. After a few years out of the spotlight, Skeet scored a big career comeback with the cult series “Jericho” from 2006 to 2008 then starred on “Law & Order: L.A.” from 2010 to 2011. From 2017 to 2021, he played FP Jones on “Riverdale.” In 2022, he reprised his role as Billy Loomis in the fifth installment of the “Scream” horror film franchise.
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Devon Sawa starred in many of our favorite ’90s movies — from “Little Giants” and “Casper” to “Now and Then” and “SLC Punk!”
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Devon Sawa’s career cooled after he headlined the 2000 horror film “Final Destination,” though he scored a bit of a comeback with The CW’s “Nikita,” on which he starred from 2010 to 2013. Over the years, he’s also appeared in several smaller independent films, including the cult 2020 horror flick “Hunter Hunter” and 2019’s “The Fanatic.” (He starred as a famous actor who’s stalked by a psychotic fan played by John Travolta.) In October 2021, Devon made another big return to television on the “Child’s Play” TV series “Chucky.” He and long-term girlfriend Dawni Sahanovitch tied the knot around 2013 after a courtship of a decade. They welcomed a son, Hudson, in 2014 and a daughter, Scarlett, in 2016.
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Mark-Paul Gosselaar starred as Zack Morris — the resident heartthrob on “Saved by the Bell” — through the early ’90s.
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After “Saved by the Bell,” Mark-Paul Gosselaar starred as Detective John Clark Jr. on “NYPD Blue” from 2001 to 2005. He then portrayed Peter Bash on “Franklin & Bash” from 2011 to 2014. Aside from those two series, he has an impressive track record for headlining extremely short-lived TV shows. (Among them are “Hyperion Bay,” “D.C.,” “Commander in Chief,” “Raising the Bar,” “Truth Be Told,” “Pitch,” “Nobodies,” “The Passage” and, most recently, “Mixed-ish,” which was canceled after two seasons in early 2021.) In 1996, the former teen heartthrob married model-actress Lisa Ann Russell, whom he met when she appeared on a 1993 episode of “Saved by the Bell: The College Years.” They had two children — son Michael and daughter Ava — before calling it quits in 2010. Two years later, Mark-Paul married advertising exec Catriona McGinn, with whom he’s since welcomed son Dekker and daughter Lachlyn. In 2020, he returned to the role of Zack Morris on a few episodes of Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” revival. In 2022, he appeared as himself on an episode of HBO’s “Barry.”
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James Van Der Beek made his TV debut on an episode of “Clarissa Explains It All” in 1993. He reached superstar status five years later when “Dawson’s Creek” debuted.
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After “Dawson’s Creek” came to an end in 2003, James Van Der Beek had brief stints on “Criminal Minds,” “One Tree Hill” and “How I Met Your Mother.” He also appeared in a handful of made-for-TV movies and starred on the short-lived series “Friends with Better Lives,” “CSI: Cyber,” “Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23” — on which he played a fictionalized version of himself — and “What Would Diplo Do?” (a Viceland comedy he created and wrote as well as starred on as the titular EDM artist and producer.) The past few years have been good to James: He had a small role in the 2017 sci-fi drama “Downsizing” starring Matt Damon; he starred on the first season of “Pose” in 2018; and he competed on season 28 of “Dancing With the Stars” in 2019. In 2010 — the same year the former teen idol finalized his divorce from first wife Heather McComb following seven years of marriage — he married second wife Kimberly Brook. They’ve since welcomed six children together and moved their family to Austin, Texas.
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As for the other young man who won hearts on “Dawson’s Creek,” Joshua Jackson starred as Pacey Witter from 1998 to 2003. He’d already made a name for himself in Hollywood by staring in the “Mighty Ducks” trilogy, and he closed out the decade by starring in another ’90s staple: “Cruel Intentions.”
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After “Dawson’s Creek,” Joshua Jackson starred on two big TV shows — “Fringe” from 2008 to 2013 and “The Affair” from 2014 to 2019 — and two hit miniseries: 2020’s “Little Fires Everywhere” and 2021’s “Dr. Death.” He also popped up on an episode of the Emmy-winning 2019 miniseries “When They See Us” and appeared in a number of smaller films including Emilio Estevez’s 2006 RFK biopic “Bobby” and HBO’s 2002 adaptation of “The Laramie Project.” In 2016, Josh and model-actress Diane Kruger called it quits after a decade of coupledom. In 2018, he moved on with “Queen & Slim” star Jodie Turner-Smith. They’ve since tied the knot and welcomed a daughter.
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Edward Furlong, who dated Soleil Moon Frye and Paris Hilton during his rise to fame, made his acting debut with “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” in 1991 and appeared in several more films — most notably, 1998’s “American History X” — before the decade came to an end. Unfortunately, he started making headlines for the wrong reasons early in his career: His struggle with addiction issues kicked off in the ’90s — as did his eyebrow-raising romance of several years with Jacqueline Domac, who’s 13 years his senior. The duo met when she served as his tutor on the set of “Terminator 2” when he was just a teenager. After they split in 1998, she accused him of assault.
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Edward Furlong’s addiction issues — which led to several rehab stints, run-ins with the law and even jail time — nearly derailed his career. Things got so bad, he was replaced by Nick Stahl (who also struggled with addiction issues) in 2003’s “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” In lieu of returning to the role that made him a star, Edward appeared in several smaller independent films. He also popped up on several episodes of “CSI: NY” between 2006 and 2010 and had a small role as a drug dealer in 2011’s “The Green Hornet.” In 2006, the former child star married actress Rachael Bella and welcomed son Ethan with her. They split in 2009 and he went on to date Monica Keena. (He was arrested several times for assaulting the “Dawson’s Creek” actress over the course of their off-and-on relationship of several years.) In February 2022, the former child star — who spent a day shooting facial motion capture footage so that a young version of his John Connor could appear in 2019’s “Terminator: Dark Fate” — was four years sober, he shared on Instagram.
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Matthew Lawrence’s acting career kicked off when he was just four years old. He achieved teen heartthrob status when he co-starred with his real-life brothers — Joey Lawrence and Andrew Lawrence — on “Brotherly Love” in the late ’90s and then joined the cast of “Boy Meets World” for its final three seasons from 1997 to 2000.
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Matthew Lawrence has appeared in many films since “Boy Meets World” came to an end, though only one — the 2002 comedy “The Hot Chick” starring Rob Schneider, Rachel McAdams and Anna Faris — scored mainstream recognition. He also had a four-episode stint on “Melissa & Joey” between 2011 and 2014 and returned to the role of Jack Hunter on a 2015 episode of the “Boy Meets World” spinoff series “Girl Meets World.” In 2007 — a year after his two-year engagement to “Passions” actress Heidi Mueller came to an end — Matthew started seeing “Dancing With the Stars” pro Cheryl Burke. (They connected when his older brother, Joey Lawrence, competed on the third season of the hit reality show in 2006.) Matthew and Cheryl split after a year of coupledom, reconnected in 2017, tied the knot in 2019 and began divorce proceedings in 2022.
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Josh Hartnett — or Josh “Hot-nett,” as we like to call him — made his feature film debut with 1998’s “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.” He continued winning hearts with 1998’s “The Faculty” and 1999’s “The Virgin Suicides.”
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Josh Hartnett achieved an insane amount of fame after he starred in “Pearl Harbor” in 2001. He then appeared in a series of hit films — everything from “O” and “40 Days and 40 Nights” to “Black Hawk Down” and “Sin City” — before stepping away from the spotlight. He briefly returned to Hollywood with 2014’s “Penny Dreadful” but in the years since the Showtime series came to an end, he’s mostly appeared in a handful of smaller independent films. He also starred on the short-lived 2020 series “Paradise Lost,” the 2021 miniseries “Exterminate All the Brutes” and the first season of Kevin Hart’s Quibi action-comedy “Die Hart,” on which he portrayed a version of himself. More recently, Josh appeared in the 2021 action-crime flicks “Wrath of Man” and “Ida Red” and began starring on the thriller series “The Fear Index” in 2022. The former teen heartthrob, who dated Oscar-nominated actress Scarlett Johansson for two years between 2005 to 2007, has been in a relationship with actress Tamsin Egerton since 2012. The uber-private pair welcomed three children between 2015 and 2019 and quietly married in 2021.
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That smolder says it all! Ryan Phillippe captured the hearts of teen girls around the globe when he portrayed a brooding bad boy-turned-selfless good guy in 1999’s “Cruel Intentions” in which he starred alongside future ex-wife Reese Witherspoon. In 1997, he also starred in the teen slasher film “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
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Ryan Phillippe married ’90s darling Reese Witherspoon in 1999. The pair welcomed two children, Ava and Deacon, before calling it quits in 2007. In 2011, the actor became a father again, welcoming daughter Kai with actress Alexis Knapp in 2011 after they ended their romantic relationship. He was last romantically linked to model Bailey Dodge in 2021. Following his teen-movie days, Ryan appeared in acclaimed films including “Gosford Park,” “Crash” and “Flags of Our Fathers” in the aughts as well as notable movies like the comedy “MacGruber” and the drama “The Lincoln Lawyer” early the next decade before making a string of mostly forgettable films. Ryan was more successful on the small screen in the years that followed: He had a 10-episode stint on “Damages,” starred on “Shooter” from 2016 to 2018 and appeared on one-off episodes of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Famous in Love” and “Will & Grace.” In more recent years, Ryan’s starred on “Big Sky” and Will Forte’s “MacGruber” TV show.
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Barry Watson’s lengthy run as Matt Camden on “7th Heaven” kicked off in 1996. Three years later, he made his feature film debut alongside Helen Mirren and Katie Holmes in the 1999 thriller “Teaching Mrs. Tingle.”
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Barry Watson hit a major rough patch in 2002 when he split from his first wife, Laura Payne-Gabriel, and was also diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which forced him to take a break from “7th Heaven” until he went into remission the following year. After the family drama came to an end in 2006, he starred on “Samantha Who?” and “What About Brian” and scored memorable stints on “Gossip Girl,” “Hart of Dixie” and “Masters of Sex.” He’s also starred in a number of made-for-TV movies over the years, popped up in 2019’s “A Dog’s Way Home” and portrayed Lachlan Murdoch on the 2019 Roger Ailes miniseries “The Loudest Voice.” In 2022, he began starring on the CW superhero series “Naomi.” Barry has also married twice more: He and former high school classmate Tracy Hutson tied the knot in 2006 but split in 2011 after welcoming two sons. He then wed the late Natalie Wood’s daughter, actress Natasha Gregson Wagner, in 2015 — two years after they welcomed daughter Clover.
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Rider Strong famously starred as Cory Matthews’ cool best friend Shawn Hunter on “Boy Meets World” from 1993 to 2000.
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After spending time at Occidental College, Rider Strong graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University in 2004 with a B.A. in English. Five years later, he earned an M.F.A. from Bennington College. He also continued working as an actor: He starred in the 2002 horror film “Cabin Fever, had a prominent role on the short-lived Rebecca Romijn series “Pepper Dennis” and voiced two noteworthy cartoon characters: Brick Flagg on “Kim Possible” and Tom Lucitor on “Star vs. the Forces of Evil.” Rider returned to the role that made him a star, Shawn Hunter, on seven episodes of the “Boy Meets World” spinoff series “Girl Meets World” between 2014 and 2017. (He also directed 18 episodes of the family comedy.) In 2013, the former teen heartthrob married actress Alexandra Barreto. They welcomed son Indy the following year.
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