'The Walking Dead': 5 things you didn't know about Jordan Woods-Robinson
To celebrate the Oct. 22 Season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead — the series’ 100th episode — Yahoo TV will be posting a new TWD-related story every day through the season opener.
On The Walking Dead, he plays Eric Raleigh, the recruiter for the community of Alexandria who also happens to be one-half of TV’s first post-zombie-apocalypse gay couple. In real life, Jordan Woods-Robinson juggles multiple careers as an actor, musician, songwriter, and more while staying totally engaged with fans through a prolific social media output. Here are five things to know about this fan favorite TWD star.
1. He got his start in TV on a soap
Jordan’s first television credit goes back to 2009, when he appeared in two episodes of the long-running soap opera The Guiding Light. On his IMDb profile, the actor is listed as Bellman/Blue Man for the episodes. Of course, fans may also recognize Jordan from his four-episode stint on the primetime sudser Nashville, where he played Randall St. Claire, as well as his role as President’s Snow’s stylist in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1.
2. He grew up on a 180-acre animal rescue farm
The actor was born and raised in Bybee, Tenn. on a 180-acre animal rescue farm. “I grew up as a musician in East Tennessee, playing folk and country music around Pigeon Forge, which is the Las Vegas of the Smoky Mountain,” he told Cryptic Rock. While music is in his blood, he later moved to New York City to pursue acting. Woods-Robinson has some impressive education credentials: He graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with honors in theater.
3. He’s a member of Blue Man Group
This one is for you, #Orlando.
A post shared by Jordan Woods-Robinson (@jwoodsrobinson) on Jun 12, 2016 at 4:08pm PDT
Given his background, it’s not surprising that Jordan was drawn to Blue Man Group, the famous performance art company known for its stage productions all over the world. “I was cast as a Blue Man within three weeks after graduating college,” Woods-Robinson told Cryptic Rock. “It was a perfect marriage for me because I thought, as a musician, I could pick up an instrument and start playing with it. They have a lot of custom-made instruments in the show. … I am thinking like a musician, but the Blue Man character is communicating through music which is the universal language.” The actor was ultimately introduced to the film and TV market while performing as a Blue Man in Orlando.
4. He’s vegan
Jordan credits his vegan lifestyle for his high energy. “I think being vegan helps give me sustained energy,” he said in an interview with Undeadwalking.com. “I certainly noticed a huge increase in energy when I cut out dairy and cut down on the amount of processed foods, but my drive is just rooted within me. I’ve had people ask me before if I do drugs, but the answer is no. My body must pump out a natural speed!” This guy is so into being vegan that he once said his favorite app was Tofu Hunter.
5. He runs an online recording studio
Woods-Robinson is passionate about the music industry, so he gives back to fellow artists. The actor is co-founder of SOSstudio, an online recording studio that provides recording services and other technical resources to artists. In an interview, the Walking Dead star described SOSstudio as “a company for emerging artists offering a full-production online recording studio, a weekly blog of DIY tips, and a business podcast for artists.” Woods-Robinson even released a debut pop-rock EP, Crazy and Back, through the site.
The Walking Dead Season 8 premieres Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. on AMC.
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