Michael Johnston (actor)
American actor (born 1996)
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Michael Johnston (born February 22, 1996) is an American actor. He appeared as supporting character Corey Bryant in the MTV series Teen Wolf, and had starring roles in the independent film Slash (2016) and as Baron "Bear" Bailey in the horror film Obsession (2025). He is also a voice actor for animation and video games, including as the English voice of Mikleo in Tales of Zestiria and its anime adaptation.
Michael Johnston | |
|---|---|
Johnston in 2016 | |
| Born | February 22, 1996 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Notable work | Obsession |
| Website | michaeljvo |
Early and personal life
Johnston was born on February 22, 1996.[1] He grew up in Ruth, North Carolina.[2][3] After graduating from high school early, he moved with his father to Chicago, where he studied acting at The Second City.[4][5] After six months there, he moved to Los Angeles.[5] Johnston is gay.[2][3]
Career
After unlocking a behind-the-scenes featurette in the video game Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance that showed voice actors recording character vocalizations, Johnston became interested in voice acting. Inspired by the video, he began creating two-dimensional point-and-click and Flash games, for which he performed his own voiceovers.[6]: 16:45 [2]
When he was 12 years old, he started auditioning for voice-over roles in commercials, animation, unpaid fan dubs, and student animation projects from a recording studio he had set up in his bedroom.[5][7] At age sixteen, he booked his first paid role, in a Little Caesars commercial.[2] [6]: 7:50
In June 2026, following his breakout role in Obsession, Johnston signed with The Gersh Agency for film, television, and brand partnerships.[8]
Voice acting
Johnston has voiced characters for video games, including Reed in Dust: An Elysian Tail,[9] Mikleo in Tales of Zestiria, and Ephemer in Kingdom Hearts III.[10] He also provided his voice for roles in TV shows, such as Atsushi Minegishi in Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea (English dub) and the eponymous character, Conrad Zacharie Storm "Zak Storm", in Zak Storm (English dub).[5][10] For films, he voiced the English dubbed versions of characters like Wasabi Kawamura in Ride Your Wave (2019), Shawn in The Academy of Magic (2020), and Hiiragi Yatsuse in My Oni Girl (2024).[11] Johnston also currently voices young Nathan Summers in the Marvel Studios Animation series X-Men '97 (2024).[12]
Television
Johnston appeared in a small role in MTV's teen comedy-drama Awkward.[4] He then played Corey Bryant, a recurring character in the final two seasons of Teen Wolf, from 2015 to 2017.[10][13]
Film
In 2016, Johnston had the lead role in the comedy film Slash, where he played Neil, a 15-year-old high school student who writes slash fiction.[14][15] He also appeared in the indie supernatural horror film Bornless Ones (2017).[10][16][17] In 2021, he played Noah Halsey in action-adventure film Endangered Species.[18]
Johnston received attention in 2026 for his lead role as Baron "Bear" Bailey in the supernatural-horror film Obsession (2025), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.[19] Johnston's performance has been praised as a critique of the "nice guy".[20][21]
On July 27, 2026, Johnston was revealed to be in talks to join the cast of the untitled Mummy film.[22]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Bee Wars | Buzzalot (voice) | ||
| Totes Burgers | Evan | Short film | ||
| 2016 | Slash | Neil | ||
| Bornless Ones | Zach | |||
| 2018 | Crazy for the Boys | Chad | ||
| The Maestro | Pietro Castelnuovo-Tedesco | |||
| 2020 | The Academy of Magic | Shawn (voice) | [11] | |
| Ride Your Wave | Wasabi Kawamura (voice) | English dubbed version | [23] [11] | |
| 2021 | Endangered Species | Noah Halsey | [18] | |
| 2024 | My Oni Girl | Hiiragi Yatsuse (voice) | English dubbed version | [11] |
| 2025 | Obsession | Baron "Bear" Bailey |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–2014 | TOME: Terrain of Magical Expertise | Bubb, additional voices | Three episodes | |
| 2015 | Tales of Zestiria: Dawn of the Shepherd | Mikleo (voice) | English dubbed version | |
| Awkward | Senior | Episode: "The Graduates" | ||
| Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea | Atsushi Minegishi (voice) | English dubbed version | ||
| 2015–2017 | Teen Wolf | Corey Bryant | 25 episodes | |
| 2016 | Tales of Zestiria the X | Mikleo (voice) | English dubbed version (as Philip Lamont) | |
| Pure Genius | Luke Wallace | Episode: "It's Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider Silk Surgery" | ||
| 2016–2018 | Zak Storm | Zak Storm (voice) | As lead role | [11] |
| 2017 | Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh | Keanu (voice) | Episode: "Tip's Deep Dish / Garbage Day" | |
| 2018 | Supergirl | Adam | Episode: "Rather the Fallen Angel" | |
| 2020 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | Shoichi (voice) | English dubbed version | [11] |
| 2022 | S.W.A.T | Watson | Episode: "Cry Foul" | |
| 2023 | Akuma Kun | Akuma II / Ichirō Umoregi (voice) | English dubbed version | [24] [11] |
| 2024 | Time Patrol Bon | Thoth, additional voices | English dubbed version | [11] |
| 2024–present | X-Men '97 | Young Nathan Summers (voice) | 3 episodes | [11] |
| 2025–present | Gil Next Door | Wolly Pondbottom (voice) | [25] | |
| 2026 | Nippon Sangoku: The Three Nations of the Crimson Sun | Tonotsugu Taira (voice) | English dubbed version | [11] |
| 9-1-1 | Sam Drayton | Episode: "Where There's Smoke" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Dust: An Elysian Tail | Reed | [9][11] | |
| 2015 | Tales of Zestiria | Mikleo | English dubbed version | [10] |
| 2017 | Fire Emblem Heroes | Lugh | [11] | |
| Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue | Ephemer | English dubbed version | [10] [11] | |
| 2018 | Last Year: The Nightmare | Nick | [10] | |
| 2019 | Kingdom Hearts III | Ephemer | English dubbed version | [10] [11] |
| The Blackout Club | Male Player, Daxton | [26] | ||
| Concrete Genie | Zach | [11] | ||
| 2020 | Marvel's Avengers | Dante | [11] | |
| Terrain of Magical Expertise | CrashR | [citation needed] | ||
| 2021 | The Artful Escape | Francis Vendetti | [11] | |
| Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles | Shoichi | [11] | ||
| 2023 | Paranormal Files: Silent Willow | Peter | [11] | |
| The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | Danny | [27] | ||
| 2024 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Sweep the Board | Shoichi | [11] | |
| 2026 | God of War Sons of Sparta | Theophilos | [11] |
Discography
- Gravity (2024)
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | 2026 | Obsession | Best Actor in a Horror Movie | Nominated | [28] |
| Best Villain in a Movie | Nominated |
