Henry Ian Cusick

Henry Ian Cusick is a Peruvian actor and director. He is best known for his role as Desmond Hume in the U.S. television series Lost (2004), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He also starred as Marcus Kane in the CW drama The 100 (2014), as Stephen Finch in the ABC drama Scandal (2012), as Dr. Jonas Lear in the Fox drama The Passage (2019) and as Russ Taylor in the CBS drama MacGyver (2016). Cusick was born in Trujillo, Peru, to a Peruvian mother, Esperanza Chávez, and a Scottish father, Henry Cusick. When he was two, his family moved to Madrid, Spain, before moving to Trinidad and Tobago, where they lived for 10 years. There, Cusick attended Presentation College, San Fernando. He is fluent in both English and Spanish. Cusick's first leading roles on stage were at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland. They included Dorian Gray in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' with Rupert Everett, Hamlet in 'The Marovitz Hamlet,' and Horner in 'The Country Wife.' His 1994 performances as Torquato Tasso in the Edinburgh International Festival production of 'Torquato Tasso' and as Creon in the Citizens Theatre production of 'Oedipus' earned him a special commendation at the 1995 Ian Charleson Awards for outstanding performance by a young actor in a classical theatre role. After starring as Jesus Christ in the 2003 film The Gospel of John (2003). he was cast as Desmond Hume in the ABC series Lost (2004). Cusick won the role when, while staying at the home of his friend Brian Cox, he met Cox's next-door neighbor, Carlton Cuse, the executive producer of Lost (2004). Cusick stated he believes "a seed (was) planted, because they had been looking for either a Scottish or Irish character." Directing credits include the short film dress (2013), which won the Best Short Film award at the 2013 Peace on Earth film festival and the 2013 Hawaii International Film Festival, also episodes on The 100 (2014).