Detailed Biography

Brian Van Holt is an American actor and advertising model.

Early life

Van Holt was born in Waukegan, Illinois and raised in California. Despite his Dutch surname, he is of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Van Holt has a degree in Sociology from UCLA. At 18 years of age, he struck the perfect image of a Huntington Beach, California surfer. Discovered first by producer Stephen Douglas in front of a GAP store in a strip mall, Douglas invited him to participate in a sportswear modeling contest he was promoting. Van Holt won the contest, beating over 200 other participants and Douglas signed him to the Jack Rose Agency in Hollywood.

Career

Van Holt did a few print ads and commercials as a model over the next seven years, but then began to be cast in several movies and TV series beginning with A Very Brady Sequel in 1996 followed by episodes in LA Johns, Beverly Hills, 90210, Spin City, Homicide: Life on the Street, Martial Law, and Sex and the City. He then hit his stride in a string of martial-themed, A-list films beginning with Black Hawk Down and Windtalkers, interspersed with Confidence, and continuing with Basic and S.W.A.T..

He has since appeared in Man of the House, House of Wax, and the short-lived CBS TV series Threshold. Brian revisited his surfer roots when he was cast in David Milch's HBO series John from Cincinnati as Butchie Yost, son of surfing legend Mitch Yost. He also played Kyle Hobart in the TV series Sons of Anarchy

In 2008 Van Holt had a small role, as himself-an actor-playing a firefighter, in the Fifth Season of the HBO dramedy series Entourage. He appeared in the episodes "Pie" and "Seth Green Day."

In June 2009, he appeared as Harlan in the season 3 premiere of Burn Notice.

Brian currently appears as Bobby Cobb on the hit series Cougar Town