Brett Dalton

Actor Brett Dalton vaulted to fame as the conflicted double agent Grant Ward on ABC's cult action series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (2013- ). Born Brett Patrick Dalton on January 7, 1983 in San Jose, California, he developed an interest in acting as a senior at Westmont High School, where he auditioned for a role in a school production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Dalton studied acting as an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley and then as part of the master's program at Yale University. After struggling for two years to find stage work in New York, Dalton shifted his focus to film and television, where he made his screen debut in the pilot for the Fox medical drama "Nurses" (2007). After earning a substantial showcase as Robert Todd Lincoln in the Ridley and Tony Scott-produced "Killing Lincoln" (2013) for the National Geographic Channel, Dalton scored his breakout role as Agent Grant Ward on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Initially depicted as a straight arrow special operative for the secretive defense agency, Ward is revealed to be a double agent for the cult-like Hydra, a terrorist organization and one of Marvel Comics' longest-running antagonistic entities. Ward's loyalties are divided following the death of his romantic interest, which allowed the character to remain a consistent presence on the series. The cult status of "S.H.I.E.L.D." gave Dalton's profile a boost that led to greater acting opportunities, including a supporting turn in the film festival favorite "Beside Still Waters" (2013) and a leading role in the action-thriller "The Tourist" (2015).