Daniel Cudmore

With just a brief, tantalizing moment on screen in 2003's "X2: X-Men United," new actor Daniel Cudmore captured the attention of diehard comic book fans with his characterization of the superhuman mutant, Colossus. With the 2006 release of "X-Men: The Last Stand," Cudmore's role was expanded to reflect the fans' affection for his massive character.

Born in Vancouver, BC, the son of a doctor and the middle of three boys grew up to be a sports enthusiast, particularly when it came to skiing and snowboarding. At the same time he was hitting the slopes, he parlayed a growing interest in performing by appearing in a number of snow sports videos.

In high school, Cudmore began acting in plays and local productions, as well as taking the ultimate gamble; performing at improv comedy clubs. After high school, he played football on scholarship at Gannon University, in Pennsylvania, but when he suffered a broken leg, he left school and returned to Vancouver.

While continuing with his acting studies, he landed an agent and began appearing in commercials. His received his first break when director Bryan Singer selected him for the part of Colossus. No doubt, a huge selling point was Cudmore's muscular 6'8" frame. Though he had few lines, his character's startling transformation from flesh to metal left an indelible imprint on old and new fans alike.

After the big budget production rush of "X2," he began to land bit parts in television in movies. He made an uncredited appearance as Jaffa in a 2003 episode of "Stargate SG-1" entitled "Homecoming," (Sci-Fi Channel, 1997- ) and a 2004 episode of the Canadian series, "The Collector" (2004- ) entitled, "The Miniaturist." He also played a gym rat in the Canadian TV movie, "Too Cool for Christmas" (2004). Back on the big screen, he played a basketball player in the 2005 Ice Cube comedy, "Are We There Yet?" as well as a special agent in the 2005 thriller, "Alone in the Dark."

Under new X-Men director Brett Ratner, Cudmore was set to bring Colossus to life yet again in "X-Men: The Last Stand," increasing his and the iconic character's ever-growing fanbase.