Wil Horneff
Encyclopedia
William Samuel "Wil" Horneff (born June 12, 1979, in Englewood, New Jersey
) is an American actor.
while his father, Van, also owns a gymnastics mat business. He grew up in Saddle River, New Jersey
and attended Bergen Catholic High School
in Oradell, New Jersey
. Horneff began acting professionally in 1992 at the age of thirteen. He made his Broadway debut in John Guare
's Four Baboons Adoring The Sun opposite Stockard Channing
and James Naughton
.
His first film appearance was a relatively minor role in the cult film
The Sandlot
as Phillips, the arch-rival of the title characters. This was soon followed by an appearance in the TV series Law & Order
, as well as leading roles in films such as Ghost in the Machine and Born to Be Wild.
In 1995, he won the awards for Best Lead Actor in a Made for TV Movie at the Youth in Film Awards and Best Young Leading Actor, Feature Film at the Young Artist Awards for The Yearling, and Born to Be Wild respectively.
After several other television and film appearances, most notably the acclaimed Emmy Award
-winning mini-series Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
, he temporarily left acting to finish high school and later to attend Columbia University
in New York City
where he received his degree in English
.
He also travelled extensively during this time, visiting France
, Spain
and Germany
. His family often visit relatives in Europe
, which has allowed him to learn to speak both French
and German
fluently. He also spent several months in Russia
, helping underprivileged children in and around Kostroma
.
In 2002, he made his acting comeback with a second guest appearance in the TV series Law & Order. Since then, he has appeared in numerous different TV series' such as The Handler
, CSI: NY
, and House
, in addition to several horror film
s such as The Roost
. He currently resides in New Jersey.
Outside of acting, he is a keen athlete, having competed in three events in the Junior Olympics when he was younger. His hobbies include tennis, basketball, karate (in which he has a black belt), skiing, rock-climbing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(in which he is a black belt), and flying. He took flying lessons at fourteen years old and obtained a pilot's license several years later.
He also owns and operates a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts academy in Westwood, New Jersey. He's won several prestigious Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Submission Grappling titles, such as Pan American Champion and Grappler's Quest championin the middleweight division.
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
) is an American actor.
Biography
The eldest of four children, his parents own the Robin Horneff Performing Arts Center in Waldwick, New JerseyWaldwick, New Jersey
Waldwick is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 9,625.-Geography:Waldwick is located at ....
while his father, Van, also owns a gymnastics mat business. He grew up in Saddle River, New Jersey
Saddle River, New Jersey
Saddle River is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 3,152. Saddle River has the second-highest per-capita income in the state...
and attended Bergen Catholic High School
Bergen Catholic High School
Bergen Catholic High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school in Oradell, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade...
in Oradell, New Jersey
Oradell, New Jersey
Oradell is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,978. The borough's territory includes a dam on the Hackensack River that forms the Oradell Reservoir...
. Horneff began acting professionally in 1992 at the age of thirteen. He made his Broadway debut in John Guare
John Guare
John Guare is an American playwright. He is best known as the author of The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, and Landscape of the Body...
's Four Baboons Adoring The Sun opposite Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing is an American stage, film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing; for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease; and for her role as Ouisa Kittredge in the play Six Degrees of Separation and its...
and James Naughton
James Naughton
James Naughton is an American director, theater, film and television actor.-Early life:Naughton was born in Middletown, Connecticut, the son of Rosemary and Joseph Naughton, both of whom were teachers He is the brother of actor David Naughton.-Career:Naughton graduated from Brown University and...
.
His first film appearance was a relatively minor role in the cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
The Sandlot
The Sandlot
The Sandlot is a 1993 American comedy-drama sports film about a group of young baseball players during the summer of 1962. The film was filmed in Utah and directed by David M. Evans...
as Phillips, the arch-rival of the title characters. This was soon followed by an appearance in the TV series Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, as well as leading roles in films such as Ghost in the Machine and Born to Be Wild.
In 1995, he won the awards for Best Lead Actor in a Made for TV Movie at the Youth in Film Awards and Best Young Leading Actor, Feature Film at the Young Artist Awards for The Yearling, and Born to Be Wild respectively.
After several other television and film appearances, most notably the acclaimed Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning mini-series Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All is a 1989 first novel by Allan Gurganus which was on the New York Times Best Seller list for eight months. It won the Sue Kaufman Prize from The American Academy of Arts and Letters, was a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, and sold over four...
, he temporarily left acting to finish high school and later to attend Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he received his degree in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
He also travelled extensively during this time, visiting France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. His family often visit relatives in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, which has allowed him to learn to speak both French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
fluently. He also spent several months in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, helping underprivileged children in and around Kostroma
Kostroma
Kostroma is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian towns, it is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers...
.
In 2002, he made his acting comeback with a second guest appearance in the TV series Law & Order. Since then, he has appeared in numerous different TV series' such as The Handler
The Handler (TV series)
The Handler is a crime series created by Canadian writer-producer Chris Haddock, airing in the United States on CBS in the 2003-04 season. The show starred Joe Pantoliano as Joe Renato, an FBI agent assigned to train and handle young undercover officers in the FBI. Other cast members included...
, CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
, and House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, in addition to several horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s such as The Roost
The Roost
The Roost is a 2005 horror film directed by Ti West. Zombies and homicidal bats terrorize four teenagers stranded on a mysterious farm.- Synopsis :...
. He currently resides in New Jersey.
Outside of acting, he is a keen athlete, having competed in three events in the Junior Olympics when he was younger. His hobbies include tennis, basketball, karate (in which he has a black belt), skiing, rock-climbing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...
(in which he is a black belt), and flying. He took flying lessons at fourteen years old and obtained a pilot's license several years later.
He also owns and operates a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts academy in Westwood, New Jersey. He's won several prestigious Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Submission Grappling titles, such as Pan American Champion and Grappler's Quest championin the middleweight division.