- Studied screen and stage acting at the Academy of Art University (guided by Diane Baker), and Meisner Technique at The Meisner Technique Studio (trained by Sanford Meisner's last teaching protege, Jim Jarrett). Both institutions are based in San Francisco, California.
- Last name pronounced "Guh-Nell".
- Real surname was supposed to be Lassiter. Bob Gunnell (father) never met his dad, and so he adopted the last name of his stepfather as his own. Gunnell is of Old Norse origin, meaning "battle strife.".
- Moved to Los Angeles on July 1, 2014 to pursue a professional acting career.
- Most inspired by the actors Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christian Bale, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Viola Davis, Benicio Del Toro, Judi Dench, Michael Fassbender, Katherine Hepburn, Heath Ledger, James McAvoy, Peter O'Toole, Guy Pearce, Joaquin Phoenix, Saoirse Ronan, Michael Shannon, Maggie Smith, Matt Smith, Emma Thompson, and Kate Winslet.
- Portrayed two real life military veterans, for three and a half years (2015-2018), as part of a VA therapist training program through USC's School of Social Work.
- Facial comparisons and likenesses have included Paul McCartney, Rob McElhenney, Elvis Presley, and Milo Ventimiglia.
- Initial inspirations to pursue acting were Darth Vader in "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope," Scar in "The Lion King," and Taylor Batlin (big sister), in a musical production of "Oliver" that she performed in when she was a six-year-old.
- Knew acting was the path of passion to lead at the age of four.
- Upon graduating high school in June 2006, pursued the craft of acting at three different institutions: immersed in theatre productions with the College of Marin University's Drama Department (four semesters, 2006-2008), began training in the BFA program through the Los Angeles branch of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (two semesters, 2008-2009), and ultimately achieved a BFA degree via the newly minted School of Acting at the Academy of Art University (2009-2013, graduating Cum Laude in the Spring of 2013).
- In 2015, sophomore year of living in Los Angeles, while working as a Lyft driver, once gave a ride to and conversed with Saoirse Ronan, a couple of weeks before she attended the Oscars as a Best Actress nominee.
- A classmate during middle and high school years was Jeannie Catmull, daughter of Edwin Catmull, the recent former president of both Pixar Animation Studios (also a co-founder and CTO), and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
- Acted in three Bay Area theatre productions directed by James Dunn, who was at the helm of a 1971 College of Marin wild west style production of William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," featuring a student Robin Williams in a principal role. The show was invited to attend the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that same year where it not only won Best Production, but also gave a command performance for HRH Princess Margaret.
- Started growing grey hair at the age of eleven.
- During elementary and middle school years, was best friends with Kayvon Beykpour, CEO and co-founder of Periscope, and Twitter's current Head of Product.
- Height is 6'4 1/4" (1.93m) as of November 9, 2021.
- Attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco CA, enrolling in their BFA Acting Program in the Fall of 2009, and graduated Cum Laude (3.8 GPA) in the Spring of 2013.
- Additional acting wins and nominations for the crime/thriller short film "Collar" (2017): Best Actor Winner via the 6 on Nebraska International Film Festival (Cape Town, South Africa, November 2018) the Sand Dance International Film Festival (Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India, June 2020), the Big Sur Film Festival (Big Sur, California, USA, February 2021), and the BIG BEN International Film Festival (London, United Kingdom, August 2021); and Best Actor Nominee via the FIC RIO - Festival Internacional de Curtas no Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, March 2022).
- 2020 brought about principal parts in the following: a made-for-TV movie (supporting role, principal photography wrapped July 2020, and the Lifetime Movie Network will air the movie on March 5, 2021) an industrial (leading role, principal photography wrapped October 2020), and two indie feature films (supporting roles, principal photography wrapped for one in July 2020, and the other in December 2020). Additional booked work, in the forms of two short films and one music video, will commence in the spring and summer of 2021.
- Played a supporting role in a music video for singer/songwriter Olivia Rox, which hit #23 on the charts for USA Today on October 18, 2021.
- A reoccurring member of the Creative Acting Studios since 2021, participating in a self-tape masterclass in November 2021 (instructed by Anthony Meindl), a self-tape workshop in February 2022 (instructed by James DuMont), and a character development masterclass in June 2022 (instructed by Raquel Gardner).
- Like his father, started growing grey hair at the age of 11.
- Will be returning to the stage for the first time since 2017, to play the principal role of Laertes in Byron Haigh's Folio production of "Hamlet." The show is with the company 4 Lost Souls Productions, and will have a theatrical run in Los Angeles at the Zenith Theatre, all of February 2024.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content