Kyle Gallner (born October 22, 1986) is an American actor. He began acting in 2000, earning recognition for playing Bart Allen in the superhero series Smallville (2004–2009), Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas in the mystery drama series Veronica Mars (2005–2006), and Reed Garrett in the police drama series CSI: NY (2006–2010).
Gallner was established as a scream king in the 2010s, starring in the horror films The Haunting in Connecticut, Jennifer's Body (both 2009), the Nightmare on Elm Street remake (2010), Red State (2011), Scream, Smile (both 2022) and its sequel Smile 2 (2024). His other films include Dear White People, American Sniper (both 2014), Dinner In America (2020), The Passenger, and Strange Darling (both 2023).
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Early life and education
Gallner was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, to Larry and Mary Jane Gallner. He has three siblings: one older sister, one younger brother, and a younger sister. Gallner attended West Chester East High School. He started his career by following his sister along to one of her auditions. His father's family is composed of Russian Jewish immigrants. At age four, Gallner underwent open-heart surgery.
Career
He proceeded to guest star on popular shows such as Judging Amy and Close to Home. Gallner joined the cast of Veronica Mars as Cassidy Casablancas toward the end of the show's first season, in May 2005, before becoming a season regular during the show's second season. After playing Bart Allen in the Smallville episode "Run", Gallner reprised the role on the January 18, 2007, episode "Justice" and the season eight finale. He also guest starred on Cold Case as a teenaged gunman in the episode "Rampage", and appeared in the independent film Sublime. He also guest starred in an episode of Bones as Jeremy Farrell, the suspected murderer of a child beauty-pageant contestant. In 2007, he guest starred in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit titled "Impulsive" as a high school student who accuses his teacher of statutory rape, as well as the only survivor of a family slaughter—which initially rendered him the prime suspect—on "Homewrecker", the season 3 premiere episode of The Closer. He also played the lead role in the horror film The Haunting in Connecticut, playing a cancer patient who is tormented by evil spirits.
He appeared in the independent film Cherry, filmed on the campuses of Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University, along with several locations in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. He plays Aaron, an Ivy-League freshman who falls for an older woman while becoming the object of affection for the woman's young daughter. Gallner played Quentin in the 2010 reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street; his character is the love interest of main character Nancy. Gallner played the brother of Aaron Paul's character in the 2012 film Smashed. Gallner played Zach in one episode in the fourth season of AMC's The Walking Dead. It was initially reported that he would be a recurring character, but his character was killed off instead. In 2013, Gallner co-founded the independent production company Minutehand Pictures along with Oliver Thompson and Bay Dariz. The trio produced the feature film Welcome to Happiness, in which Gallner portrays Woody Ward, a children's book author with a secret door in his closet. In 2014, Gallner played the role of Kurt, the antagonist to lead character Sam, in the independent film Dear White People. That same year, he acted in Clint Eastwood's war film American Sniper.
Gallner had roles in several independent films throughout the 2010s and 2020s. He starred in the critically acclaimed comedy Dinner in America, which premiered at Sundance in 2020 and earned him praise for his performance. The film struggled to find an initial audience but developed a cult following in 2024 after it gained popularity on TikTok. In 2022, he starred as Vince Schneider in the fifth Scream film, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. He also had a significant role in horror film Smile, for which he reprised his part for a sequel in 2024. In 2023, he led the thrillers Mother, May I?, The Passenger, and Strange Darling. For his participation in the horror genre, he has been labeled a scream king. He reunited with Dinner in America director Adam Carter Rehmeier for the film Carolina Caroline.
Personal life
Gallner married Tara Ferguson on December 12, 2015. They have two sons.
