“Live it. Be it.”

This seemingly simple philosophy has done wonders for actor Lee Dawson, a versatile performer whose wit, charm, and ability for physical comedy have served him well in the competitive film and television mediums.

A talented mimic who can physically transform himself into anyone from The Incredible Hulk to The Grinch (prompting director Ron Howard to lament that they could have gotten Dawson for much cheaper than Jim Carrey), Dawson has played everything from handsome leading men to John Lennon’s assassin.

Like many great actors, Dawson’s early years were spent as a bit of a nomad.  Born in Columbus, Ohio, Dawson spent most of his childhood in a small town in West Virginia before moving to Florida for his high school years.  It was while at Gulf Breeze High in Pensacola Beach that Dawson first realized his innate ability to make others laugh.  Oddly enough, it wasn’t on a stage that Dawson first began truly performing but, rather, on the sports field.

While playing football, basketball, and baseball Dawson found a way to excel as an athlete while incorporating the thrill of being the class clown.   A basketball scholarship took him to Pensacola Junior College, and he eventually transferred to the prestigious Florida State University.  While studying marketing and sales management at FSU, Dawson began taking acting classes and seriously studying the craft.

In a bold move, he left his secure job with Nabisco to pursue acting full time.   While his bosses thought he was leaving to work for a rival company, they never suspected Dawson was planning on leaving the corporate world behind forever.  He hasn’t looked back since.

After finding success with various films, television pilots, and print work, Dawson booked his first national commercial for Aqua Fresh toothpaste and decided to head for the bright lights of Hollywood.   Upon his arrival, Dawson enrolled in what he calls “The Art of Being”—living and studying everything associated with show business.   He began studying with respected coach Vincent Chase, and soon landed himself an agent.

His favorite role was his portrayal of Mark David Chapman, the man who shot John Lennon, in a re-enactment for E! Television.  Dawson studied Chapman’s life in detail, and even began looking like Chapman.   Perhaps his most memorable role was in the film The Dentist 2, co-starring Corbin Bernsen. It was a part that got Dawson recognized in some of the strangest places, including a Subway sandwich shop.  When the girl preparing his sandwich finally worked up the nerve to ask if Dawson had appeared in the film and he said yes, she turned to her co-workers and proclaimed: “I told you so!”

Dawson keeps his approach to acting clear.  He believes in getting inside a character, living it, and becoming it. His passion and commitment to his work has brought him the admiration of his peers, something Dawson takes very seriously.   He advises other up-and-coming performers to take their art seriously, as “the choices you make will shape your life forever.”