Every high school show needs its bully, and for the first season of "Smallville," Eric Johnson fit the bill. Playing Whitney Fordman, the high school senior quarterback with a freshman girlfriend, Johnson showed true range throughout his 21 episodes of "Smallville." Not only did Whitney represent the bully archetype well, but his complicated family life and desire to serve his country all contributed to the series, ultimately showing Clark that even the people you despise can change. Sadly, Whitney was killed in action in the following season, but his legacy lived on.
After leaving "Smallville" in 2002, Johnson found work in a variety of feature films and made-for-TV movies, including as Joshua Steed in all three "The Work and the Glory" films. Soon, he bounced around network television in shows like "Supernatural," "Ghost Whisperer," and "The Unit" before landing the role of Detective Luke Callaghan in "Rookie Blue," appearing in about half of the series 75 episodes. From there, Johnson found roles in "The Knick," "Junior," and "Caught" before making it big-time as Jack Hyde in the two "Fifty Shades of Grey" sequels.
In the 2020s, Johnson appeared as Tracy Crane in "Condor," Erik in the final season of "Vikings," and Chad Mulligan in "American Gods." As far as TV goes, his most recent hit has been as Sheriff Beasley in "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin," a role he'll reprise in the next Max installment dubbed "Summer School." Apparently, the bully can turn things around after all.
