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Kenneth "Kenny" Johnson (July 13, 1963, Vermont) is an American actor well known for his portrayal of Detective Curtis Lemansky on the American drama The Shield. As the corrupt cop with the soft heart, Kenneth “Kenny” Johnson brought the only real sense of humanity and morality to the Strike Team with his character of Det. Curtis “Lemonhead” Lemansky on FX’s Emmy winning police drama, “The Shield” (2002- ). The 6'1", blond-haired, blue-eyed actor effortlessly conveyed a sense of uneasy intensity – while at the same time, an innate vulnerability – that belied his classic "surfer boy" good looks and strapping physique. Raised in Vermont, Johnson got his start in television commercials, including one of the very first ads for LA Gear. A former champion arm wrestler, he appeared as bit characters in various television programs, such as Family Matters (TV series), Grace Under Fire, Caroline in the City, Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Sliders, 18 Wheels of Justice, and Just Shoot Me!. He was a world class arm wrestler until he stopped competing in 1995. Although he will still wrestle for fun. The all around athlete, Johnson is an accomplishes motorcyclist, avid golfer, has raced snowmobiles, ridden horses, skis, boxes, plays in the NBA Entertainment League, and appears in many celebrity sports invitationals and baseball events. Played collegiate football and baseball at Central Connecticut University and sustained a cracked vertebrae in his back. Johnson made the leap to the big screen in 1998 with a small but unique role in “Major League III: Back to the Minors,” portraying Lance the Dance – a minor league player who pirouettes as well as he hits the ball. In an odd twist of fate, Johnson starred alongside future cohort in crime, Walton Goggins, who would portray fellow Strike Team member Shane Vendrell years later alongside Johnson on "The Shield." Johnson also made an impression on movie-goers as Heatseaking Dennis, the unfortunate clubgoer who is showered with vampire blood in the opening scene of the smash comic book adaptation, “Blade” (1998). Back on television, he made a memorable 1999 appearance on an episode of “Just Shoot Me” (1997-2003) entitled, “The Odd Couple, Part 2,” in which he played an angry hockey player in competition with David Finch (David Spade) for the affections of Rebecca Romijn. He then landed the first of his regular cop roles, beginning with Det. Billy Zabo on the short-lived series “Ryan Caulfied: Year One” in 1999. Early in his career he modeled and made commercials. Made one of the first L.A. Gear commercials. He also appeared in a Pringles spot with a then-unknown actor named Brad Pitt. He and Casper Van Dien are best friends. He also includes Walton Goggins and Michael Chiklis as his close personal friends. He is dyslexic (according to an interview in the documentary "Under The Skin") a commentary on "The Shield" (2002) S4 DVD. He has worked very hard to overcome his learning differences. Although reading is still one of the hardest things for him to do he regards it as a challenge, and often times has someone read scripts aloud to him, then he learns lines very quickly. In 2002, Johnson landed the role of Det. Curtis “Lemonhead” or “Lem” Lemansky on the then new FX crime drama, “The Shield.” As a member of the Farmington District’s elite Strike Team, led by corrupt cop Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), Lem served as the conscience of that team, or “family,” as they often referred to themselves. Originally just the good looking “muscle” of the group, Johnson brought such depth and pathos to the role of the conflicted cop often with just a series of tormented looks that he quickly became a favorite with fans the one “dirty cop” team member they could, in good conscience, get behind. As the seasons progressed and the Strike Team dug themselves deeper and deeper – especially when ripping off the Armenian mob’s money train Johnson was, at long last, given some meaty material to chew on, including suffering from a self-induced bloody ulcer and weathering a nervous breakdown, culminating in Lem burning the marked money in a misguided attempt to keep the team out of prison. Between shooting seasons of “The Shield,” Johnson found time to play super-villain Tommy Lee Johnson in a 2005 episode of “Smallville” (WB, 2001- ) entitled “Mortal," in which he shot lightning bolts from his fingertips, as well as crazy criminal Bobby Cherry on a 2003 episode of the acclaimed L.A. cop drama, “Boomtown” (NBC, 2002-03). In addition to his "Shield" era television work, he also squeezed in a starring role in the cult feature film “Zzyzx” (2005), a thriller set on the desert road of the same name near Las Vegas, where he played one of two men who accidentally run someone over and try to cover it up, only to happen upon the victim’s wife shortly thereafter. Audiences and critics were amazed that with his portrayal of the twisted, masochistic Lou, all traces of good guy Lemonhead were wiped clean. He originally auditioned for the role of ill-fated Terry Crowley on "The Shield" (2002) which ultimately went to Reed Diamond. Fortunately for Johnson, series creator Shawn Ryan was so impressed with his audition that the role of Lem was created especially for him. Originally read for the part of Earl, in "Saving Grace" (2007) but ended up, playing the emotionally conflicted cop, boyfriend, and partner Ham Dewey, to Holly Hunter and her portrayal of Grace. In 1998, he appeared in the first several minutes of the first Blade, as Heatseeking Dennis, who was saved (by Blade) from a vampire played by Traci Lords. In October 2005, he appeared in the Smallville Season 5 episode "Mortal" as a metahuman called Tommy Lee and was credited as Kenneth Johnson. He also appeared in the 2006 Hallmark Channel original movie, Desolation Canyon, with Stacey Keach and Patrick Duffy and starred in the 2005 indie film Zzyzx, a thriller about two friends who take a detour on their way to Las Vegas. Johnson originally auditioned for the role of ill-fated Terry Crowley, which ultimately went to Reed Diamond. Fortunately for Johnson, series creator Shawn Ryan was so impressed with his audition that the role of Lem was created especially for him. Johnson's character, Lem, was killed off in the March 21, 2006 episode, titled "Postpartum". Since leaving The Shield, Johnson was cast in the TNT series Saving Grace, as Det. Ham Dewey. He also had recurring roles on Cold Case, first as a supposed murder victim, and later as a love interest for Lilly Rush. Johnson has been married to Cathleen Oveson since 2005. Since the end of his “Shield” stint, Johnson acted in the television western “Desolation Canyon” (The Hallmark Channel, 2006) opposite Stacy Keach and former “Shield” costar David Rees Snell, as well as in the feature film, “The Ungodly” (2006), starring Wes Bentley, where Johnson again plays a police officer. |
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