Drew Van Acker

Drew Van Acker was born in Philadelphia, PA. His family moved around several times from his birth until he was 10. The future star developed a love for acting while taking drama classes in high school, where he also excelled in soccer and lacrosse. Van Acker attended Towson University in Maryland on a soccer scholarship, but continued developing his craft through theater classes. He briefly moved to New York City following graduation, but eventually decided the Big Apple was not for him. Van Acker packed up his bags and headed to Los Angeles, where he launched his acting career, making his TV debut in an episode of "Castle" (ABC, 2009-16) in 2009. That same year, Van Acker co-starred in the Web series "The Lake," about a group of young adults who learn important life lessons during their summer vacation. His all-American good looks also landed Van Acker several modeling contracts early on in his career, including a campaign for Abercrombie & Fitch that was photographed by the legendary Bruce Weber.In 2010, Van Acker landed his first starring role on the Cartoon Network's live-action series "Tower Prep," where he played Ian Archer, a student at an exclusive school for individuals with special abilities - with his being precognition. Ian also used his special power to help other students while trying to unlock the mysteries surrounding the school. The following year, Van Acker landed his breakthrough role on the hit ABC Family show "Pretty Little Liars." Based on the popular young-adult novels by Sara Shepard, "Liars" starred Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, Ashley Benson, and Troian Bellisario as four friends tormented by an unidentified figure following the mysterious death of their clique leader, Alison (Sasha Pieterse). Van Acker joined the cast during its second season, replacing another actor Parker Bagley, to play Alison's brother, Jason, who buys the abandoned house where his sister was killed. His quiet demeanor and secretive personality causes the four central characters to suspect Jason's true intentions. As the series progressed, Van Acker's character formed a close bond with the ambitious Spencer (Bellisario) and the outgoing Aria (Hale), while the other young women remained suspicious.By Candy Cuenco