Connor Paolo is a brilliant American actor who is lightning up the entertainment world with his talent. He has played myriads of roles since he broke into the industry at the age of 9 and most of them were complex characters which have really affected the way people see him in real life.
Connor is now best known for his portrayal of Eric Van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, a teen drama TV series that became famous around the world and projected him to a wider audience. He is also known for his work on Revenge, a mystery-thriller TV series in which he played Declan Porter. With his acting training and fascinating work ethics, Connor has established himself as a force to reckon with in the film industry.
Connor Paolo’s Career Beginning
Connor Paolo has the look of a man who was born as a star and a careful look into his background lays credence to this. He was born to Jewish parents; Julia Mendelsohn and Colin Paolo on July 11, 1990. His mother, who is Russian and Hungarian Jewish, is a vocal coach and classical pianist while his father is a writer and a screenwriter.
Like the off-springs of several artistically inclined parents, Paolo while growing up was inclined towards art, choosing to become an actor in particular. He joined the Professional Performing Arts School in 2006 where he studied acting. He also took acting lessons at the famous Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. The extent of his desire to master his profession continued at Appel Farm Arts and Music Center. His other academic records like his high school are unknown and he only spent a semester at New York University before he dropped out.
While it is not definite, it is known that every great actor or actress passes through theatre and that is what Connor Paolo did as he continued to mature as an actor. He appeared on a couple of stage plays, including the Broadway play, The Full Monty, and Richard III, which was a Shakespearean play in an off-Broadway theatre. His second Shakespearean play was Midsummer Night’s Dream.
His Movies and TV Shows
Connor Paolo made his film debut as Young Sean in the 2003 film, Mystic River. His first onscreen performance and television show was in 2002 for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Interestingly he has appeared on the show as two different characters. First as Zachary Connor in 2002 and as Teddy Winnock in 2006.
In 2004, he played Young Alexander in the film, Alexander, and then appeared in World Trade Center, another motion picture, as Steven McLoughlin in the year 2006. His outstanding depiction of the character in the World Trade Center earned him the Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a Feature Film in the Supporting Young Artist category.
His career-defining break came the following year when he was cast to play Eric Van der Woodsen, a wealthy gay in the American teen drama series, Gossip Girl. He appeared in 53 episodes of the series from 2007 to 2012 and starred alongside Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen, and Ed Westwick. His role in the series catapulted him into the spotlight and planted him firmly on a path leading straight to fame.
From 2007 to 2009, Connor Paolo starred as Warren Hardesky in Snow Angels, Ross in Favorite Son, and Damon in The Winning Season. The year 2010 proved to be an even bigger one for his career as he appeared in the movies and TV series, Camp Hell, Stake Land, and Mercy respectively. He reprised the character of Martin in the 2011 short action-adventure TV series, Stake Land: Origins.
By this time, Connor was already making some buzz as an actor and gaining some fans for himself. He scored another big role in his acting career in 2011 when he was cast as Declan Porter in 45 episodes of the series, Revenge from 2011 to 2015. The adept actor continued his journey as an actor from 2016 to 2019 with special appearances in Friend Request, Rush Hour, Outlaw, The Brave, Electric Dreams, Business Doing Pleasure, among many others. Connor Paolo further scored a role in the television series, The Resident where he appeared as Isaac in the year 2020.
Outside of theatre, movies, and television shows, the Gossip Girl star has lent his voice to the video game, Bully where he voiced the main character in 2006. He also appeared as himself in the music video for My Medicine, a song by the band, The Pretty Reckless.
A Look at The Actor’s Dating History
Connor Paolo is not married, but he has dated a number of women, particularly at the height of his breakout show. Here’s a look at all the women the movie star has been romantically connected with.
Grace Van Dien
Connor is currently in a relationship with Grace Van Dien, an actress who is known for her works in Greenhouse Academy, and The Village. It’s not clear when the pair started dating because of Connor’s lifestyle of keeping his personal life private. Even though they have not confirmed their relationship status, they are regularly seen at several events together.
Addison Timlin
Prior to his relationship with Grace, Connor Paolo had an affair with the actress, Addison Jayne Timlin from 2005 to 2006, when they got separated. Addison is best recognized for her role as Jami Lerner in The Town That Dreaded Sundown. She is now happily married to Jeremy Allen White, an actor who is popularly known for starring in the Showtime series, Shameless. She welcomed her daughter, Ezer Billie White on October 20th, 2018, and tied the knot with her husband on October 18th, 2019.
Alice Kremelberg
A year after his split with Addison, the handsome actor started dating Alice Kremelberg. She is an actress, screenwriter, producer, and director, who is a recipient of the Los Angeles Film Award. This also didn’t lead to marriage as the duo called it quits in the year 2011 after being together for four years.
Adelaide Kane
Following his failed relationship with Alice, Connor Kick-started another affair in the same year 2011 with the Australian actress, Adelaide Kane. The two dated for two years before going their separate ways in the year 2013. Conor’s ex-girlfriend is known for featuring as Lolly Allen in the Australian soap opera, Neighbors and Drizella in the ABC series, Once Upon a Time.
Janet Bailey
In 2013, Connor Paolo got romantically involved with Janet Bailey. The two dated for a while before calling off the affair, though, information regarding what caused the separation and the year it happened is still unknown. Connor has since moved on with his love life, as he is recently linked with Grace Van Dien.
Intriguing Details About Connor’s Gay Rumor
In 2007, Connor Paolo portrayed the character of a wealthy gay, Eric Van der Woodsen in the TV series, Gossip Girl. His striking depiction of the character in the aforementioned series resulted in rumors and the widespread belief that Connor himself is a gay man.
In a bid to quell the speculations, he said that actors are given diverse roles, and accomplishing those roles doesn’t mean that they are actually the characters being portrayed in real life. The rumor was eventually put to bed via a wild gesture in 2011 when he kissed his girlfriend on the red carpet of an award show.
