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Everything to Know About The Hunting Party Star Josh McKenzie's TV & Movie Career
Before he was Shane Florence on the new NBC crime thriller, here's what else Josh McKenzie appeared in.
The Hunting Party, NBC’s new Melissa Roxburgh-led thriller series, follows an elite squad who are trying to find super-dangerous prisoners who escaped from a covert, black-ops prison known as The Pit. When the show debuts on its new premiere date of Sunday, January 19 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, Roxburgh, known for her leading role in the series Manifest, will luckily have other members of the titular hunting party helping her track down these dangerous killers. One of her fellow heroes is Shane Florence, played by Josh McKenzie.
Shane, described in promotional materials as a “former soldier and current prison guard,” seems like he’ll be on the front lines of the mission to recapture these dangerous prisoners; in pre-premiere photos, we've seen him in action in the field with the team. Before The Hunting Party premieres and audiences get a chance to meet Shane Florence, here’s what you need to know about Josh McKenzie
RELATED: Thrilling The Hunting Party Trailer Reveals "Escalating" Behavior From Escaped Serial Killers
Josh McKenzie's Early Life & Career
McKenzie is from New Zealand, and had his breakout moment with the 2011 Kiwi film The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell. In it, McKenzie played the son of a man whose professional obsession with karting leads to disaster. McKenzie’s character, Marc, is involved in an accident that puts his younger brother, Ed (played by his real-life brother William McKenzie) into a coma.
For his role, McKenzie was recognized with the Most Outstanding Debut Performance honor at the AFTAs, New Zealand’s Oscars equivalent. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film. All this was before he’d graduated high school.
He attended the prestigious Toi Whakaari Acting Academy.
Josh McKenzie Movies & TV Shows
Before The Hunting Party, McKenzie had parts in genre series like Legend of the Seeker, The Shannara Chronicles, and Power Rangers. He’s also been in popular New Zealand TV series like Shortland Street and Filthy Rich. He’s appeared on Australian TV, as well, in shows like Five Bedrooms and the upcoming second season of The Twelve.
American audiences probably best know McKenzie from his main role in another NBC series, the sci-fi adventure La Brea. In that show, McKenzie played Lucas Hayes, the heroin-dealing son of Marybeth Hill, a police officer who falls into the sinkhole.
RELATED: La Brea Series Finale Explained: Creator David Appelbaum Reveals Secrets
Catch McKenzie in action when The Hunting Party premieres on NBC on Sunday, January 19 at 7 p.m. ET/PT and next day on Peacock.
An encore episode of The Hunting Party will air in its original premiere timeslot (Monday, February 3 at 10 p.m.) with new episodes continuing on Monday, February 10.
