Robbie Amell at 'Nine Lives' Premiere
Robbie Amell is an Canadian actor and former model, best known for his role as Stephen Jameson on The CW series Tomorrow People, as Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm/ Deathstorm on The Flash, and as Wesley Rush in the filme The Duff. Amell is the younger first cousin of Stephen Amell, best known for his role as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on The CW series, Arrow.
Amell was born Robert Patrick Amell on April 21, 1988 (now 35) in Toronto, Canada, to Jo (née Burden) and Rob Amell. Both his parents are make custom jewelry for a living. When he was six years old Amell and his sister, Amanda, started modeling and taking small roles and commercials. Amell also played hockey, and for a while thought that he would follow that career path. However, after getting high school roles in plays like The Importance of Being Earnest, he soon found his passion for acting. Surprisingly, it wasn’t his older cousin, Stephen Amell, who pushed him towards his current occupation. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, both Amells talked about how they bonded over video games and pool parties during childhood, but that the age gap eventually distanced them. In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Robbie Amell jokingly placed the blame on “girls and [Stephen’s] acting career.” The two have since reconnected in their time as actors in Los Angeles.
Amell attended the Canadian Studios Acting Academy, and he graduated from Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute (high school) in 2006.
Amell’s first role pursuing acting was in the Steve Martin comedy, Cheaper By The Dozen 2. Playing antagonist Eugene Levy‘s son, Amell only had a couple of lines, but was able to stay for the majority of the shooting, learning the ropes of being on set. That same year, he appeared as Sam in Canadian horror film Left For Dead, an homage to the Halloween franchise. In vain with Cheaper By The Dozen, he starred in teen romantic comedy Picture This in 2008, alongside Ashley Tisdale. He also has a small role in American Pie Presents: Beta House.
Amell quickly moved to television, with a role on the Canadian televisions series, Life With Derek. A sitcom about a divorced man and another divorced woman marrying and combining families, Amell played, Max, the high school quarterback and boyfriend to one of the girls, Casey. The show was eventually syndicated on the Disney Channel in the United States.
He had a similar role on Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP, playing True’s love interest, Jimmy. Amell also had a recurring role on the Cartoon Network series Unnatural History, which coincidentally starred his now wife Italia Ricci.
Continuing to work his way up the teen TV ladder, Amell landed a role as Noel Kahn’s brother Eric on the third season of ABC Family’s hit teen drama, Pretty Little Liars.
In 2013, Amell was cast in the lead for The CW’s series The Tomorrow People. A remake of the British series, the show is a science-fiction drama, where a small percentage of the population is born with superpowers; instead of becoming successful superheroes, many turn to crime and live in poverty. Amell plays Stephen Jameson, a high school student who recently develops telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation abilities. While the show was received mixed views and was canceled after one season, Amell’s work was praised. Erik Adams of A.V. Club said, “Amell is alternately positioned as a comic-book mutant coming into his abilities, a Buffy Summers-like savior.”
In May 2014, Amell was cast as jock next-door, Wesley, in the film adaptation of The Duff. Starring alongside Mae Whitman as Bianca , Amell’s character reveals to her that she is the Designated Ugly Fat Friend for her friend group. Lauded as this generation’s Mean Girls, Amell was especially praised by Variety critic Nick Shager, who said, “Sandel’s supporting players are routinely funnier than their stock parts have any right to be, with Amell, in particular, bringing a welcome measure of good-natured smart-assery as Bianca’s unlikely friend and — for anyone who’s seen one of these films, not-so-unlikely — secret love interest.”
In July of that same year, Amell booked the part of DC Comics character Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm on the CW Series The Flash, which he is currently still on. The Flash airs within close proximity to Arrow, in which Stephen Amell is the lead.
Amell was featured in the 2016 Kevin Spacey-headed comedy, Nine Lives, which he comically booked despite being allergic to cats. He was also in the full-length version of the short film Code 8 in 2019. He previously starred in the short and executive produced and co-starred in the feature, alongside his cousin.
More recently, Amell starred in the 2017 horror-comedy film The Babysitter, alongside Bella Thorne and Samara Weaving. In 2020 he was cast as the lead in the two-season sci-fi series Upload, in which he played a man with the ability to choose his own afterlife. In 2023, Amell starred in the movie Simulant, which focused on the rise of artificial intelligence.
Amell started dating actress Italia Ricci since 2009; the couple got engaged on August 20, 2014 and was married in 2016. The couple welcomed son Robert Amell V in 2019.
Before marriage, Amell dated singer Hayley Kiyoko from 2008 to 2009.
He is a fan of the Toronto Maple Leaves ice hockey team, but since moving to L.A. has gained an appreciation for the Los Angeles Kings. In his spare time, he takes break-dancing and Muay Thai classes. Amell also practices Judaism.
His friends and family have given him the nickname ‘Picky,’ due to his food choices.
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