Actor, writer, author, comedian, and Emmy® award-winning producer Sean Kanan’s first role in Hollywood was bad-boy “Mike Barnes” in the blockbuster franchise film Karate Kid III. In 2022 Kanan reprised his iconic role, receiving critical acclaim in the pop-culture hit series’ fifth season of Cobra Kai, now streaming on Netflix.
Kanan also appears as bad boy with a heart of gold, “Deacon Sharpe,” on the world’s most-watched daytime drama, CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful, and has portrayed the same role on its sister show, the number one daytime drama in the U.S., The Young, and the Restless. Before joining the premiere daytime lineup, Kanan played "AJ Quartermaine" on General Hospital. His other credits include two 2021 films with Bruce Willis, Survive the Game and The Fortress, and the Lifetime movie Sinister Society.
In 2021, Kanan won the Daytime Emmy® award for Outstanding Limited Series as the Executive Producer and Creator of Studio City (Amazon Prime), for which he was also Emmy® nominated in the categories of Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Writing Team. Kanan previously won the Indie Series Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for portraying Studio City protagonist "Sam Stephens."
Kanan has authored four books. His latest, Welcome to the Kumite, draws on intimate personal stories to illustrate his strategies and philosophy for achieving success. He is part of a series with his third book, Way of the Cobra (WOTC), “Transform yourself, and you can transform the world.” Sean's first book, The Modern Gentleman: Cooking and Entertaining with Sean Kanan, received rave reviews. His second, Success Factor X, became an Amazon New Release Best Seller after less than one week and was named one of the twenty most inspirational books in the last two decades by Book Authority.
Whether lobbying on Capitol Hill to raise awareness about bullying or performing stand-up comedy in Bosnia to entertain the troops for the USO, Kanan remains active in numerous charitable organizations, including The American Cancer Society, various animal advocacy groups, and serving as the international youth ambassador for Boo2Bullying.
In 2016, Kanan received the 400th star on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame for his creative work and acts of charity in Hollywood.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Kanan resides with his wife, Emmy®, award-winning producer and writer Michele Kanan, in California. He celebrates his birthday on November 2.
