Drew Ray Tanner (born 1992) is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Fangs Fogarty on Riverdale.

Early life

Tanner was born in Victoria, British Columbia.[1] When he was two years old, his father left, and his mother decided to move to Aldergrove, in Fraser Valley, British Columbia, where Tanner was raised.[1][2] His mother is a teacher and he has an older brother.[3] Tanner's grandfather would often do magic tricks and involve Tanner when he was child, which inspired him to join the entertainment industry.[3] In eighth and ninth grade, Tanner participated in a local improv group.[1] He attended Aldergrove Community Secondary School and later transferred to W. J. Mouat Secondary School.[1][4] He also played football.[1][3] Tanner received the role of John Proctor in a production of The Crucible at his school.[1] During his teenage years, Tanner also formed a rap group with a friend.[5] Following his high school graduation, Tanner turned down football scholarships and began working at a local tire retread plant so that he could support himself and travel to Vancouver for auditions.[1][6]

Career

In 2015, Tanner auditioned for the roles of Jughead Jones and Reggie Mantle in Riverdale, but did not receive either role.[3] In 2016, Tanner's friends invited him to visit Rocko's Diner in Mission, British Columbia, which is famous for its milkshakes and was used as the filming location for diner scenes in Riverdale.[3] When they arrived, there was a line of fans around the corner and Tanner made it his goal to have a role on Riverdale.[3] When season two of the show began casting, Tanner auditioned for the role of Sweet Pea.[3] While auditioning, he noted they were also casting for the role of Fangs Fogarty, so Tanner went in and auditioned for Fangs's character as well.[3] Tanner joined the cast of Riverdale as Fangs Fogarty, the love interest of Kevin Keller, during season two, which began airing in 2017.[1][7] Originally, Tanner was only supposed to appear in a couple episodes, but he was brought back several times until season four, when he his character had a role in a major story arc.[1] After three years in a recurring role, Tanner was promoted to be a series regular for season five of the show, which aired in 2021.[8][7]

Tanner and his Riverdale co-star Vanessa Morgan bonded on set over their love of music and formed a group, These Girls These Boys.[5] They released their first single, Sleep When I'm Dead, in May 2020.[5][9]

In 2019, Tanner appeared in the Netflix film Work It as the romantic interest of one of the main characters.[10][11] The role required Tanner to engage in improvisational acting.[7] To prepare for the role, he lost nineteen pounds in twenty-one days through an intensive diet and training program.[10]

Personal life

Tanner is biracial.[7] Tanner lived with his co-star Charles Melton during the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2014 Mom's Day Away Richie
2014 Zapped Shirtless Guy
2015 All of My Heart Rusty
2015 Liar, Liar, Vampire Band Singer
2015 Once Upon a Holiday Concierge
2016 Dater's Handbook Phil
2016 Date With Love Colin Hartling
2016 Home Mirrored Goggles
2017 The Birthday Wish Kian
2017 Power Rangers Young Lover #2 [1][3]
2017 Like Cats and Dogs Tyler
2017 All for Love P.J. Salazar
2017 All of My Heart: Inn Love Rusty
2018 Secret Millionaire Parking Attendant as "Drew Tanner"
2020 Work It Charlie [8][10]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2011 The Haunting Hour: The Series Michael as "Drew Tanner"
2012 Fairly Legal Elevator Person #4 1 episode
2013 Arrow Rookie 1 episode [1]
2013 Motive Tyson 1 episode
2015 iZombie Sam [1]
2016 Supernatural Cliff 1 episode [1]
2017 Supergirl Student 1 episode [1]
2017 Somewhere Between Jesse Reed / Jessie Reed Recurring role [13]
2017–2023 Riverdale Fangs Fogarty Recurring (Seasons 2–4)
Main (Season 5-7) 		[1]
2018 You Me Her Alex 2 episodes [13]
2019 The Order Todd 1 episode
2020 50 States of Fright David Freeman [14]
2020 Legends of Tomorrow Dion/Dionysus [8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o UYTDEWILLIGEN, RYAN (October 2, 2020). "Aldergrove actor Drew Ray Tanner gets promoted to series regular on Riverdale". Aldergrove Star. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  2. ^ Ip, Stephanie (May 11, 2018). "Riverdale: B.C.'s Jordan Connor and Drew Ray Tanner vote yearbook titles". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Loewen, Emily (October 9, 2018). "Riverdale's Drew Ray Tanner On Acting, Following Your Heart And Enjoying The Ride". Terroir Mag. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  4. ^ Ip, Stephanie (May 23, 2018). "B.C.'s Riverdale stars Jordan Connor and Drew Ray Tanner spill on the Southside Serpents". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Valentine, Claire (May 15, 2020). "DREW RAY TANNER AND VANESSA MORGAN OF 'RIVERDALE' STARTED A BAND". Nylon. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  6. ^ Karmel, Laurenne (May 16, 2018). "Jordan Connor and Drew Ray Tanner talk Riverdale and #Swangs (VIDEO)". Daily Hive. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Fowler, Nikki (January 15, 2021). "DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE COVER: Drew Ray Tanner on the New Season of 'Riverdale,' the Time Jump, His Music, Dream Role, Identity, Isolation, and More". Glitter. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Piester, Laura (September 30, 2020). "Riverdale Promotes Drew Ray Tanner to Series Regular For Season 5". E! News. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  9. ^ Uy, Megan (July 3, 2020). "Vanessa Morgan and Drew Ray Tanner Have Officially Won Our 'TikTok Challenge Challenge'". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Williams, Brett (July 3, 2019). "How a Riverdale Star Got Shredded for His Next Movie in Just 21 Days". Men's Health. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  11. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (July 2, 2019). "Jordan Fisher, Drew Ray Tanner, Michelle Buteau Join Sabrina Carpenter In Netflix Dance Comedy 'Work It'". Deadline. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  12. ^ Howard, Madeline (July 29, 2020). "Charles Melton Told Us All About How He Found His New "Soul Mate" and, Um, BRB, Crying". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b Zafar, Mishal Ali (January 16, 2019). "Here's What You Should Know About Fangs On 'Riverdale'". Romper. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  14. ^ Noronha, Remus (April 22, 2020). "'50 States of Fright' Review: Sam Raimi's gory horror anthology is optimized to give you a quick scare". Meaww. Retrieved 4 May 2021.

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