Barry Pepper

Born: April 4 1970
Where: Campbell River, Canada

Pepper first came to the attention of cinema audiences as the bible-quoting sniper in Stephen Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan.

He credits an early life aboard an ocean-going boat visiting Fiji and Tahiti for fuelling his love for dance, music and

Back in Canada, his parents set up a farm in a hippy community where Pepper excelled at drama and sport.

An excellent rugby player, he studied art and design before changing course after getting involved with the Vancouver Actors' Studio.

He landed TV roles before his big screen debut as Rico in the Swiss/Canadian comedy Urban Safari.

He followed that up with Firestorm before his mainstream breakthrough in Saving Private Ryan.

He quickly followed that up with Tony Scott's Enemy of the State and The Green Mile opposite Tom Hanks.

Roles followed in the best forgotten Battlefield Earth with John Travolta, We All Fall Down and Knockaround Guys.

Pepper appeared opposite Mel Gibson in We Were Soldiers and as a ruthless dealer in 25th Hour with Ed Norton.

Upcoming projects include the Canadian thriller The Snow Walker.