BIOGRAPHY: Born to a washed up actress mother, and an unknown father in Los Angeles, California, life was
never a dull moment for Porter. His mother was doing bits of acting here and there, treating it
as her first love rather than her son, it was something that Porter got into because he thought
that's what he was supposed to do. Like school. Something you HAVE to do. He was in commercials
here and there and got his first real acting role as Mark Taylor on Home Improvement that ran
for 8 years, ending when he was 16. Nearly half of his life gone and on camera for the world to
see. He wanted to desperately give up acting, much to his mother's dismay, so like an obedient
child, he followed her orders and found himself in a minor role in
She's All That, and
the lead in,
Final Destination. After his 18th birthday, he left home and seemed to give
up acting in favor of going to college until he re-emerged in 2002's
A Walk To Remember,
and from there averaging one film a year, using school as his main priority.
After a few years at Columbia University where he felt like a normal person for once,
he dropped out due to scheduling restraints on 2004's
The Rules of Engagement.
One day, he wishes to go back and finish his studies but in the back of his mind, he knows
it's nothing but a dream. He returned to television in 2005, in the short lived series,
Reunion, and was immediately back to where he began, making a movie a year.
He made enough money to live off of for most of his adult life from Home Improvement, but by
the time the funds were to be released to him, he found that his mother had helped herself to
most of it, leaving him with enough to move out and live for a while, while paying for school.
Porter originally wanted to give up acting but found that not only was the money great, it was
one of the few things that he knew he could excel at. He kept his options open, knowing that he
didn't have to play every part thrown at him. Because of school, he was only taking on what
could fit in his schedule. After dropping out, he began taking on more lengthy roles, ones
where he'd have to go away and film on multiple locations, or for an extended period of time.
Due to what he calls, a drunken mistake, Porter was forced out of the proverbial closet and
into the spotlight. He's known he was homosexual since his early teens, but never felt the need
to come out and share it with the world. His closest friends knew, and once he turned 18, he
didn't feel like he had an image to protect, so he was less hidden, though he still saw no need
to broadcast his personal life over the airwaves. At a party in California, where gay marriage
is legally binding, Porter found himself in the midst of what's being called, the hook up heard
around the world, one that no one saw coming, or thought was likely as Porter was heterosexual.
His friends laughed at him and now he's dealing with the consequences. Trying to make things
work and possibly get on as a married couple, but so far, his efforts are fruitless, and he
wishes that an annulment or a divorce were easier to get.
On the outside, he looks like any other New Yorker, and talks like everyone else. On the
inside, he's a 25 year old growing into a man.
CREDITS: here
MISC: Pacific time. Usually signed on via sidekick. Random AIM conversations are love.
Prefer threading vs aim with scenes, but can do either. Not a big fan of preplanned lines, more into spontaneity
and seeing where our characters go and what they do instead of dictating everything ahead of time.
I promise you, Porter is a nice guy, and definitely the type to talk someone's ear off over a drink if you'll let him.
