Cranston Johnson was born the youngest of three children in rural Gastonia, NC. After graduating from Ashbrook Senior High School, he received a football scholarship from Western Carolina University. He went on to graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Sport Management and finished his collegiate football career with All Southern Conference honors. After college, he went on to play professionally in the Arena 2 Football League with the Greensboro Prowlers for 5 seasons excelling as a defensive back. His athletic ability and football experience led to him being cast as a featured extra in "The 5th Quarter", starring Andie MacDowell, Aidan Quinn, and Ryan Merriman filmed in 2010.
During this time, Cranston took a passion towards acting and decided to pursue it as a career. He enrolled in local acting workshops and eventually gained representation. It was not until he began method acting training with Burgess Jenkins and the Carolina Actor's Group that he saw his skills on camera start to blossom. With his versatility and new found skill set, he was cast for numerous film and television projects in NC and SC. His breakthrough role came when he was cast as Shawn Griffin in the Jerry Rees directed film "Susie" in 2012. His performance was both powerful and chilling as he portrayed a man standing trial for animal cruelty charges.
Cranston is building a solid acting resume and is quickly becoming a standout talent in the southeast. He continues to study method acting in Winston Salem, NC and has credited the class and instructor as an invaluable resource to his growth as an actor. With his ability to be funny, angry, loving, menacing, ruthless or caring he has proved that not only can he play a wide range of characters, but that he truly is a student of his craft and dedicated to becoming a future leading man in the film industry.
