Max Thieriot Bio
Maximillion Drake Thieriot (born October 14, 1988) is an American actor, producer, and writer. He made his acting debut in the 2004 adventure comedy film Catch That Kid and has since built a diverse career spanning films and television. Thieriot is perhaps best known for his recurring roles as Dylan Massett in A&E’s drama-thriller series Bates Motel from 2013 to 2017 and as Navy SEAL Clay Spenser in CBS’s SEAL Team from 2017 to 2022. He currently stars as Bode Leone in the CBS drama Fire Country, a series he co-created and for which he also serves as a producer and occasional writer. Offscreen, Thieriot is a vintner who co-owns a winery in his hometown of Occidental, California.
Early Life and Background
Max Thieriot was born on October 14, 1988, in Los Altos Hills, California. He is the son of Bridgit Ann Snyder and George Cameron Thieriot. Thieriot grew up in the small town of Occidental in Sonoma County, California, alongside one older sister and one younger brother. He attended Sonoma Country Day School in Santa Rosa for middle school before graduating from El Molino High School in Forestville in 2006.
Thieriot comes from a notable family legacy. His great-great-grandfather, M. H. de Young, co-founded the San Francisco Chronicle and was of Dutch Jewish descent before converting to Catholicism. His relatives Charles and Richard Thieriot later served as editors and publishers of the newspaper. His paternal grandparents, Frances Harrison Dade and Ferdinand Melly Thieriot, tragically died in the collision and sinking of the Italian liner SS Andrea Doria off the coast of Nantucket in 1956. His paternal uncle Peter survived the disaster at age 13.
Path to Acting
Thieriot’s journey into acting began when he enrolled in an improvisation class, which led to him being signed by talent manager Don Gibble. Before his feature film debut, he modeled for Gap and appeared in two short films. His first breakthrough came with his debut role in the 2004 adventure comedy Catch That Kid, which launched his professional acting career. The following year, he landed a role in the action comedy The Pacifier, portraying one of the family members protected by Vin Diesel’s Navy SEAL character.
His early career showed promise as he continued to book roles in family-oriented films. He appeared in the drama The Astronaut Farmer in 2007 and that same year starred in the film adaptation of Nancy Drew. In 2008, he played a younger version of Hayden Christensen’s character in the science fiction film Jumper. That same year, he joined the cast of Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, a role for which he won the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast with his co-stars.
Max Thieriot Career
Early Career (2004–2012)
Building on his early success, Thieriot continued to secure prominent film roles throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s. In 2009, he co-starred in the erotic thriller Chloe, directed by Atom Egoyan. The film achieved commercial success and became Egoyan’s biggest box office earner at the time. The following year, Thieriot took on the lead role in Wes Craven’s supernatural horror film My Soul to Take.
In 2011, he starred in the independent comedy The Family Tree and played the lead role in the drama Foreverland. He then co-starred in the psychological horror-thriller House at the End of the Street in 2012. That same year, he appeared in the critically acclaimed drama film Disconnect. Also in 2012, Thieriot was cast in a leading role in Roland Emmerich’s drama pilot Dark Horse for ABC, though the project was not picked up to series.
Breakthrough (2013–Present)
From 2013 until 2017, Thieriot portrayed Dylan Massett, the half-brother of Norman Bates, in the critically acclaimed drama series Bates Motel. The show, which served as a contemporary reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, received widespread praise for its performances and storytelling. Notably, Thieriot made his directorial debut on the series with an episode in the fifth season titled Hidden.
In 2015, Thieriot starred as Jack Hays, a captain of the Texas Rangers, in the History Channel event miniseries Texas Rising. That same year, he appeared in the remake of the action-thriller film Point Break. From 2017 until 2022, he played Navy SEAL Clay Spenser in the CBS drama series SEAL Team, a role that brought him broader recognition and a dedicated fan base.
As of 2022, Thieriot has been portraying Bode Leone in the CBS drama series Fire Country. Beyond acting, he serves as a producer on the series and occasionally writes episodes, demonstrating his multifaceted involvement in the project. Fire Country marks his most significant creative partnership to date as a co-creator.
Notable Works and Milestones
Throughout his career, Max Thieriot has demonstrated versatility across genres, from family comedies and dramas to horror thrillers and action films. His roles in Catch That Kid, The Pacifier, and Jumper established him as a reliable young actor in Hollywood. His performance in Bates Motel showcased his dramatic range, while SEAL Team demonstrated his ability to anchor an action-oriented television series. His current work on Fire Country represents his evolution from actor to creative partner, as he continues to develop his craft both in front of and behind the camera.
Max Thieriot Awards
Max Thieriot has received recognition for his early work in film. He was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor for his role in The Pacifier. Additionally, he won the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast with his co-stars for his role in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl.
Max Thieriot Family
Max Thieriot is married to Lexi Murphy, whom he met as a teenager while growing up in California. The couple became engaged in 2012 after seven years together. Thieriot proposed during a trip to the Caribbean. They married on June 1, 2013, in Lake Tahoe, California. The couple has two sons together, with their first child born in 2015 and their second son born in 2018. Through his sister’s marriage, Thieriot is the brother-in-law of former Philadelphia Phillies baseball pitcher Michael Stutes.
Personal Life
Beyond his acting career, Max Thieriot is a vintner. Along with childhood friends Christopher Strieter and Myles Lawrence-Briggs, he owns vineyards in his hometown of Occidental, California. The trio distributes wine through their label Senses. Notably, Senses wine was featured in a family dinner scene during the third season of Bates Motel, highlighting Thieriot’s successful transition into winemaking.