Garland Lyons
Garland was born in Portland, Oregon but spent the majority of his adolescence in Corvallis, Oregon. He was considered a class clown throughout high school, which often ended him up in the Principal's office. His childhood friend suggested that he channel this creative energy onto the stage and convinced Garland to join him in the beginning acting class offered at the high school. That same year, Garland auditioned and landed his first part, a play called The Imaginary Invalid by Moliere. He was hooked after that first moment he walked on stage. From there, he performed in a string of plays from Twelfth Night to Alice in Wonderland.
After high school, Garland continued to act, appearing in a number of productions around town. Two years out of high school, he felt it was time to further his education and relocated to Eugene, Oregon, where he continued to study Music and Theatre at Lane Community College. While at Lane, he performed in the wildly popular plays Amadeus and A Midsummer Night's Dream among others.
Upon completion of that program, he decided to set his sights on a grander scale and moved to the great city of Seattle to one day attend the University of Washington. After one year, he was granted admission into the illustrious Drama Department, where he was first introduced to Viewpoints with Tina Landau as well as the physical training of Suzuki. Garland graduated with honors from the program along with a second degree in Psychology. While studying at the U of W, he was granted the highly coveted Glenn Hughes memorial Scholarship his junior year, the only scholarship offered in the department that year.
Upon graduating, Garland continued to perform around the city until he eventually decided to head south to the City of Angels, Los Angeles. Although he continued to excel, he missed the great Pacific Northwest and ultimately decided to move back in 2001, where he continues live and act to this day.
The last few years have been particularly successful for Garland, having landed roles on the hit Television shows Leverage, Portlandia and Grimm, working with Gus Van Sant in Restless as well as winning a prestigious Drammy award for his turn as The Judge in David Mamet's Romance.