Born Kenneth Allen Johnson in New Haven, Connecticut but raised in Vermont, Johnson got his start in television commercials, including one of the very first ads for LA Gear. A former champion arm wrestler, he appeared as bit characters in various television programs, such as Family Matters, Grace Under Fire, Caroline in the City, Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Sliders, 18 Wheels of Justice, Just Shoot Me!, NCIS: Los Angeles, Lie to Me, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Protector.
In 1998, he appeared in the first several minutes of the first Blade, as Heatseeking Dennis, who was saved (by Blade) from a vampire played by Traci Lords. In October 2005, he appeared in the Smallville Season 5 episode "Mortal" as a metahuman called Tommy Lee. He also appeared in the 2006 Hallmark Channel original movie, Desolation Canyon, with Stacy Keach and Patrick Duffy and starred in the 2005 indie film Zzyzx, a thriller about two friends who take a detour on their way to Las Vegas.
After The Shield, Johnson had recurring roles on Cold Case, first as a supposed murder victim, and later as a love interest for Lilly Rush. He was later cast in the TNT series Saving Grace, as Det. Hamilton "Ham" Dewey. Kenny also appeared during the second, third and fourth (Fall 2011) seasons of Sons of Anarchy as Sgt. At Arms and biker named Herman Kozik from the Tacoma chapter. He also starred in the short film I Heard the Mermaids Singing.
On August 16, 2010, Johnson appeared in Fox TV's Lie to Me along with several fellow cast members from The Shield (Benito Martinez, Catherine Dent, David Rees Snell, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, and David Marciano).
On June 19, 2011, Johnson appears in Lifetime TV's series The Protector along with fellow Sons of Anarchy cast mate Ally Walker.
Johnson also appeared as a regular on NBC's crime drama Prime Suspect, which premiered September 22, 2011, playing the contractor-boyfriend of the shows lead character, Detective Jane Timoney (Maria Bello).
Kenny's latest film is Few Options, All Bad (2011) where he is cast as Frank Connor, a convicted drug smuggler who leaves prison after 22 years for one youthful mistake.
He recently guest starred as Tyler Gray in Season 6 of Burn Notice (2012). He is also starring in the 2014 thriller Solace.
Johnson originally auditioned for the role of ill-fated Terry Crowley, which ultimately went to Reed Diamond. Casting directors were so impressed with the audition that they asked him to come in for the role of Lemansky. Johnson was unsure of how to go about the character, who wasn't very much developed at that point. During the audition, Johnson made some choices for the character that he initially thought ruined his chances of winning the role. However, the audition turned out to be successful and he was cast. Lemansky quickly became a major player in the first season because of the chemistry Johnson shared with his castmates
Johnson has been married to Cathleen Oveson since late 2005. They have one child
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Kenny Johnson and other top speakers and celebrities.