Ian Alexander (actor)


Ian Alexander is an American actor known for his role as Buck Vu on The OA and Lev in The Last of Us Part II.

Biography

Alexander was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to a Caucasian father and a mother of Vietnamese descent who migrated to the United States from Vietnam. Due to his father's work with the Department of Defense, his family often moved and has lived in places such as Hawaii, Japan and Washington, DC. During elementary school, he would participate in community theater and chorus. He received viral attention online through his photo response to a transphobic incident perpetrated by four UCLA college students.
Though he was raised in a Mormon family, he is not a participating member. He came out as transgender in 2014, uses he/him pronouns, and identifies as trans masculine and pansexual.

Career

Alexander's debut acting role was on Netflix's The OA, where he plays Buck Vu. Buck, like Alexander, is also a transgender youth and was partially based on Alexander's real experiences. He was cast from an open casting call online that spread through Tumblr. Later he was cast in the 2018 feature film Every Day, based on the book by David Levithan, playing Vic, a trans teen whom the spirit "A" inhabits for a day. In October 2017, Naughty Dog announced Alexander had joined the voice cast for The Last of Us Part II, the sequel to their popular video game. He played Lev, a transgender character in the game.
In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, sparking the start of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, Queerty named him one of their Pride50: "trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people". Similarly, Alexander was one of the cover stars for them.s 2019 Pride issue, "spotlighting three rising queer artists whose work and lives are breaking new ground for LGBTQ+ visibility". In March 2020, it was announced Alexander will star in the independent film Daughter.

Filmography