Who is Preston Cook?
American-Canadian actor and cameraman Preston J. Cook was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, but hasn’t disclosed his date of birth; it’s believed that he was born sometime in the second half of the ’70s, under the zodiac sign of Pisces. Preston’s perhaps best known for having worked as a cameraman on the critically acclaimed 2016 action adventure comedy movie “Deadpool”, which Tim Miller directed, and which starred T. J. Miller, Morena Baccarin and Ryan Reynolds. It follows a mercenary who’s been experimented on, and has thus become ugly and immortal; the film won 27 of its 106 award nominations.
Preston’s also known for being the husband of famous American actress Julia O’Hara Stiles, who’s appeared in more than 60 movies and TV series, and is probably still best known for having starred alongside Heath Ledger in the 1999 romantic comedy movie “10 Things I Hate About You”.
Education and early life
Preston was raised in Thunder Bay by his parents, and most of his fans believe that he’s an only child, because Preston hasn’t mentioned the siblings he might have; he hasn’t spoken about his parents in public either, but it’s believed that his father was the owner of his own small fishing equipment store, and that his mother worked at a bakery.
Preston fell in love with acting at the age of 15, when cast to appear in a play performed at a local high school in Thunder Bay; he went on to appear in numerous plays by the time he matriculated sometime in the mid-‘90s, and then moved to Los Angeles, California USA in pursuit of an acting career.
Roles in movies
Preston’s debut film appearance was in the 2001 fantasy horror comedy “Strange Frequency”, directed by Mary Lambert and Bryan Spicer, and which starred Martin Cummins, Christopher Masterson and Brandy Ledford; it follows the lives of a cursed talent agent and a homicidal hippie.
The year 2003 saw Preston play Logan in the romantic comedy “Lucky 7”, and he was then cast to portray Tough Kid in the 2004 family adventure comedy “Very Cool Christmas” and Teddy in the 2005 romantic comedy “Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber”.
Also in 2005, he played the lead character Will in the comedy drama “Awake”, written and directed by David Frank Gomes, and which also starred Jeff Roop and Leila Johnson. It follows two brothers who’ve begun attending strangers’ wakes because of free food and drinks.
Preston’s since appeared in only a single movie: the popular 2012 action fantasy horror “Underworld: Awakening”, directed by Bjorn Stein and Mans Marlind, and which starred Kate Beckinsale, Michael Ealy and India Eisley. It follows the war between humans, vampires and lycans, and the movie won a BMI Film & TV Award for Film Music.
It seems that Preston left acting behind him following his appearance in “Underworld: Awakening”, and switched to being behind the camera.
Roles in TV series
Preston made his debut TV series appearance in the 2001 episode “The Grain” of the action crime comedy “Special Unit 2”, and he then appeared in an episode of the horror drama “Strange Frequency”, the musical comedy “The Chris Isaak Show” and the mystery thriller fantasy “Beyond Belief: Fact of Fiction”.
The year 2002 saw him play Doug in the episode “Mother of Invention” of the action science fiction drama “Jeremiah”, created by J. Michael Straczynski, and which starred Luke Perry, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Peter Stebbings. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the series follows the only a couple of people who’ve managed to survive, and it was nominated for an Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Award for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series.
Preston could then have been seen playing Aaron Mitchell in the 2004 episode “Becoming” of the mystery science fiction drama “The 4400”, Radio Man in the 2004 episode “Icon” of the action adventure drama “Stargate SG-1”, and Angry Young Suit in the 2006 episode “Reckoning” of the action adventure drama “Smallville”.
I LOVE James!! I wish they could get Preston Cook back somehow. James took all Bette's crap & yet, he was absolutely loyal & respected & looked out for Bette. He was like family! I remember looking up Preston Cook & seeing he's now married to Julia Stiles & they have a kid. 😊 pic.twitter.com/8KN8dHq7I9
— julesy (@julesy) December 23, 2020
His only other role has been his portrayal of James in 24 episodes of the popular romantic drama “The L Word”, created by Michele Abbott and Ilene Chaiken, and which starred Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey and Laurel Holloman. It follows the lives of several lesbians from Los Angeles, California, the series aired from 2004 to 2009, and won five of its 30 award nominations.
Other credits
Preston worked as an assistant director and set decorator on the 2011 short fantasy movie “Greasy Soul”.
He’s worked in the camera and electrical department of 22 movies and TV series – some of the most popular amongst these have been the 2015 action adventure movie “The Revenant”, which won three Oscars, including for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Leonardo DiCaprio), the 2018 action adventure thriller film “Skyscraper” and the 2019 action crime comedy “Cold Pursuit”.
Marriage with Julia Stiles
Preston and Julia met in 2014, while they were both working on the critically acclaimed thriller movie “Blackway”; they revealed on 3 January 2016 that they’d become engaged, and the two exchanged vows on 3 September 2017, in a small and private ceremony in Los Angeles.
Julia gave birth to their son Strummer Newcomb Cook on 20 October 2017, and their second son Arlo followed in January 2022.
Preston hasn’t mentioned the women whom he dated prior to meeting Julia, while it’s known that she was in a relationship with famous American actor and moviemaker Joseph Leonardo Gordon-Levitt while attending college, and that they lived together in the John Jay Hall building of the Columbia University’s campus. Between 2011 and 2015, Julia was in a relationship with famous American actor David Kenneth Harbour.
Preston’s married to Julia Stiles as of October 2022, and has two sons with her.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEshU4uBydS/
Interesting facts and hobbies
Preston dislikes social media networks, and doesn’t have an Instagram account.
He loves animals, and occasionally volunteers at animal shelters.
Preston’s a fan of tattoos, and his right arm’s nearly entirely inked.
He prefers to ride a motorcycle rather than drive a car.
Although not a big fan of being in media, he still often keeps his wife company during her red carpet events.
Preston’s favorite actors are Ryan Reynolds and Robert Duvall, while some of his favorite movies include “The Apostle”, “Tender Mercies”, and “The Judge”.
Height, eyes and net worth
Preston’s age is believed to be between 42 and 45. He has brown hair and eyes, his height is 5ft 10ins (1.79m) and his weight is around 190lbs (86kgs).
Preston’s net worth’s been estimated at over $1.5 million, as of October 2022, and that of his wife Julia at more than $12 million.
