Though his striking good looks may have made Jonathan Bennett an object of affection for the “plastics” in Mean Girls, his talent and commitment are what have led to his becoming one of the most-sought-after young actors in Hollywood. Diversifying his talent, he became a fan favorite on Dancing with the Stars and demonstrated his hosting skills on MTV’s competition series Copycat, which helped pave the way for his latest turn, as host of Food Network’s Cake Wars, Cake Wars: Christmas, and Christmas Cookie Challenge (Nov. 9 and 28). Additionally, he remains a part of the Viacom family with recurring arcs on VH1’s Hit the Floor and MTV’s Awkward.

Bennett’s first foray into a studio film was, in fact, Paramount’s smash hit Mean Girls, from producer Lorne Michaels and writer Tina Fey, in which he starred opposite Lindsay Lohan. In the romantic comedy Lovewrecked for Weinstein Co., Bennett transitioned into the love interest of Amanda Bynes. He has since starred as Bo Duke in Warner Bros.' prequel to The Dukes of Hazzard; the comedy romp Bachelor Party Vegas; in Fox’s sequel to the hit comedy Cheaper by the Dozen, as Steve Martin’s antagonistic son-in-law; and in the title role of National Lampoon's Van Wilder: Freshman Year.

More recently, Bennett executive-produced and starred in the film Authors Anonymous opposite Kaley Cuoco. He continued to wear his producing hat as well as carry a supporting role in the feature Pawn with Ray Liotta and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, and more recently wrapped IFC Films’ dramatic thriller Submerged (Nov. 27), the comedy Do Over, the crime thriller Paid in Full, the Lifetime telefilm Romantically Speaking opposite Glee star Heather Morris, and the indie drama Modern Love opposite Anthony Rapp.

He previously reunited with Mean Girls co-star Lacey Chabert in the Hallmark telefilm Elevator Girl, and starred in the indie comedy The Assistants, Slightly Single in L.A, the drama Memorial Day with James Cromwell, the thriller Cats Dancing on Jupiter, the romantic comedy Divorce Invitation opposite Jamie-Lynn Sigler and the lead role in Lifetime’s Holiday High School Reunion. 

Outside of the occasional guest-starring role on the likes of Deception, Cane, Dick Wolf’s Law & Order: SVU, David E. Kelley’s Boston Public, Smallville and Veronica Mars, Bennett’s first and only foray into series television was on the Emmy Award-winning All My Children less than a month after having moved from his native Ohio to New York City.

No stranger to winning awards, Bennett took Best Actor honors at the 2003 Palm Beach International Film Festival for his lead role in the independent feature Season of Youth.

Originally from Ohio, Bennett currently resides in Los Angeles, where he continues to hone his craft.