Gil McKinney

A successful actor, Gil McKinney already had a loyal fan following before he expanded his résumé and took his love of singing to the next level. Mark Gilbert McKinney was born in Houston, Texas on February 5, 1979. By the time he was six years old, McKinney was appearing in local community theater productions, and he was fascinated by acting and the life of the theater. While attending college at the University of Southern California, McKinney appeared in several musical productions staged by students, where he got to indulge his passions for both acting and music. After doing more community theater after he graduated from USC, McKinney decided to take a chance at going professional. McKinney made his screen debut in 2003 with a small role in the horror film Jeepers Creepers II, and the same year he starred in an off-Broadway musical, Sneaux. After several years of minor roles in television and film, McKinney landed his break in 2007, when he was cast as Dr. Paul Grady on the hit TV series ER. McKinney appeared in 23 episodes of ER between 2007 and 2009, when the show went off the air. In 2010, McKinney landed another role on a hit series when he played Derek Bishop in a six-episode run on the show Friday Night Lights. In 2013 he made the first of two appearances as Henry Winchester on Supernatural, and the same year he played Prince Eric on Once Upon a Time, with McKinney returning for three more episodes between 2013 and 2017. McKinney began making regular appearances at fan conventions for loyal viewers of Supernatural and Once Upon a Time, and during karaoke nights at these events, McKinney earned a reputation as a solid vocal talent with a taste for show tunes and standards. Fans began encouraging McKinney to make a record, and in January 2017 he launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance a recording project. Hoping to raise $12,000, McKinney's fans pledged $31,000 by the time the campaign was over. Working with friend and musician Jason Manns, McKinney released his debut EP, the seven-song How Was I to Know, in July 2017.
© Mark Deming /TiVo