Brandon Flynn

Brandon Paul Flynn (born October 11, 1993)^[1] is an American actor, best known for his role as Justin Foley in the series 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020). His work in film and television includes the series Manhunt (2024), Ratched (2020),^[2] and True Detective (2019), and the films The Parenting (2025) and Hellraiser (2022).

Brandon Flynn
Born	Brandon Paul Flynn (1993-10-11) October 11, 1993 (age 31) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Education	Rutgers University, New Brunswick (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2016–present
Known for	13 Reasons Why
Spouse	Jordan Tannahill ​ (m. 2024)​

Early life

Flynn was born and raised in Miami, Florida,^[3] where he attended high school at New World School of the Arts.^[2] He graduated from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, and studied at the Globe Theatre's Shakespeare Conservatory in London.^[4] Flynn's first role was at the age of ten, playing Mr. Smee in a musical version of Peter Pan.^[5]

Career

Film and television

In 2016, Flynn was cast as Mike the Intern in BrainDead. In February 2018, he joined the third season of True Detective as Ryan Peters in a recurring capacity.^[6]

From 2017 to 2020, Flynn portrayed Justin Foley in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.^[7] Foley, one of the lead characters through all four seasons, is a troubled yet ultimately redemptive character who starts as a popular high school jock with a traumatic home life and spirals into homelessness, addiction, and sex work. He served as the secondary antagonist of the series' first season, and one of its protagonists in the second, third and fourth season.^[8]

In 2020, Flynn made his feature film acting debut in the dark indie comedy Looks That Kill, starring as a high school student whose physical appearance causes the death of anyone who looks at him.^[9] In the same year, he had a recurring role as Henry Osgood in the 2020 television series Ratched, a quadruple amputee and sadist who lives locked in his home with his mother, Lenore Osgood.^[10] He has starred in a number of other television series and films, including Manhunt (2024) and The Parenting (2025).

Theater

Flynn's New York theater debut was in the role of Luke in the off-Broadway production of John Kander and Greg Pierce's musical Kid Victory at the Vineyard Theatre, in 2017.^[11] In 2025, he returned to the stage to play a young Marlon Brando in the off-Broadway premiere of Gregg Ostrin's play Kowalski at the Duke on 42nd Street.^[12]

Other

Flynn has starred in multiple Calvin Klein campaigns, including the brand's 2023 Pride campaign, the 2023 holiday campaign, and the Spring 2024 menswear campaign.^[13]

Personal life

Flynn is gay. With 13 Reasons Why, Flynn was among the first openly gay actors to play a significant role in a major Netflix original series, and in 2018 received the Queerty Award in the "Closet Door Bustdown" category, which honors individuals who have made significant strides in LGBTQ+ visibility and representation.^[14] Flynn married his husband, Jordan Tannahill, in October 2024.^[15] Flynn is Jewish.^[16][17][18]

Filmography

Films

Brandon Flynn film performances

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2020	Looks That Kill	Max Richards		[9]
2022	Hellraiser	Matt McKendry		[19]
2023	The Senior	Micah		[20][21]
2025	The Parenting	Josh

Television

Brandon Flynn television performances

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2016	BrainDead	Mike the Intern	Guest
2019	True Detective	Ryan Peters	Recurring	[6]
2017–2020	13 Reasons Why	Justin Foley	Lead
2020	Ratched	Henry Osgood	Recurring
2024	Manhunt	Edwin Stanton Jr.	Supporting

Voice work

Brandon Flynn voice work performances

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2023	Girls Like Girls	Trenton		[22]

Music videos

Brandon Flynn music video performances

Year	Title	Role	Performer(s)	Ref.
2018	"Lockjaw"	—	Cook Thugless (feat. Shyrley)