That’s right, it’s time for another round of one of our favorite recurring articles, the ‘90s Teen Dreamboat. In the past we’ve focused on Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Devon Sawa, and Erik von Detten (click their names to view those posts), but today we’re all about another hottie: Andrew Keegan. While JTT and Devon Sawa were the stars of many a teeny bopper magazine cover, Andrew was almost always alongside them somewhere on that cover. If you wanted someone a little different and not quite so blonde-haired and blue-eyed, Andrew was there for you.
He got his big break in the film Camp Nowhere, which co-starred Jonathan Jackson and Christopher Lloyd, and featured Jessica Alba in her first role. Apparently, Andrew had a crush on Alba during filming, and they developed a lasting friendship, though he wouldn’t necessarily divulge if it was ever more than a friendship. Today, he has a daughter with partner Arista Ilona — apparently his daughter has now seen Camp Nowhere and loves to tell people that her dad is the one flushing people’s heads down toilets.
What you might not know about Andrew was that in 2014 he led a spiritual community center in Venice, California called Full Circle. Though some people called it sort of a cult, he maintains that it was about promoting organic experiences within their temple, including hand-holding, group meditation, spooning, crystals, candles and “soul medicine.” The center closed in 2017, and he has now started to get back into acting, including a guest starring role in the second season of Netflix’s Trinkets.
His plan is to get back into more acting after COVID ends, but in the meantime, you can find him on Instagram. Before you go into an instagram deep dive, let’s take a look back at some of Andrew’s most memorable roles…
Camp Nowhere (1994)
One of Andrew’s first roles was in Camp Nowhere, a movie about a group of kids who create a fake summer camp in order to do what they want all summer rather than go to the summer camps their parents have chosen for them. Andrew plays Zack, a rebel/slacker type prone to wearing leather jackets, whose father wanted to send him to a military-style boot camp for the summer. If you haven’t seen this movie, what are you waiting for? It’s a classic, and features Christopher Lloyd as the main adult character in the film as a former drama teacher who helps the kids with their ruse.
Party of Five (1997-1998)
Man, Party of Five was definitely one of my jams in the ‘90s! Andrew joined the cast for a recurring character arc in season four as a football player that Claudia had a crush on. They hang out for multiple episodes, where Claudia’s love for him grows, and his… does not. Eventually he has to let her down gently, and that’s the last we see of him.
7th Heaven (1997-2004)
On 7th Heaven, Andrew Keegan played Wilson West, a character that recurred on the show all the way from season 1 through season 9. He was one of Mary’s first boyfriends, who just also happened to be a teenage father. Well, not only that, the mother of his child died in childbirth, so he’s a widowed teenage father. Yowza. The two get serious together later in the series, and even almost end up getting married, but, spoiler alert, they don’t end up together. Fare thee well, Wilson.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Of course, 10 Things I Hate About You features Andrew in probably his most memorable role as the school bully / idiot Joey. Bianca, played by Larissa Oleynik, has her eyes set on going out with him and upping her school cred, but eventually comes to realize he’s a jerk and punches him at the school dance. Classic.
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000)
Written and directed by Greg Berlanti, The Broken Hearts Club was about a group of gay friends in West Hollywood who were part of a restaurant’s softball team. The film was based on Berlanti’s circle of friends at the time, and was about the search for love, dealing with loss, and discovering themselves. Keegan played Kevin, a new member of the group whose attempts to fit in put all of their friendships to the test.
O (2001)
In a modern adaptation of a Shakespeare classic, O was a take on Othello, starring Julia Stiles, Mekhi Phifer, Justin Hartnett, and, of course, Keegan. Keegan stated that his all-time favorite Shakespearean character was actually the one he played in this film — Cassio (named Michael in the movie update) — and that getting to play him was a sheer pleasure.
Were (are) you an Andrew Keegan fan? What was your favorite TV show or movie that he starred in? Let us know in the comments!
- Andrew’s mother is from Colombia, and he speaks fluent Spanish.
- In 2005, he competed in the Boost Mobile Pro and Malibu Rip Curl celebrity surf competitions, and ended up winning both.
- Andrew was engaged to Leann Rimes in 2001, but they called it off after a few months.
- Andrew had a bit part in Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day as “Older Boy.” Very descriptive name! He was the guy who kissed the daughter of Randy Quaid’s character.
- He had many quick guest stints on TV shows throughout the years, including on Full House, Baywatch, Step by Step, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World, Moesha, and House, to name but a few.
- Andrew’s mother is from Colombia, and he speaks fluent Spanish.
- In 2005, he competed in the Boost Mobile Pro and Malibu Rip Curl celebrity surf competitions, and ended up winning both.
- Andrew was engaged to Leann Rimes in 2001, but they called it off after a few months.
- Andrew had a bit part in Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day as “Older Boy.” Very descriptive name! He was the guy who kissed the daughter of Randy Quaid’s character.
- He had many quick guest stints on TV shows throughout the years, including on Full House, Baywatch, Step by Step, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World, Moesha, and House, to name but a few.
