Especially to younger viewers, screen heartthrob Dean McDermott is probably best known for his portrayal of "himself" on the Oxygen Channel reality series Tori & Dean: Inn Love. That program bore witness to the adventures of McDermott and real-life wife Tori Spelling (90210 vet and the daughter of the late megamogul Aaron Spelling) as the pair opened and ran a B & B in sunny Southern California and awaited the arrival of a new baby. Fans may not realize that prior to this, McDermott's ... acting resum?? extends back into the late '90s.

At first, the Toronto-born actor maintained a low profile in mostly forgettable programmers, such as the Canadian sports drama Rookies (1989) and the Mr. T movie Straight Line (1988). He then landed a recurring role on the popular Alliance Atlantis satirical comedy Due South, as Const. Renfield Turnbull.

After roles in the telemovies Jack Reed: Death and Vengeance (1996) and Brian's Song (2001), McDermott took a few steps up -- and then some -- with his enlistment in the cast of the glorious Kevin Costner Western Open Range (2003), as Doc Barlow. McDermott, however, culled a whole new legion of fans with the Tori & Dean series.