Jonathan Tanigaki was born in New Jersey outside of New York City, the son of a Japanese father and Taiwanese mother. Recognizing his boundless energy, his sister signed him up for a high school musical his freshman year. He immediately fell in love with acting. In his senior year of high school, Jonathan was nominated as a Rising Star at the renowned Paper Mill Playhouse for his performance in Spamalot. After graduating high school, Jonathan enrolled in the American Musical & Dramatic Academy, where he developed his skills in acting, singing, and dancing. Since moving to LA, Jonathan has been the lead in 3 Oscar-qualifying shorts: Nisei, Infinity!, and The Lights Above. He also won best supporting actor for Enemy No More at the Vegas Movie Awards, Indie Film Fest, & Indiex Fest. You can see Jonathan in NCIS: Hawaii, S.W.A.T., Call of Duty, Wolverine, and Hulu's Paradise. You may also recognize Jonathan for his portrayal of Shikamaru Nara in Re:Anime's Naruto: Climbing Silver or for his involvement in over a dozen projects pertaining to WWII and the Japanese internment camps.