Judson Mills

The Farmer Who Landed on Television

Judson Mills grew up on a Virginia farm surrounded by horses and mud. He had no interest in fame, but theater crossed his path while he was studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. There he realized that his tough-guy look could be a professional asset if he learned to control it.

It was a matter of instinct.

In 1991, he landed the role of Hutch Hutchinson on As the World Turns. That experience lasted three years and taught him the frantic pace of daytime television. But Mills wanted more than a steady paycheck on a closed soundstage in Manhattan.

She left the comfort of soap operas to chase more intense roles. At the time, the market was looking for athletic actors who could really act, and he fit that mold perfectly. His training in martial arts became his best calling card at casting calls in Los Angeles.

Taking Over the Roundhouse Kicks

His big break came in 1999 with Walker, Texas Ranger. He stepped in to fill the void left by Noble Willingham and had to win over an audience that didn't want the formula changed. His character, Francis Gage, revitalized the show during its final two seasons on the air.

Working alongside Chuck Norris required a level of physical demands that Mills already knew well. He had practiced taekwondo since he was young, which allowed him to perform his own action scenes without relying on stunt doubles all the time. And audiences welcomed the new recruit without much complaint.

The contract ended in 2001.

After the series wrapped in 2001, he tried his luck in mainstream film with mixed results. He appeared in Major League: Back to the Minors and had a brief role in the production Gods and Monsters. But the industry quickly typecast him as a police officer or military type.

Top-Notch Supporting Roles and a Haven for Genre Films

In 2005, he returned to his most famous role for the TV movie Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire. It was a bittersweet reunion, since the storyline was left open and the follow-up the network had originally planned was never filmed. Mills went back to playing episodic roles in major primetime productions.

He appeared in The Mentalist, Bones, and Saving Grace, proving he could thrive outside the big action franchises. In 2018 he joined the second season of Westworld, playing a sheriff's deputy in the theme park. That California shoot confirmed his face still worked in big-budget science fiction.

He still lives in Los Angeles.

Mills currently balances his acting career with teaching fighting techniques and self-defense. In 2023, he took part in the shoot of the independent short film Spiked, directed by C. David Silva. The production had a budget of less than 50,000 dollars.