Hollywood likes Sebring's Creagen Dow

By RIC LILJENBERG

News-Sun

KISSIMMEE -- Sebring-born Creagen Dow may give his friends back home the chance to use that old expression, "I knew him when --"

Dow is 12 years old now, lives in Celebration with his parents, Lawrence and Katy Dow, and just returned from Hollywood, Calif. where he is doing rather well these days, thank you.

Back in Sebring, his friends knew him as the lead in Highlands Little Theater's production of "Rumplestiltskin."

Out there in Hollywood this summer, Dow made a couple of TV shows that should be shown nationwide this fall -- "Summer School" and "Diddle Daddle."

While he was in California, Dow went to Long Beach where he participated in Spy Fest, Aug. 9-10, a convention held on the Queen Mary cruise ship for spy enthusiasts.

It's been a busy summer for the youngster who's back home in Celebration for a while so he can continue his home school education. But while he was out west, he was part of the children's acting forum where he met other children, signed autographs along with his fellow CelebrityKidz colleagues -- Steven Anthony Lawrence who played "Beans" on "Even Steven," Austin Majors from "NYPD Blue," Bobby Edner from Spy Kids 3D, and Noah Poletiek from Holes, among them.

How's that for some name-dropping?

His mother said that the trip was not "all business." Her son spent a day "hanging around backstage" with the cast and crew of Nickelodeon's All That, attended the unveiling of Kevin Costner's "star" on the Walk of Fame, and was invited by Shia LaBeouf from Even Steven to the premiere party for the Battle of Shaker Heights.

"The party was the highlight of Creagen's trip since he was able to meet and talk many celebrities including some of the cast from the American Pie/American Wedding series, David Krumholtz of The Santa Clause and The Mexican, and Ben Affleck, creator of Project Greenlight," Katy Dow said. Candidly, Creagen Dow has not yet reached household word status, but he already possesses an impressive resume. He's landed lead roles in local movies that included From the Ashes, Killer Deal, and Little Men.

His theater credits include the New York Acting Ensemble, Courtyard Playhouse, Mr. Rick Productions, and Pop Shop.

He's on compact disk and in videos, he's done some modeling, and his list of trainers and coaches includes the Young Actor's Institute and the Children's Academy of Theater.

So far his dialects include British, Scottish, and Redneck.

When he's not studying a script or working on his school studies, Dow enjoys skateboarding, skating, ice hockey, bicycle tricks, basketball, football, soccer, golf, martial arts, swimming, mini bikes, jet ski, water skiing and wake boogie boarding, snow boarding, boat towables, rock wall climbing, arcade games, video games, and facial expressions.

"Hey," he said, "My life's pretty normal like any other actor."

He lived in Sebring until he was 10 years old, and attended Faith Lutheran School and Woodlawn Elementary School.

"I miss my friends there," he said. "I really enjoyed my friends while I lived there."

Back home in Celebration and talking about acting, Dow said, "You can meet so many people, and like, the way you like to be, you can let yourself out through acting. I just think it's a lot of fun."

And on how to become an actor, Dow offered, "You need a good coach, and then practice and practice and practice."

It also probably helps that he has two agents in Orlando and one our there in California.

His Web site is http://www.creagendow.com.