Michael Raymond-James

Michael Raymond-James is the American actor who portrays Neal Cassidy on ABC's Once Upon a Time.

Biography
Michael Weverstad, professionally known as Michael Raymond-James, was born on December 24, 1977 in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Clarkston High School in 1996, where he was a football and track standout. He started out doing theater and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York while paying his way through with odd jobs like waiting tables or building fences in Connecticut. Following several stage appearances in New York, Michael was invited to Los Angeles by a casting director where he met with several agents and executives to get a start on his career.

His feature film debut was the 2006 American drama Black Snake Moan as Gill Morton with big name stars Christina Ricci, Samuel Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Michael has built up his acting credits through guest stars on television like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Boston Legal, Medium, ER, Cold Case and Lie to Me. He took a starring role in 2010 FOX series Terriers as Britt Pollack, which was canceled shortly after its first season. He's well known for his portrayal of Cajun accented René Lenier on True Blood and made a notable two episode guest star on the second season of The Walking Dead as a smooth talking and menacing drifter named Dave.

Trivia

 * Has the word "Ohana", which is Hawaiian for family, tattooed over his heart.
 * Can play guitar.
 * Likes to bring his dog along during filming.