# Andrew Keegan
**Andrew Keegan** (full name Andrew Keegan Heying; born 1979) is an American actor known for teen roles in late-1990s film and television, including Joey Donner in *10 Things I Hate About You* (1999), Wilson West on *7th Heaven*, and Reed Isley on *Party of Five*, and later for co-founding the [Full Circle](https://www.edgepedia.org/full-circle) spiritual community in [Venice, Los Angeles](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-los-angeles).[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) • [2](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/andrew-keegan-an30365)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979, in Los Angeles, California; full name Andrew Keegan Heying[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) |
| Signature film role | Joey Donner, the antagonist to Heath Ledger's character, in *10 Things I Hate About You* (1999)[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/) |
| Television series | Jack Kelly on *Thunder Alley* (ABC, 1994–95), Reed Isley on *Party of Five* (Fox, 1997–98), Wilson West on *7th Heaven* (The WB, 1997–2004)[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) |
| Other films | Zack Dell in *Camp Nowhere* (1994), Kevin in *The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy* (2000), Michael Casio in *O* (2001)[4](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/262767-Andrew-Keegan) |
| Full Circle | Co-founded a spiritual community in a former Hare Krishna temple in Venice in 2014; almost 1,000 events in three years, funded largely by him[5](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/andrew-keegan-cult-leader-full-circle-1235908156/) |
| Awards | 1995 Young Artist Award nomination; 2017 Festival Prize for Best Actor; 2023 Festival Prize and 2024 Mindfield Film Festival Albuquerque awards for Best Ensemble[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/andrew-keegan/bio/3030012043/) |
## Early life and background
Keegan was born in 1979 in Los Angeles, the son of Larry Heying, a voice actor, and Lana Heying, a hairdresser; his brother Casey Keegan is also an actor.[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) The Library of Congress authority record for him carries the heading "Keegan, Andrew, 1979-" as an actor born 1979.[7](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no99074344.html) His entry into performance came through child modeling and commercials: he appeared in a print advertisement for Gerber baby food and, in 1994, a television commercial for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, and he began doing commercials at age 4.[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) • [8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/inside-90s-heartthrob-turned-spiritual-guide-andrew-keegans/story?id=30709497)
Reference sources differ on his exact birthplace: Encyclopedia.com gives Los Angeles, while IMDb's biographical text says Shadow Hills, California, though IMDb's own vital-statistics line says Los Angeles.[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/)
## Television career
Keegan played Jack Kelly on the ABC sitcom *Thunder Alley* (1994–95), which brought him a 1995 [Young Artist Award](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-artist-award) nomination for best performance by a young actor in a television comedy series.[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) In the late 1990s he held recurring roles on two network dramas: Reed Isley on Fox's *Party of Five* (1997–98) and Wilson West on The WB's *7th Heaven* (1997–2004).[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) On *7th Heaven* he played a single teenaged father in love with [Jessica Biel](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-biel)'s character Mary, on what IMDb describes as the WB's longest-running hit series.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/) Disney's D23 archive also credits him as Luke in *Freaky Friday*.[9](https://d23.com/a-to-z/keegan-andrew/)
## Film work and 10 Things I Hate About You
His first big screen role was the teen rebel Zack Dell in *Camp Nowhere* (1994), the performance for which he was first recognized.[8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/inside-90s-heartthrob-turned-spiritual-guide-andrew-keegans/story?id=30709497) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/) While still in high school, [Roland Emmerich](https://www.edgepedia.org/roland-emmerich) cast him in the blockbuster *[Independence Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/independence-day-1996-film)* (1996).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/)
**Joey Donner.** In *10 Things I Hate About You* (1999) Keegan played Joey Donner, the antagonist to [Heath Ledger](https://www.edgepedia.org/heath-ledger)'s character, a performance IMDb calls hilarious.[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/) The role earned him a 1999 Teen Choice Award nomination in the Film – Choice Sleazebag category.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/andrew-keegan/bio/3030012043/)
He followed it with Kevin in *The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy* (2000), a film that won best picture that year at the GLAAD Awards, and Michael Casio in *O* (2001), in which he played [Mekhi Phifer](https://www.edgepedia.org/mekhi-phifer)'s best friend in a performance IMDb describes as solidly dramatic.[4](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/262767-Andrew-Keegan) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/) [AllMovie](https://www.edgepedia.org/allmovie) summarizes his screen identity as the combination of these television and film roles: *Party of Five*, *7th Heaven*, *10 Things I Hate About You*, *The Broken Hearts Club*, and *O*.[2](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/andrew-keegan-an30365)
## Later acting career
After his role on *7th Heaven* ended in 2004, his acting career slowed, and he moved to Venice Beach.[8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/inside-90s-heartthrob-turned-spiritual-guide-andrew-keegans/story?id=30709497) He made his theatrical stage debut in 2009 in the play *He Asked For It*, playing Rigby, a character who is HIV-positive.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/) His later screen work includes the drug-smuggling pilot Strayger in *Kill Speed* (2010) and the vampire Blake in *Living Among Us* (2018).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/) Festival recognition continued into the 2020s: a 2015 Festival Award nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy Short, a 2017 Festival Prize win for Best Actor, a 2023 Festival Prize win for Best Ensemble, and a 2024 Mindfield Film Festival Albuquerque Award for Best Ensemble Cast, which he won.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/andrew-keegan/bio/3030012043/)
## FullCircle and ventures beyond acting
In 2014 Keegan co-founded Full Circle, described in his own words as "an open source spiritual community," with friends in a former Hare Krishna temple in Venice that had been sitting empty; he ran it from 2014 to 2017 and was its chief funder, putting in tens of thousands of dollars and describing himself as running it like a start-up.[5](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/andrew-keegan-cult-leader-full-circle-1235908156/) • [8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/inside-90s-heartthrob-turned-spiritual-guide-andrew-keegans/story?id=30709497) The community hosted almost 1,000 events in three years, which he described as "actually really hard."[5](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/andrew-keegan-cult-leader-full-circle-1235908156/)
**The 'cult' label.** Keegan said rumors that the group was a cult began after a 2014 Vice story titled "One of the Stars of 10 Things I Hate About You Started a Religion." Keegan rejected the label, saying there was no doctrine and that the group used *The Co-Creator's Handbook*; in a 2024 iHeart podcast interview he described Full Circle as "a really cool community center for a bunch of people in Venice for a few years."[5](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/andrew-keegan-cult-leader-full-circle-1235908156/) His turn toward spiritual practice followed his time on *7th Heaven*: he became involved in [Human Design](https://www.edgepedia.org/human-design), which he described as a combination of astrology, numerology, the [I Ching](https://www.edgepedia.org/i-ching), and chakras.[8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/inside-90s-heartthrob-turned-spiritual-guide-andrew-keegans/story?id=30709497)
He has also worked behind the camera as a producer on *The Contract* (1999), *Pandora* (2002), and *A Christmas Too Many* (2005).[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979)
## By the numbers
- Almost 1,000 Full Circle events in three years (2014–2017), with Keegan contributing tens of thousands of dollars.[5](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/andrew-keegan-cult-leader-full-circle-1235908156/)
- Three recurring television roles spanning a decade: *Thunder Alley* (1994–95), *Party of Five* (1997–98), and *7th Heaven* (1997–2004).[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979)
- Six award recognitions listed by [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide): one 1995 nomination, one 1999 nomination, one 2015 nomination, and three wins (2017, 2023, 2024).[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/andrew-keegan/bio/3030012043/)
## Personal life
He was engaged to singer [LeAnn Rimes](https://www.edgepedia.org/leann-rimes) in 2001, and the couple split after a few months; ABC News's 2015 profile places the breakup around his move to Venice Beach.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/) • [8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/inside-90s-heartthrob-turned-spiritual-guide-andrew-keegans/story?id=30709497) He has a daughter named Aiya Rose.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/)
In September 2015 he sued Examiner and its parent company Anschutz Entertainment for defamation over a story claiming he had been arrested for selling alcoholic kombucha without a permit; he said he was not at Full Circle at the time, and the case was later dismissed.[5](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/andrew-keegan-cult-leader-full-circle-1235908156/)
## References
1. [Keegan, Andrew 1979- , Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/keegan-andrew-1979)
2. [Andrew Keegan, AllMovie](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/andrew-keegan-an30365)
3. [Andrew Keegan, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005080/)
4. [Andrew Keegan, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/262767-Andrew-Keegan)
5. [Andrew Keegan on Rumors That He's a Cult Leader, Talks Full Circle, Variety (2024)](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/andrew-keegan-cult-leader-full-circle-1235908156/)
6. [Andrew Keegan Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/andrew-keegan/bio/3030012043/)
7. [Keegan, Andrew, 1979- , Library of Congress authority record](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no99074344.html)
8. [Inside '90s Heartthrob-Turned-Spiritual Guide Andrew Keegan's 'Full Circle', ABC News (2015)](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/inside-90s-heartthrob-turned-spiritual-guide-andrew-keegans/story?id=30709497)
9. [Keegan, Andrew, D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/keegan-andrew/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames I to Kh*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license