# Paul Teal
**Paul Joseph Teal** (July 18, 1989 – November 15, 2024) was an American film, television, and stage actor from [Wilmington, North Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/wilmington-north-carolina), best known for playing Josh Avery in the seventh season of the CW teen drama *One Tree Hill*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/) • [2](https://www.legacy.com/news/paul-teal-1989-2024-one-tree-hill-actor). He died at 35 after a seven-month battle with Stage 4 neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1989, Wilmington, North Carolina; November 15, 2024, Raleigh, North Carolina, at age 35[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/) |
| Cause of death | Stage 4 neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer, diagnosed April 2024[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death) |
| Signature role | Josh Avery in *One Tree Hill* season 7, a seven-episode arc that was his first television appearance[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/) |
| Television credits | *The Staircase*, *Outer Banks*, *George & Tammy*, *The Walking Dead: World Beyond*, *Dynasty*, *Good Behavior*, *Shots Fired*, *American Rust*[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/paul-teal) |
| Film credits | *Deep Water* (2022), *Fear Street: Part Two – 1978* (2021), *Descendants: The Rise of Red*, *USS Christmas*, *Lilly*[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/paul-teal) |
| Final screen role | Pastor Pete in the Starz series *The Hunting Wives*, released in 2025 after his death[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death) |
| Partner | Emilia Torello, his fiancée, who announced his death on Instagram[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death) |
## Life and training
Teal was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1989, the youngest of three children[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/) • [5](https://portcitydaily.com/arts-and-culture/2024/11/22/in-memoriam-actor-paul-teal-celebrated-by-family-friends-who-remember-his-light/). He graduated from John T. Hoggard [High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/high-school), where he sang in choirs and appeared in school productions; his first show, at age 14, was *Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/) • [5](https://portcitydaily.com/arts-and-culture/2024/11/22/in-memoriam-actor-paul-teal-celebrated-by-family-friends-who-remember-his-light/). In a 2011 interview he said he never went to college for acting: "Everything I know I learned in Wilmington"[2](https://www.legacy.com/news/paul-teal-1989-2024-one-tree-hill-actor).
__His formal training came in New York.__ He studied at the William Esper Studio in the two-year Meisner Program and at the T. Schreiber Studio's Spring Conservatory[6](https://www.harrellsfh.com/obituary/paul-teal/print). He said in interviews that it was only after relocating to New York City that he landed his breakthrough part on *One Tree Hill*, even though the show was filmed in his hometown[2](https://www.legacy.com/news/paul-teal-1989-2024-one-tree-hill-actor).
## Career
**Television.** Teal's screen debut came in 2010 as Josh Avery, a closeted actor appearing within a film-within-the-show storyline in season 7 of *One Tree Hill*, which ran on the WB and CW from 2003 to 2012. The role spanned seven episodes and, according to IMDb, was his first television appearance[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/) • [2](https://www.legacy.com/news/paul-teal-1989-2024-one-tree-hill-actor) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death). [Bethany Joy Lenz](https://www.edgepedia.org/bethany-joy-lenz), a star of the series, directed the episode in which she cast him and praised his "self-effacing sense of humor and willingness to dive fully into any character"[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death). He went on to appear in *Good Behavior*, *Shots Fired*, the *Dynasty* reboot, *Outer Banks*, *The Staircase*, *George & Tammy*, *The Walking Dead: World Beyond*, and *[American Rust](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-rust-tv-series)*, with recurring roles in *The Staircase* ([HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max)) and *Outer Banks* (Netflix)[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/paul-teal) • [7](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/paulteal).
**Film.** His film work included supporting roles in *Fear Street: Part Two – 1978* (2021), the 2022 [Ben Affleck](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-affleck) film *Deep Water*, Hallmark's *USS Christmas*, Disney's *Descendants: The Rise of Red*, and *Lilly*, directed by Rachel Feldman[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/paul-teal) • [7](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/paulteal).
**Theater.** Wilmington's theater community knew Teal as a fixture of the local stage. He performed with the Opera House Theatre Company, the Thalian Association Community Theatre, and the Techmoja Dance and Theater Company in productions including *Into the Woods*, *The Rocky Horror Picture Show*, *The Producers*, *Sweeney Todd*, *Rent*, and *The Notebook: The Musical*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/) • [2](https://www.legacy.com/news/paul-teal-1989-2024-one-tree-hill-actor) • [6](https://www.harrellsfh.com/obituary/paul-teal/print). In 2018 he won a Wilmington Theater Award as Best Supporting Actor for playing Sweaty Eddie in *Sister Act*, a role the director Justin Smith said he initially had to persuade Teal to take[5](https://portcitydaily.com/arts-and-culture/2024/11/22/in-memoriam-actor-paul-teal-celebrated-by-family-friends-who-remember-his-light/). His final stage role was Jack Kelly, the lead, in a 2022 production of *Newsies*; his fiancée Emilia Torello was in that cast, and their relationship began during rehearsals[2](https://www.legacy.com/news/paul-teal-1989-2024-one-tree-hill-actor) • [5](https://portcitydaily.com/arts-and-culture/2024/11/22/in-memoriam-actor-paul-teal-celebrated-by-family-friends-who-remember-his-light/).
**The Hunting Wives.** Teal filmed the [Starz](https://www.edgepedia.org/starz) series *The Hunting Wives*, playing Pastor Pete, during his cancer treatment; its 2025 release came after his death, and the finale carried a tribute to him[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death) • [8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/paul-teal/).
## Illness and death
Teal was diagnosed in April 2024 with Stage 4 neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer, a tumor arising from hormone-producing cells of the pancreas[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/). He and Torello moved back to North Carolina to be closer to family during his illness[5](https://portcitydaily.com/arts-and-culture/2024/11/22/in-memoriam-actor-paul-teal-celebrated-by-family-friends-who-remember-his-light/). He died on November 15, 2024, at age 35; his family said he was at Duke Hospital in his final days[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/) • [5](https://portcitydaily.com/arts-and-culture/2024/11/22/in-memoriam-actor-paul-teal-celebrated-by-family-friends-who-remember-his-light/).
His fiancée announced the death on Instagram on Sunday, November 17, writing that "the most thoughtful, inspiring, driven, self-disciplined, loving man passed away on Friday, November 15, 2024"[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death). His agent, Susan Tolar Walters of STW Talent Agency, with whom he had worked for more than 10 years, confirmed the cause of death to the Los Angeles Times[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death). Lenz, [Jana Kramer](https://www.edgepedia.org/jana-kramer), and others from *One Tree Hill* posted tributes; a memorial service was held November 22, 2024, at First Baptist Church in downtown Wilmington[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death) • [5](https://portcitydaily.com/arts-and-culture/2024/11/22/in-memoriam-actor-paul-teal-celebrated-by-family-friends-who-remember-his-light/).
Torello later founded PTPT Studio in Wilmington, which she describes as a "living love letter" to Teal, offering apprentice training with professional mentors in acting, directing, design, and production[9](https://www.encorepub.org/post/paul-teal-s-legacy-lives-miscast-cabaret-showcases-wilmington-talent-in-unexpected-roles).
## References
1. [Paul Teal – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3806295/bio/)
2. [Paul Teal (1989–2024), One Tree Hill actor, Legacy.com](https://www.legacy.com/news/paul-teal-1989-2024-one-tree-hill-actor)
3. ['One Tree Hill' actor Paul Teal died from neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer, agent says, Los Angeles Times (Nov. 20, 2024)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-20/one-tree-hill-actor-paul-teal-dead-cause-of-death)
4. [Paul Teal, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/paul-teal)
5. [In Memoriam: Actor Paul Teal celebrated by family, friends who remember his 'light', Port City Daily (Nov. 22, 2024)](https://portcitydaily.com/arts-and-culture/2024/11/22/in-memoriam-actor-paul-teal-celebrated-by-family-friends-who-remember-his-light/)
6. [Paul Joseph Teal (JoJo) Obituary, Harrell's Funeral Home](https://www.harrellsfh.com/obituary/paul-teal/print)
7. [Paul Teal Resume, Actors Access](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/paulteal)
8. [Paul Teal – Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/paul-teal/)
9. [Paul Teal's Legacy Lives: 'Miscast Cabaret' Showcases Wilmington Talent in Unexpected Roles, Encore](https://www.encorepub.org/post/paul-teal-s-legacy-lives-miscast-cabaret-showcases-wilmington-talent-in-unexpected-roles)
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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: 2000s onward › Surnames T*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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