Connor Storrie Biography
Connor Storrie is an American actor and director who became a household name in 2025 thanks to his starring role as hockey player Ilya Rozanov in the series "Heated Rivalry."
Childhood and Family
Connor was born on February 22, 2000, in Odessa, Texas. His father worked in the mortgage business, handling land deals for oil companies. His mom also started out in mortgages but later transitioned to working in facility management for people with dementia. Both parents were former bodybuilders who instilled in Connor a love for sports.The family moved around frequently, which taught young Connor to adapt quickly to new environments. From an early age, he was captivated by acting. He'd later recall that becoming an actor was one of his first conscious goals.
One of the most interesting chapters of his education was spending a year at a Catholic private school in France during his freshman year of high school. There, he picked up French, sparking a fascination with foreign languages that would stick with him. Storrie later admitted he loves writing monologues, running them through online translators, and memorizing them in different languages—a creative exercise that would eventually play a significant role in his career.
Acting Career
Connor's journey kicked off in 2018 with small roles in short films like "Ridester Professionals," "Watch and Guide," and other independent projects that gave him valuable on-camera experience.In 2023, Storrie landed the role of Liam Hauser in the drama "Riley," a story about a high school athlete grappling with internal conflicts around his own identity. The film, directed by Benjamin Howard, screened at several film festivals and earned positive reviews.
Tiny but memorable—that describes Storrie's part in 2024's "Joker: Folie à Deux." Connor played a young Arkham Asylum inmate who, in the finale, kills Arthur Fleck and carves a smile into his own face, hinting that he might be the real Joker.
This role came wrapped in extreme secrecy. Storrie had to keep quiet for almost two years. When the film finally dropped and sparked mixed reactions from audiences, Connor defended director Todd Phillips, saying he prefers controversial stories to boring, "safe" ones. He emphasized that making such a bold choice takes real courage, especially given the Joker's massive fanbase.
Landing this role seemed like a long shot. When Connor saw the character description ("close to two meters tall, native Russian speaker, hockey player"), he figured it wasn't for him. Plus, after checking out fan art from the book, he discovered readers imagined Ilya as a massive guy with brown eyes and stubble. Still, he decided to give it a shot.
At the audition, Connor made a bold move—he took off his shirt and performed the entire test bare-chested. His logic was simple: "There are lots of intimate scenes in this show, so they need to see how actors look without their clothes on." The daring gambit worked. The deciding factor was that Connor and Hudson Williams, who played Shane, Ilya's rival, had undeniable on-screen chemistry.
Storrie dedicated himself to studying Russian for four hours a day over three weeks before filming, working with a dialect coach. But honestly, he loved every minute of it. The actor had always thought Russian language and culture were incredibly cool:
Physical preparation was equally crucial. Connor had to bulk up and learn to move like a professional hockey player.Connor StorrieIt's so different from American culture that it feels exotic and distant. The opportunity to play someone who's as far from myself as possible – I find that really enlightening. Plus, it's just fun to put on that kind of persona. It lets you discover something new about yourself and the world.
Interestingly, just before landing the role, Connor was on the verge of getting fired from his waiter job at Laurel Grill in Culver City. He'd made a few mistakes, and his boss gave him a final warning. Literally minutes after that conversation, his agent called with the news that he'd booked "Heated Rivalry." "I worked a few more shifts, then said, 'See ya!'" the actor recalled with a smile.
From its very first episodes, "Heated Rivalry" instantly became an internet sensation. The series broke all viewership records on Crave and became the most popular acquired non-animated series on HBO Max since the platform's launch. Critics and audiences unanimously praised Connor and Hudson's performances, their chemistry, and the project's boldness.
Russian-speaking audiences praised his command of the language pretty highly, despite a slight accent. Viewers were especially blown away by the scene where he delivers a monologue dripping with existential bitterness in Russian during a phone call with Hollander!
Beyond his acting career, Connor Storrie is actively developing as a director. He's written and directed several short films, and in 2025 completed work on his first feature-length directorial debut.
Connor Storrie's Personal Life
Connor Storrie keeps his personal life under wraps. He doesn't share details about romantic relationships and prefers to keep conversations about his work separate from discussions of his private life.After "Red, White & Royal Blue" dropped and fans noticed the incredible chemistry between him and Hudson Williams, internet speculation about both actors' personal lives kicked into high gear. Neither Connor nor Hudson have commented on the chatter, and series creator Jacob Tierney made it crystal clear that the actors' personal lives have nothing to do with their work—and that Canadian law actually prohibits asking those kinds of questions during hiring anyway.
He's admitted that down the line, he'd love to play some kind of supervillain—preferably bald, with wild makeup, like Christian Bale's character in "Thor".
Connor Storrie Now
In December 2025, "Red, White & Royal Blue" got renewed for a second season. The next season will also adapt a Rachel Reid novel—"The Long Game".Beyond "Red, White & Royal Blue", Storrie's been working on other projects. He shot his debut feature film on an iPhone, no less.
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