A soap opera scoundrel who transitioned successfully to primetime drama, Eddie Cibrian first made a name for himself with daytime audiences on "The Young and the Restless" (CBS, 1973- ) and "Sunset Beach" (NBC, 1997-99). Cibrian channeled his classic leading man looks into roles as rakish, privileged playboys and working class heroes alike in a number of telefilms and series, including the acclaimed emergency drama "Third Watch" (NBC, 1999-2005).
Following a number of short-lived primetime outings, including the sci-fi series "Invasion" (ABC, 2005-06), Cibrian found a solid niche when he donned a badge and joined the cast of the top-rated drama "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 2002-12), in which his breezy confidence and commanding presence were welcomed.
Born on June 16, 1973, in Burbank, CA, Cibrian began acting at age 12, appearing in a number of television commercials. He put his hobby aside during his teens until college when, as an economics major at the UCLA, he returned to the lucrative commercial world to earn money. After a number of guest spots on "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" (NBC, 1993-94) and "Beverly Hills, 90210" (Fox, 1990-2000), Cibrian firmly shifted his focus to acting, landing on "The Young and the Restless" in 1994.
Dastardly Matt Clark was initially a limited role, but Cibrian's character proved so popular he became embroiled in a major storyline as a rapist. He stuck around on the long-running serial until 1996 when he moved to nighttime television on the syndicated spin-off, "Baywatch Nights" (1995-97), starring alongside Angie Harmon and David Hasselhoff as a photographer who helps solve crimes in this slightly edgier and more clothed version of the beach-set crime drama.
When Ashley Hamilton walked away from the role of Cole Deschanel on NBC's relatively short-lived daytime drama "Sunset Beach" (NBC, 1997-99) in 1997, Cibrian took over the character, thanks in part to championing efforts by his former co-star Hasselhoff. On "Sunset Beach," the textbook tall, dark, and handsome actor was able to play what he described as the "daytime version of James Bond," starring as a married rogue who surrounds himself with money, women and fast cars. The requisite paternity mysteries and kidnapping dramas were represented, and Cibrian managed to make this largely despicable character quite charming.
In addition to winning more than a few loyal fans, he was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award. Meanwhile, Cibrian made his feature film debut with a bit part as the erotic masseur hired to work on a fed-up divorcee (Holly Hunter) in the comedy, "Living Out Loud" (1998).
He next took a leading role as the titular vigilante in the Chuck Norris-produced actioner "Logan's War: Bound By Honor" (CBS, 1998), before he was cast as a series regular on NBC's emergency drama, "Third Watch," a fast-paced, hard-hitting look at the people who handle New York City's midnight emergencies. The refreshing show quickly earned a following, and California boy Cibrian stood out as a convincing and compelling FDNY hero, displaying all the upstanding morality his soap characters had lacked.
Riding high on the popularity of "Third Watch," Cibrian was cast in a few more films, starring in the campy comedy "But I'm a Cheerleader" (2000) and portraying Joseph (of the coat of many colors) in the NBC biblical miniseries, "In the Beginning" (2000). When "Third Watch" had run its course by 2005, the popular primetime actor was snapped up to star in "Tilt" (2005), ESPN's attempt to further profit off America's unrelenting poker craze.
"Tilt" lasted only a few episodes, but Cibrian's next outing, "Invasion" (ABC, 2005-06), a supernatural drama set in a small Florida town beset by a hurricane that may have a connection to extraterrestrials, hung in for a full 22 episodes. Taking another stab at feature films, Cibrian starred in the sci-fi horror thriller, "The Cave" (2005), playing an explorer who discovers a new species of unique and unwelcoming beings in an elaborate cave system beneath the ruins of a 13th century Romanian abbey.
Mid-way through the first (and only) season of the Fox series "Vanished" (Fox, 2006), Cibrian joined the cast as an FBI agent investigating the mysterious disappearance of a senator's wife.
Over the next few years, Cibrian held down a pair of recurring primetime roles, playing Coach Diaz on "Ugly Betty" (ABC, 2006-10), and a detective on the USA Network series, "The Starter Wife" (USA, 2008). He found a more stable landing pad when he joined the cast of the top-rated procedural drama, "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 2002-12) in 2009, as a former LAPD officer who returns to his Miami-Dade roots to take the place of Outgoing expert Eric Delko (Adam Rodríguez).
Having proven a good fit in his run of law enforcement roles, Cibrian was cast as a police officer in a small Alaskan town in "Northern Lights" (Lifetime, 2009), based on the novel by Nora Roberts. The standard cable romance earned more than the expected attention, however, when Cibrian and his leading lady, country music star, LeAnn Rimes, were rumored to be having an on-set extramarital affair. Eventually, when the star's respective spouses filed for divorces, the covert couple came clean.
