John Hoogenakker is an American actor who has worked on stage, in movies, and in TV commercials. He was born and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. He did his first commercial for Pepsi/NASCAR when he was a child.
He went to South Mecklenburg High School and was involved in choir, children’s theatre, JROTC, and the debate team. He studied acting at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago and graduated in 1999.
In his career, he has been part of various plays in Chicago and Milwaukee. He played different roles in Shakespeare plays like Antony and Cleopatra, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Hamlet. He also acted in TV shows like Chicago Fire, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Castle Rock, and Dopesick.
Hoogenakker’s first TV role was in the series ER, and he later appeared in shows like Boss, Chicago Fire, and Colony. He also had roles in movies like Flags of Our Fathers, Public Enemies, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, At Any Price, and Animals.
In 2017, he became well-known as the Bud Light King in the “Dilly Dilly” commercials. These commercials became popular during Super Bowls and other major sports events.
In 2018, he got a recurring role in the TV series Colony and joined Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon. In 2019, he played Carl Wilkes in season 2 of Castle Rock.
In 2021, he became part of the main cast in the Hulu mini-series Dopesick, where he portrayed Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Ramseyer. He also appeared in a short film called I Can Change and starred in a TV commercial for the Chevy Silverado.
He is married and has two children.