John Mossman was raised in Baraboo, Wisconsin, a town known for its unique geology and being the birthplace of the Ringling Brothers Circus. It was there that he got his first training as a performer, leading to a career as an actor cast in roles noted for being both physically and emotionally demanding. As a filmmaker he has written and directed numerous award-winning films including the acclaimed indie features “Into The Wake” and “Good Guy With A Gun”, his work earning best-of fests worldwide and screenings at LA’s DGA, Chinese, and Egyptian theaters. Also a documentarian, he received Telly and Voice awards for his groundbreaking work with teens struggling with mental illness. He is co-founder of Chicago’s Artistic Home Theater and Actor Training Center, where he has received acclaim as an actor and director and received Jeff Awards for his adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky’s The Goddess, the first ever stage adaptation of a Chayefsky screenplay, as well as his direction of Requiem For a Heavyweight and was named a Director of the Year by WBEZ. He has appeared in film and television and on stages across the country, including Steppenwolf Theater, and Actor’s Theater of Louisville. He has taught at Second City, in Dublin, and in Thailand where he was co-creator of a healing ritual performance in Hell’s Pass for those who died on the death railway.
He is the founder of South Side Filmmaking Youth Initiative, a film mentorship program that for 18 years has mentored south side Chicago high school students as they take a story from script to screen, garnering the young filmmakers countless worldwide screenings, life skills, and two national Emmy Awards. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he worked with the storied Ark Improv Theater and received degrees in Theater and Film.