Roy Johns is a versatile performer and educator whose career spans decades of stage, screen, and multidisciplinary arts. Raised in San Jose, Roy’s artistic journey began in his youth, transitioning from church choirs to his first theatrical production of Our Town at age twelve. By sixteen, he was already writing and performing original comedy, while simultaneously mastering the art of juggling—a skill that would become a cornerstone of his professional trajectory.

After moving to San Francisco, Roy refined his craft under the mentorship of Scott Beach (founding member of The Committee) and honed his performance skills through the demanding environment of street busking. His training continued in Los Angeles at the Ossetynski Actors Laboratory under Leonidas Dudarew Ossetynski. A pivotal moment in his career came through a week-long intensive with Richard Cieslak of Jerzy Grotowski’s “Poor Theatre,” which led to Roy being cast in Paul Verdier’s production of Tales for People Under 3 Years of Age. Working under the direct supervision of Eugene Ionesco, Roy earned a Dramalogue Award for his performance.

As a founding member of the physical theatre troupe The Mums, Roy toured internationally, blending storytelling with juggling, acrobatics, magic, and pantomime. His diverse credits include dancing alongside Gene Kelly in Xanadu and serving as a highwire consultant for Francis Ford Coppola’s One From the Heart (training Nastassja Kinski) and Mary Lambert’s Siesta (training Ellen Barkin). Other credits include playing the lead clown in LA Opera’s Pagliacci.

Recently, Roy has voiced Special Agent Murphy in the podcast The Order of Chaos with a K. Dedicated to the next generation of performers, he has taught circus and theatre skills at Marlborough School since 2017 and began teaching at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre in the fall of 2023.