John was born on May 16th 1969 in Manchester, England to James and Anna McConnach. The family emigrated to Canada in 1976. the family lived in Toronto for one year and then moved to Mississauga. John went to Applewood Heights secondary school. He played football and entered all the talent shows with his band, Jamming with Wayne. The band reformed in 2001 and played at the legendary Horseshoe tavern before deciding to go their separate ways. it was during high school that John discovered he loved to perform. He took five years of drama classes but never acted in any of the school plays. After high school he got an agent and started out doing extra work. Not having much success in Toronto, John decided to try his luck in Vancouver and moved there in 1993. While auditioning for a childrens' play he met Jim Sheasgreen who happened to be an agent. Jim took him under his wing and within three months John landed his first professional acting role on the X-files.