Desmond Harrington was born on October 19, 1976 in Savannah, Georgia and is an American actor, who gained fame through movies like The Hole and Ghost Ship.

When Harrington was three years old, his family moved from Savannah to The Bronx, New York, where he attended Catholic schools. He graduated from Fordham Preparatory School, a Jesuit high school. As a hyperactive student, he caused problems at school and away. After high school, he attended Manhattan College, but was thrown out after only six weeks. Desmond had dreamed of becoming an actor and horrified his parents by trading school for work in construction, as a landscaper, and bar tending so he could pay for acting classes in Manhattan with John Stratsberg.

He acted his first role in 1999 in Luc Besson's The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. This TV film meant a big breakthrough for him in Hollywood. He received further roles in films such as Bottom's Up, 3-Way, Wrong Turn, Love Object, Life Makes Sense If You're Famous, We Were Soldiers, and Riding in Cars with Boys.