Public Figure Kanan was born Sean Perelman in Cleveland, Ohio, to Dale and Michelle Perelman. His family later relocated to New Castle, Pennsylvania. Johnson. J.
He was raised Jewish. Kanan attended Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, Boston University and UCLA where he earned a degree in political science. Kanan's first notable role was that of villain Mike Barnes in the 1989 film The Karate Kid Part III directed by Academy Award winning Director, John Avildsen. As a teenager, Kanan studied Shotokan karate under Sensei William Stoner. By the time he land
ed the role, Kanan had a good foundation of Japanese Karate which would be essential for portraying the central antagonist of Daniel LaRusso played by Ralph Macchio. He trained in Sh*tō-ryū at a school run by Karate master Fumio Demura and with stunt coordinator and Tang Soo Do master Pat E. During filming, he suffered internal bleeding after injuring his omentum, a membrane that connects the stomach with other organs, supplying them with blood along with physically protecting them. Kanan collapsed at a Las Vegas hotel four days after shooting the scene and underwent life-saving surgery. The following year, he starred on the Fox television series The Outsiders, Executive Produced by Francis Ford Coppola. In 1993, Kanan joined the ABC soap opera General Hospital as A. Quartermaine the troubled son of Dr. Alan and Dr. Monica Quartermaine. Kanan was nominated for an award in the Outstanding Newcomer category by Soap Opera Digest for his believable portrayal of the fictional character whose storylines often centered on an ongoing battle with alcoholism. He also appared in an advertisement and campaign for the clothing company C&A in 1994, the main theme was the culture of North American Indians, the advertisement was called Indian Spirits. The video was shot in San Francisco. He left the series in 1997 and returned in 2012 for the 50th anniversary of the show. Kanan's last appearance was on April 23, 2014, after his on-screen television character was killed. In 1999, Kanan joined the cast of Aaron Spelling's NBC soap opera Sunset Beach as Jude Cavanaugh and remained with the show until its cancellation later that year
