John Novak was born on September 9, 1955 in Caracas, Venezuela and lived in Canada from age 8 through adulthood. He was bitten by the acting bug while in high school when a teacher cast him in a production of Cole Porter's Anything Goes as Moon Face Martin. He went on to study at the acting division of Ryerson Poly-Technical Institute.

After graduation, John immediately began getting stage roles and spent two years at Stratford Theater doing Shakespeare and the other classics. Soon realizing the limited exposure of the stage, he turned his attention to film and television. In 1990, he joined the cast of Santa Barbara as Keith Timmons, a role previously portrayed by Justin Deas.

John's many film credits include Blue Man, Legends of the Fall, Irish Eyes and two Wishmaster sequels. He guest starred in various TV series, including Sliders, Stargate SG-1 and Smallville. He is also known for his work as an anime voice actor.