Joshua Swickard was born in central Illinois to a pastor and vocal coach, Bob and Gina Swickard. He is the second oldest of four, with three sisters. After graduating from high school, Josh moved to Chicago to study accounting at College of DuPage. After two years, he left to start a career as a model, modeling for companies such as Men's Health, Sports Illustrated, Guess, Jockey, Finish Line, Kohl's, Nordstrom, and others.

He made his television debut as a recurring guest star on the Disney Channel shows "Liv and Maddie" and "K.C Undercover" and just finished filming his first feature coming out next year starring as a rodeo cowboy. Josh appears on ABC's General Hospital as Detective Harrison Chase.