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Home , Being Mary Jane, Blue Bloods (season 5), Burn Notice (season 6), Drea de Matteo, Enrique Murciano, Jessica Szohr

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

OMARI HARDWICK (James “Ghost” St. Patrick)

Omari Hardwick has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry with his passion, dedication and undeniable, natural talent.

Most recently, Hardwick was seen in BET’s film Middle of Nowhere. Hardwick played the role of Derek who is sentenced to eight years in prison, forcing his wife Ruby (Emayatzy Corinealdi) to focus on his well-being. The film’s director, Ava DuVernay, was awarded the Best Director in 2012 on behalf of the film.

Additionally in television, Hardwick starred in BET’s award-winning series “.” Other film credits include ’s Sucker Free City, Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, Andrew Davis’ The Guardian, Bille Woodruff’s Beauty Shop, Phil Joanou’s Gridiron Gang and Joe Carnahan’s The A-Team.

Hardwick is also a founding member of Plan B Inc. Theater Group, and a co-founder of Actor’s Lounge. Hardwick also pursues a long-time passion of poetry, having written over 4,000 poems. He currently resides in and Los Angeles.

LELA LOREN (Angela Valdes)

Lela Loren has impressed audiences through her work in film, television, theater, and even the digital space. She continues to show her outstanding range and grace in a variety of projects.

Loren was most recently seen in FOX’s “Gang Related” alongside Terry O’Quinn, Jay Hernandez and Ramon Rodriguez where she plays Silvia, caught in a love triangle with the two leads. Last year, she gave a standout performance in the thrilling Summit Entertainment film Snitch where she co-starred alongside Jon Bernthal and Dwayne Johnson. She also appeared in a lead role in the Lifetime television movie Stalkers, opposite Drea de Matteo and Mena Suvari. The film is based on the true story of the prosecutor who authored the stalking law in .

Loren has ventured into comedy as well, appearing in Warner Bros.’ The Hangover Part III and Sony Pictures’ Reign Over Me opposite Adam Sandler and .

She also starred in the Bryan Singer-produced web series “H+”, a joint venture with Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and YouTube. Loren has guest starred on a number of popular television series including: “The Closer,” “Covert Affairs,” “Lost,” “,” “Chuck,” “NCIS,” “The Unit,” “,” “CSI: NY,” “CSI: ,” “Cold Case,” and many more.

In 2009, she gave a raved-about, leading performance on stage in “Boleros for the Disenchanted” written by José Rivera (acclaimed screenwriter of The Motorcycle Diaries). She was hailed as “first among equals” and “a rare find” for her portrayal as Flora.

Lela Loren was born and raised in California. She is multilingual: fluent in English, Spanish and Italian.

NATURI NAUGHTON (Tasha St. Patrick)

Naturi Naughton is a singer and actress best known for her performance as Lil’ Kim in Fox Searchlight’s hit film Notorious and her role in MGM’s remake of the classic film Fame. Naughton has starred in various other projects including Warner Bros.’ Lottery Ticket where she starred opposite , , and . On the small screen, Naughton is known for her memorable guest performances on “Mad Men,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” as well as her roles on “The ” and “.” She also appeared on Broadway in the Tony® Award winning musical, “” for three years.

Before her transition into film and television, Naughton was a member of the platinum-selling pop trio 3LW. She was greatly inspired by Whitney as a child and knew by the age of five that she wanted to be a singer and an actress.

Naughton was born and raised in East Orange, New Jersey and attended . She believes that her faith, tenacity and fearlessness will give her longevity and continue her prosperous career.

JOSEPH SIKORA (Tommy Egan)

Joseph Sikora has been establishing himself as an actor who tackles the complexities of both the internal and external life of a character through his ability to speak with any accent and morph into different lives. Just seen in a recurring role on HBO’s “” as gnarly biker, Ginger, opposite Matthew McConaughey in the now famous six-minute uncut action shot, in Chris Mcquarrie’s Jack Reacher as a soldier who turns inward becoming a killing machine, and in ’s Safe as a Russian gangster and nemesis to Jason Statham.

Sikora, born in , studied improv and scored a Joseph Jefferson nomination for one of the many plays he starred in within the prestigious Chicago theater community. He has appeared on and off Broadway in New York and in addition to winning an LA Theatre Ovation Award for the West Coast premiere of Tracy Letts’ “Killer Joe” at the Lost Angels Theater, he was in Neil LaBute’s “Fat Pig” at the acclaimed Geffen Theater. In television he’s been seen guest starring in over three dozen television programs, including the directed episode of “,” “Banshee,” “CSI: NY,” “CSI: Miami,” “,” “Law and Order: SVU,” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” and starred opposite Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson in the highly controversial HBO film “Normal.” Sikora was also seen in Scorsese’s Shutter Island and ’s directorial debut, Trust, opposite Clive Owens. Sikora is based in .

CURTIS ‘’ JACKSON (Kanan)

50 Cent, born Curtis James Jackson III, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor and actor from , New York. He rose to fame with the release of his 2003 album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” which has sold more than 8 million copies. The Grammy Award winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and has been awarded numerous accolades including: 13 Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards, to name a few. He was ranked as the #1 rap artist and most successful Hot 100 Artist of the 2000s by Billboard Magazine, as well as that decade’s sixth-best artist and fourth top male artist. On August 25, 2014, 50 Cent and the recently reunited G- Unit surprised fans releasing “The Beauty of Independence” EP at midnight and on March 3, 2015 they released “The Beast is G-Unit” EP. In June 2014, 50 Cent debuted his fifth studio album, “Animal Ambition” and currently, is gearing up for his next studio album “Street King Immortal.”

What began as music chart dominance for the rap music phenomenon quickly transformed to success in corporate America as a multi-tiered business mogul to be reckoned with. 50 Cent has also carved out a successful and acclaimed career as an actor and producer. He recently filmed Spy with Melissa McCarthy and Jude Law and Southpaw with , Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams, directed by Antoine Fuqua, both films will be released in 2015. In 2005, 50 Cent founded the production company, G-Unit Films and Television, producing a wide variety of content across various platforms. Additionally, 50 Cent is an Executive Producer on the critically acclaimed Sundance TV series “ School.” Recognized as one of the most talented and prolific music artists of his time, 50 Cent has managed to leverage his star power into record breaking brand extensions encompassing a broad spectrum of businesses including: artist management, film and television production, footwear and apparel, fragrance, video games, publishing, headphones, health drinks and supplements.

SINQUA WALLS (Shawn)

Sinqua Walls busted into the acting world with a ten episode recurring arc on the critically acclaimed series, “Friday Night Lights,” portraying Jamarcus Hall, a gifted football player whose parents do not support his sports aspirations. However, Walls is probably best known for his recurring role of Daniel, a handsome college student on ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” He also starred alongside Katharine McPhee in Relativity’s action thriller, Shark Night 3D. No stranger to memorable arcs, Walls has recurred on MTV’s supernatural action hit, “Teen Wolf,” as Boyd, an insecure loner who transforms himself in more ways than one. Additional television credits include “Californication,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Chuck,” “CSI,” “Blue Mountain State” and “Savage County.” Recently, Walls played the legendary role of Sir Lancelot in “Once Upon a Time” as well as performed his own basketball stunts in his role as Devon Langer on “Necessary Roughness.” Walls garnered a Best Lead Actor nomination from the Southern California and Pan African Film Festivals for his performance in The Second Half. Walls recently wrapped the feature Believe Me where he plays the lead role Tyler - the voice of reason in a group of college students who become fraudulent Christian preachers to make money for tuition.

In his spare time, Walls generously helps out with the L.A. Foodbank, and tutors and mentors kids through his local church.

ADAM HUSS (Josh Kantos)

After graduating with a BA in Drama from Binghamton University in NY, studying under Julliard professor Gene Lesser, Adam Huss moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career doing what he loves most: acting in film and television. Before landing the dynamic role of Josh Kantos in “Power,” which ironically brought him back to his place of origin, NY, Huss guest starred on shows such as “CSI: NY,” “Ironside,” “NCIS,” “NCIS: LA,” to name a few. He also can be seen in the independent films The King’s Rook, Is It Just Me?, Resurrection County, Waiting in the Wings the musical and Misirlou. He recently associate produced and was the star of the feature film Find Me, which debuted at the Hollywood Film Festival.

He is currently producing the first screenplay he wrote, Find What you Love and Let it Kill You. His stage work includes the well-received “Just In Love,” the Theatricum Botanicum’s production of “Measure of Measure,” and the drama “The Women of Lockerbie.” In addition to acting, Huss volunteers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the children’s cancer ward.

J.R. RAMIREZ (Julio)

J.R. Ramirez was born in Matanzas, Cuba. When he was still a baby, his family moved to the States and he was raised in Tampa, .J.R. is best known for his recurring role as Ted ‘Wildcat’ Grant on season three of The CW’s “.” Next, J.R. stars as Cal in the upcoming Paramount Pictures comedy feature film Destination Wedding, executive produced by John Hamburg.

Previously, J.R. recurred as Dr. A.J. Aquino on the CW dramedy “Emily Owens, M.D.” and in multiple guest star roles and indie films. He first gained notoriety as Diego Hernandez on ’s “House of Payne,” in which he recurred for two seasons.

J.R. is fluent in English and Spanish. He loves the outdoors and is an avid hiker, golfer, tennis and basketball player. He’s a passionate perfectionist, and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

ANDY BEAN (Greg Knox)

Andy Bean grew up in Carrollton, , where his love of acting originated as a carpenter for his high school’s theater productions. He was catapulted from behind the scenes when he entered an acting contest because he heard it would mean a free stay at a fancy hotel with his . He won first place, the hotel was so-so. Andy began his training under scholarship at the revered two-year intensive theatre program at Collin College. He went on to attend the prestigious four- year Acting Conservatory at SUNY Purchase in New York from which he graduated with honors. After his studies, Andy began to work in New York City, becoming a founding member of the based theatre company, Glass Bandits, as well as appearing in independent films such as Neptunus Rex and Couchgarden. He’s currently filming the lead role in the Bad Vegan.

Bean has portrayed numerous complex characters of the stage; most notably, Jamie Tyrone in “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” at the nationally acclaimed Arena Stage under the direction of Robin Phillips with Helen Carey and Peter Michael Goetz.

Bean resides in Los Angeles and splits his time between LA and NYC.

SHANE JOHNSON (Cooper Saxe)

Shane Johnson was born in Spokane, Washington. His mom, dad, three brothers and their families still reside in the rural farming areas of central Washington state. He attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA where he received a BFA and then on to LAMDA ( Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) for classical training as an actor.

Shane’s first film credit dates back to Saving Private Ryan where he was cast while still studying at LAMDA. From there he enjoyed a variety of film roles including starring in Black Cadillac and supporting roles in Behind Enemy Lines, Pumpkin, Take and Chez Upshaw.

On the small screen, Shane’s recent notable guest starring roles include “Criminal Minds” as a crazed pyromaniac psychopath, “Castle” as a murderous cop, “Raising the Bar” as a paranoid schizophrenic, “CSI: Miami” as a pedophile, “Private Practice” as a troubled baby killing dad, and a highly acclaimed turn on “Cold Case” as a gay cop who falls victim to intolerance.

In addition to his acting career, Shane also writes and produces with his wife, actress Keili Lefkovitz (Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain); their first feature Death Everlasting, is currently in post-production. They are also in pre-production for their first episodic television series, “Content Failure.”

Shane, Keili and their two amazing boys Shepard and Gunner live in Los Angeles.

LUCY WALTERS (Holly)

Lucy Walters first gained notoriety in Steve McQueen’s critically acclaimed film Shame starring Michael Fassbender. Her other film credits include The Brass Teapot (with Juno Temple; Toronto Film Festival 2012), B-Side, Big Words, Bastards of Young, Lies I Told my Little Sister, and the upcoming Growing Up and Other Lies. Her television credits include guest spots on “Bones,” “,” “666 Park Avenue,” “Do No Harm,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Smash,” “White Collar,” “Army Wives,” and “.

LUIS ANTONIO RAMOS (Carlos ‘Vibora’ Ruiz)

Luis Antonio Ramos has established a legacy of work on stage, film, and television since starring opposite his childhood idol and Academy® Award winner, Jose Ferrer in The Sun and the Moon. Last fall, he joined the much anticipated ABC drama “Lucky 7,” an adaptation of the British series, “The Syndicate.” He played Antonio Clemente, the outgoing, optimistic, cheerful, and charming gas station mechanic. A happily married father of three, he unfortunately pulls out of the lottery pool in order to save up money to buy his wife the new toaster she’s always wanted. After his fellow employees win the lottery, he seems the most unfortunate -- but as the secrets and problems of the others become apparent, the dynamic changes.

Ramos is best known for his role as ‘bail bondsman, Ricky Guzman on USA Network’s “The Huntress,” for which he was nominated for an Alma Award in 2002. Ramos has earned critical acclaim for his extensive career in television, having been a series regular on “The Brian Benben Show” and “Queens,” and had recurring roles on “,” “In the House,” “Ink,”

and “Martin.” Ramos has also guest starred on such renowned shows as “How to Make it in America,” “ Law,” “,” “The Unit,” “The Closer,” “Numb3rs,” “The Shield,” “CSI: Miami,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Friends,” “,” “NYPD Blue,” “Law and Order” and “Madam Secretary” to name a few.

Last fall, Ramos was seen in A Miracle in Spanish Harlem where he played the lead character of Tito. Other film credits include Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, Trouble in the Heights, The Ministers, Sea of Love, The Secret of My Success, Moscow on the Hudson, and Christopher Hampton’s Imagining Argentina opposite Antonio Banderas and Emma Thompson, among others.

He has also excelled as a theater actor, having won the Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor for his work in the play “Stand Up Tragedy,” and most recently the critically acclaimed one man show “Growing up Gonzales.” Other theater credits include “Dancing on her Knees” (by Nilo Cruz), “Cloud Tectonics” (by José Rivera), “Romeo and Juliet,” “Tears Will Tell It All,” “Widows,” “Richard II,” “Henry the IV,” “Pendragon,” “The Sound of Music,” “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream,” and “Latins from .”

In 2009, Ramos was awarded the prestigious Jose Ferrer HOLA Tespis Award, given to actors in mid-career lauding their past work as well as anticipating the great work that is yet to come.

A competitive cyclist, Ramos has competed in events such as the Gran Fondo Colnago Philadelphia, Gran Fondo NY, and the Dave Jordan Memorial Classic.

Originally from and raised in , Ramos spends his time between Los Angeles and New York and is an active member of both communities.

ROTIMI AKINOSHO (Dre)

Rotimi, singer-songwriter, actor, and model, is best known for his role as Darius Morrison on Network critically acclaimed series, “Boss.” After starring on two seasons of “Boss,” Rotimi went on to appear in ABC’s show “Betrayal.” He is currently a series regular on CBS’ new show “Battle Creek” opposite Josh Duhamel and Kal Penn.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Rotimi always had a strong passion for the performing arts. While at Northwestern University, in pursuit of his Bachelor of Science in Communications and Business, he began to explore a career in acting.

As a talented multi-hyphenate, Rotimi is leading a new era of game changers. Rotimi’s debut appearance on the big screen was in Fox Searchlight’s 2013 Christmas movie, Black Nativity alongside actors Forest Whitaker, , and Tyrese Gibson. In 2014, Rotimi had a stint in the hit film, Divergent. He also starred in Imperial Dreams which co-stars KeKe Palmer and John Boyega. The film was premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival to audience praise. In addition to acting, Rotimi has lent his brand as feature model/spokesperson for Grammy Award winning rapper TI’s AKOO Clothing Brand in the 2012 Spring/Summer campaign.

As a contemporary R&B artist, Rotimi released two stellar digital music projects, The Resume and While You Wait to incredible downloads and accolades. Rotimi is gearing up to release his new single summer of 2015, “Lotto” featuring 50 Cent off his much-anticipated Rotation, EP.

DAVID FUMERO (Mike Sandoval)

David Fumero was born in Havana, Cuba. He immigrated to New Jersey with his family when he was 8 years old where they spent a few years before settling in Miami, Florida. David first began his career in his early 20s as an international fashion model for such fashion powerhouses as Versace, Armani, John-Paul Gaultier, and Dior. It was at that time that he began studying acting at the International Actors Studio in Paris until landing his first role as Cristian Vega on the daytime “One Life to Live” which filmed in New York City. He would work on the soap on and off for the next 14 years filming almost 500 episodes, until exiting the series in 2011. The epitome of the hard working actor, David was constantly on the hunt for other projects landing guest stars on hit shows such as “CSI: NY,” “CSI: Miami,” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” Film credits include the independent feature film Greetings from the Shore (2007), Crazy Bitches (2014), as well as numerous short films. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Melissa Fumero. His hobbies include fitness, surfing, snowboarding, and drinking lots of coffee.

ENRIQUE MURCIANO (Felipe Lobos)

Miami born, Enrique Murciano spent the first few years of his life in Mexico. He attended Tulane University and Law School, but moved to Los Angeles to pursue his goal of becoming an actor. He brought with him his love of exotic cars and motorcycles. On his first audition, in 1997, he landed the role of ‘Alejandro’ in 20th Century Fox’s Speed 2: Cruise Control alongside and Willem Dafoe.

His big break came three years later, a two-day stint on the set of the Academy Award-winning Traffic, as the role of ‘DEA Agent Ricky’ opposite and Don Cheadle. After the short-lived TV series “Spyder Games” for MTV, Murciano landed a role in ’s Black Hawk Down where he met and ended up landing the lead role in the incredibly successful series “” for CBS. Since then, Murciano has worked on shows such as “NCIS,” “CSI,” “Medium,” and “666 Park Avenue” and is soon to be seen starring alongside Kyle Chandler in the new series “Bloodline.” On the feature side, Murciano had one of the starring roles in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous with Sandra Bullock for Warner Bros., The Lost City opposite Andy Garcia for Magnolia, Mancora with Elsa Pataky, and most recently Twentieth Century Fox’s latest installment in the Apes franchise, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, with Gary Oldman, Andy Serkis and .

LA LA ANTHONY (LaKeisha Graham)

Actress, TV Personality and fashion designer, and New York Times Best-Selling Author La La Anthony, will soon release her second book, entitled “The Power Playbook” on May 5th. In this second book, Anthony shares her advice and insights to help readers take control of their lives, reach financial independence, and excel at their careers.

La La released her first book last year, titled “The Love Playbook,” where she shares how she found love and success on her own terms. Within the first week, it climbed to #1 on the Barnes & Noble Best Seller list and by February 7th, it hit #1 on Best Seller’s List.

Anthony recently was seen reprising her role as Sonia in the film Think Like a Man Too. Anthony also starred in the film, Think like a Man, alongside and Taraji P. Henson and Baggage Claim alongside Paula Patton and Derek

Luke. La La had guest starring roles in the CBS crime drama, “NYC 22,” “Law and Order SVU” and the popular Vh1 scripted show, “Single Ladies”. She recently wrapped production on films November Rule and Destined.

La La starred in five seasons of her hit Vh1 reality show, “La La’s Full Court Life”. The highly rated series followed La La as she pursued her acting career and many business ventures, all while being a loving wife, mother and friend. La also starred in and executive produced one of VH1’s highest rated shows, “La La’s Full Court Wedding,” which chronicled the time leading up to her wedding to basketball star .

Making her stage debut, she starred in the Off-Broadway production of “Love Loss and What I Wore.” No stranger to fashion and beauty, La La created a clothing line, “5th & Mercer,” which is a capsule collection exclusively to Shopbop.com and she continues to work on new designs for the line. La La is also continuing to expand “Motives for La La,” a line of makeup uniquely formulated for every shade of today’s modern woman.

Prior to making the transition to TV and movies, Anthony began her entertainment career in radio at the age of 16, in ’s Hot 97 station. At 19, she got an offer from LA’s 92.3 The Beat to co-host her own radio show, the “B-Syde.” After yet another successful run on the radio, MTV took notice and came calling next. La instantly became the network’s premiere talent and went on to co-host two of their most popular shows, “Direct Effect,” and “TRL.”

After leaving MTV, La La launched her own production company Krossover Productions in 2003 which produced ’s critically acclaimed documentary, Tyson and Brett Ratner’s the feature film The Gun.

Always up for a challenge, La La has set forth on a path that will undoubtedly lead to more success. She currently resides in LA and New York with her husband and son.

VICTOR GARBER (Simon Stern)

With six Emmy® and four Tony® nominations to his credit, has been seen in some of the most memorable works of film, television and stage.

Most recently, Garber co-starred in ’s Academy Award®-winning film, Argo. He also portrayed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone in Gus Van Sant’s Academy Award®–nominated film Milk. Additional film credits include The First Wives Club, Sleepless in Seattle, Legally Blonde and the Academy Award®-winning film, Titanic. Next up, Victor can be seen co-starring with Ryan Reynolds in Self-Less.

For his work on television, Garber has been nominated for six Emmy® Awards, including three for the ABC drama “Alias,” two for comedic guest-star roles on “” and “Will & Grace,” and a nomination for his portrayal of Sid Luft in the television movie “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.” Garber most recently starred in NBC’s drama “Deception” as Robert Bowers, the patriarch of the Bowers family and CEO of Bowers Pharmaceuticals.

He currently recurs on Showtime’s Lisa Kudrow comedy, “Web Therapy” and has guest starred on “The Big C,” “,” “Damages” and “” and starred in ABC’s “,” and “Justice” on Fox. Other credits include ABC musicals “,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” and Meredith Willson’s “.”

Garber’s earned four Tony® nominations for his work in “,” “,” “” and “.” He performed in the workshops of Sondheim’s “” and “Wiseguys” as well as in the Tony Award®–winning play “.”

His stage credits also include the original Broadway productions of “Arcadia,” “The Devil’s Disciple,” “” and “Sweeney Todd.” Additionally, Garber garnered rave reviews in Sondheim’s “” for City Center Encores! And most recently, “Present Laughter,” directed by Nicholas Martin.

JERRY FERRARA (Joe Proctor)

Few actors in Hollywood have had a career quite as diverse as Jerry Ferrara. The three-time Award- nominee has gone from co-starring as , the lovable best friend to Vincent Chase over eight seasons of HBO’s highly acclaimed “Entourage,” to working alongside such internationally renowned directors as and Jon Turteltaub. From starring in films opposite De Niro and to reuniting with his cast members of the hugely successful, Think Like A Man, nobody has been busier than Ferrara since the finale of “Entourage.”

Ferrara rounded out a great 2013 with roles in Turteltaub’s Last Vegas which also starred Hollywood heavyweights Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline, Robert De Niro and followed by Lone Survivor opposite Wahlberg, Emile Hirsch and Taylor Kitsch.

Ferrara continued his dominance in 2014 with Think Like A Man Too, in which Ferrara reprised his role of Jeremy, in the highly anticipated sequel to the $100 million dollar grossing Think Like A Man, which surpassed all expectations. Up next, Ferrara takes a starring role in The Life alongside Jessica Szohr (“”) and the highly anticipated Entourage movie which will be in theaters in June 2015. As if that wasn’t enough, Ferrara just signed on to play two-time world champion boxer Arturo Gatti in an untitled biopic executive produced by Mark Walhberg.

Born in Brooklyn, Ferrara began studying theater in college and was inspired by a teacher to pursue acting. An agent he met at a talent showcase encouraged him to move to Los Angeles, where he quickly landed his first role on the hit TV “King of Queens.” Other television roles quickly followed including roles on “NYPD Blue” and “Grounded for Life.” Ferrara then landed a role in the MTV scripted pilot “Cross Bronx” opposite Max Greenfield (“New Girl”) which ultimately became an independent feature film that premiered at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. As fate would have it, “Entourage” producer Stephen Levinson saw him in the film and called him to audition for the show. After five months of auditioning and shooting the pilot, Mark Wahlberg called him to say that “Entourage” had been picked up.

From 2004-2011, Ferrara played the role of Turtle, the loyal, albeit laziest of Vinny Chase’s three best friends on the hit HBO series “Entourage.” During the filming of the final season, Ferrara committed to a healthy diet and regular workout routine—dropping 55 pounds from his formerly stout physique. His physical change was an evolution for Ferrara, both onscreen and off—he literally transformed himself physically to distance himself from the character that made him a household name, which is paying off in spades as he gears up for his numerous big screen roles. Additionally, Ferrara is a diehard sports fanatic—cheering on the NY Giants during football season, the Mets during baseball season and the Knicks during basketball season. If he didn’t have the red hot acting career that he does, he would for sure have his own sports talk radio show.

As a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit, Ferrara partnered with longtime friends Josh Stone and Sal Copek to open Fat Sal’s, a Los Angeles based sandwich shop near the UCLA campus—customers order at a hotdog stand style window and can sit at bar stools and counters that look out onto the street. The menu offers the typical American-style food items—hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, fries, chicken strips, mozzarella sticks—with one catch: all of the ingredients are piled into one giant sandwich. The menu has made for the perfect late-night dining experience in the college community of Westwood and has proved so popular that Ferrara and his partners have recently opened new locations in Hollywood, San Diego and Austin, TX.

Ferrara still has close ties to his family in Brooklyn while residing primarily in Hollywood.