‘FOR THE LOVE OF GRACE’
CAST BIOS
MARK CONSEULOS (Steve) – Mark Consuelos has an extensive list of television credits and is perhaps best known for his role on the long-running soap favorite, “All My Children.” Playing the tormented Mateo Santos since he joined the cast in February 1995, Conseulos met his future on-and-off-screen wife, actress Kelly Ripa, on the set. Consuelos starred with Vivica A. Fox in the hit series “Missing” as Antonio Cortez, a charming, strong, extremely intelligent and free-thinking FBI Special Agent.
Consuelos also guest-starred on “Hope & Faith,” where he played former baseball star Gary 'The Gooch' Gucharez, who left to play ball in Japan after beginning a romance with Faith,”portrayed by Kelly Ripa. Additional television credits include the romantic comedy “Beautiful Girl,” and guest appearances on “Third Watch,” “Friends,” “American Family,” “Fortune Hunter” and “SeaQuest.”
Conseulos’ recent film projects include “Wedding Daze,” opposite Isla Fisher and Jason Biggs, “My Super Ex-Girlfriend,” starring opposite Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson and the WWII action film, “The Great Raid,” directed by John Dahl.
Born in Zaragoza, Spain, Conseulos grew up in Lebanon, Illinois and Tampa, Florida. He attended Bloomingdale High School in Illinois and Notre Dame University before receiving a degree in marketing in 1994 from the University of Florida.
Consuelos’ early acting credits include “Hello, Dolly” at the Looking Glass Playhouse in Illinois. He has appeared off-Broadway in “Boy’s Life” by Howard Korder, “Orphans” by Lyle Kessler and the Penguin Repertory production of “One Shot, One Kill” by Richard Vetere.
Conseulos resides in New York City with Ripa and their children, Michael, Lola and Joaquin.
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CHANDRA WEST (Grace) – Chandra West has been keeping herself busy in both feature films and television. She recently wrapped the Lifetime movie “Who Named the Knife” based on the best selling novel by Linda Spalding. West portrays a prisoner serving a life term who bonds with a former juror on her case. The film will air later this year. She also co-starred in the HBO series “John From Cincinnati” created by David Milch, portraying a porn star returning to town to reconnect with her young son. In a more comedic turn, West had a supporting role in the feature film “I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry” opposite Adam Sandler for Universal.
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In addition, West stars in the independent film “Badland” directed by Francesco Lucente, which will be making the festival circuit later this year.
Previously, West has had the distinction of portraying the on-screen wife of two former Batman’s. In the thriller “White Noise,” she communicated from beyond with her bereaved husband Michael Keaton. In similar fashion, she was taken from her adoring spouse Val Kilmer in Castle Rock’s “The Salton Sea.”
No stranger to the small screen, West portrayed the recurring character of Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s troubled girlfriend on “NYPD Blue,” and co-starred in the short lived but critically acclaimed series “Mr. Sterling,” opposite Josh Brolin. Other television work includes a starring role in the highly rated CBS mini series “Category 6: Day of Destruction” with Brian Dennehy and Dianne Weist and “The 70’s” produced by Denise DiNovi for NBC.
Additional feature film credits include the 20 th Century Fox film “The First Twenty Million is Always the Hardest” with Rosario Dawson and The Toronto Film Festival’s official selection “The Perfect Son.”
Originally from Edmonton, Canada, West currently resides in Los Angeles.
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ENNIS ESMER (Frank) – Born in Ankara, Turkey and raised in Toronto, Ennis Esmer trained in sketch and improv at Second City and theatre at York University, while paying his dues in standup comedy at clubs all over the city. The work paid off with a 120-episode gig as host and creative consultant of late night series, “The Toronto Show.”
This summer, Esmer will be shooting a lead role on “The Listener,” a series about a telepathic paramedic, for NBC and CTV, premiering September 2008, and is part of the cast of Howie Mandel's new hidden camera prank show, “Howie Do It.” He can also soon be seen in the Rainn Wilson (“The Office”) comedy “The Rocker,” and reprising his role as cantankerous janitor Zoltan in Season 3 of law sitcom “Billable Hours” on Canada's Showcase network.
Other recent credits include ABC miniseries “The Path To 9/11,” the ABC Family feature “Snow Globe,” the alien invasion comedy “Decoys,” docudrama “Trapped” for National Geographic, and The Comedy Network's “Cream Of Comedy” with sketch troupe Calcu-Lator & The Oral Presentation. He is currently co-writing his first feature film script with YPF co-star Josh Dean.
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CORBIN BERNSEN (Captain Washington) – Film and Television actor Corbin Bernsen is best known for his award winning portrayal of Arnie Becker on the hit television series “LA
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Law,” and for his long string of feature films including starring in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” “The
Dentist,” “The Dentist 2,” “Disorganized Crime,” “Hello Again,” “Shattered” and in the role of Roger Dorn in “Major League,” “Major League 2” and “Major League 3: Back In The Minors.” He currently co-stars in the USA network prime time series “Psych,” and recently starred in the UPN primetime series “Cuts,” as Shannon Elizabeth’s father.
Bernsen is president of Public Media Works, a Los Angeles based film & television production company, and in an innovative approach, most of the projects will be cast from talent from daytime drama series. He recently completed directing the independent feature film “Dead Air,” a co-production of Public Media Works and AntiBody Films. He also directed and starred in the independent feature “Donna On Demand.”
In October of 2005, Bernsen made his directorial debut for the direct to DVD “Carpool Guy,” starring some of daytime television’s top actors, including Rick Hearst, Sean Kanan, Tony Geary, Lauralee Bell and his mother Jeanne Cooper among others.
His television credits include starring in “The Right To Die” episode of the anthology series “Masters of Horror” for Showtime, and starring in two telefilms with Jaclyn Smith including Hallmark’s “Ordinary Miracles” and “Love Can be Murder.” He also starred in the USA telefilm “Call Me: The Rise And Fall Of Heidi Fleiss,” and had a recurring role on the primetime television series “Jag” and the reality series “The Mole.”
His guest starring roles include “Boston Public,” “Law And Order: Criminal Intent,” “NYPD Blue,” “Third Watch,” “The West Wing,” “Presidio Med,” “Dragnet,” “Just Shoot Me,” “Miss Match,” and many others.
No stranger to daytime, Bernsen had a recurring role on “General Hospital” as John Durant, and has recurred on the daytime drama series “The Young And The Restless,” in which his mother Jeanne Cooper has starred for more than 30 years, as Todd Williams.
Bernsen is married to actress / furniture / rug designer, Amanda Pays, and they have four children.
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