Jerry Ferrara | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 25, 1979 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse(s) | Breanne Racano (m. 2017) |
| Children | 1 |
Jerry Charles Ferrara (born November 25, 1979) is an American actor, known for his role as Turtle on the HBO comedy series Entourage, and starred on the Starz drama series Power as Joe Proctor.
Life and career
Born in Brooklyn, New York,[1] and raised in Bensonhurst,[2] Ferrara is of Italian descent. His father, Gennaro Ferrara, was born and raised in Naples, Italy and moved to Brooklyn as a teenager and his mother, Mariana Lautato, is an American of Italian descent born and raised in Brooklyn by parents who were born in Ischia, Italy.[3] Jerry’s father died when he was 5 years old and he was raised by his mother and stepfather, Michele Lautato. He has one older brother.
He graduated from New Utrecht High School.[2] Ferrara began studying theater in college, where he was inspired by a teacher to pursue a career in 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 King of Queens. Other television parts soon followed. Jerry was then cast in the independent feature Cross Bronx, which premiered at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival.[4]
In an interview about his breakout role on Entourage, Ferrara revealed that when he told his friends he had landed a major part in a television pilot, they asked, "How about you get a dog who becomes your best friend and you name him Awnold??"[5] Kevin Connolly has said of his Entourage co-star that "Jerry’s very domesticated. He’s probably the most different from his character. He’s like 180 degrees in the opposite direction."[6]
Ferrara once made an appearance in character as Turtle for a DirecTV commercial. His dialogue was mixed with a clip from an Entourage episode for humorous effect.
Ferrara is also co-founder of Fat Sal's deli in West Hollywood, California.[7] In 2010, Ferrara dropped weight and lost 60 pounds with a new outlook on health and fitness.[8]
Ferrara is a diehard New York Yankees, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Giants and Juventus fan, a topic referenced in several episodes of Entourage.
He remains very close friends with all of his “Entourage” co-stars, especially Kevin Dillon and Saigon.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Where God Left His Shoes | Vinny | |
| 2007 | Brooklyn Rules | Bobby Canzoneri | |
| 2007 | Gardener of Eden | Greek | |
| 2008 | Eagle Eye | Poker Player | |
| 2011 | Seven Days in Utopia | Joe Buckner | |
| 2012 | Think Like a Man | Jeremy Kern | |
| 2012 | Battleship | Sampson JOOD Strodell | |
| 2013 | Empire State | Jimmy | |
| 2013 | Last Vegas | Dean | |
| 2013 | Lone Survivor | Sergeant Hasslert | |
| 2014 | Think Like a Man Too | Jeremy Kern | |
| 2014 | Flight 7500 | Rick | |
| 2015 | Club Life | Johnny D | |
| 2015 | Entourage | Salvatore "Turtle" Assante | |
| 2016 | Sully | Michael Delaney | |
| 2017 | Axis | Himself | Voice role |
| TBA | Dating in New York | Cole | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The King of Queens | Joey | Episode: "Strike Too" |
| 2000 | That's Life | Student #2 | Episode: "The Tutor" |
| 2000 | City Guys | Delivery boy | Episode: "El-Brain" |
| 2001 | Maybe it's Me | Episode: "The Magic CD Episode" | |
| 2001–2002 | Grounded for Life | Drew | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Leap of Faith | Kid | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2004 | NYPD Blue | Danny Fatty Puglisi | Episode: "Chatty Chatty Bang Bang" |
| 2004–2011 | Entourage | Salvatore "Turtle" Assante | Series regular; 96 episodes Co-wrote episodes: "Whiz Kid" and "The Big Bang" Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2009) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2008) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2007) Nominated – Teen Choice Award Choice TV: Sidekick (2007) Nominated – Teen Choice Award TV Choice Chemistry (shared w/ Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Dillon, and Kevin Connolly) (2006) |
| 2011 | Vietnam in HD | Raymond Torres | 6 episodes |
| 2015–2019 | Power | Joe Proctor | Recurring (season 2) Series regular (seasons 3–6) |
| 2017–2018 | Shooter | Kirk Zehnder | Recurring (seasons 2 & 3) |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Scarface: The World is Yours | Swansong Hotel Manager |
References
- ^ [1], imdb.com. Accessed September 22, 2009.
- ^ a b Hamill, Dennis (April 16, 2007). "Turtle's Bay". Daily News. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ Q&A with Jerry Ferrara: Bringing Turtle Out of His 'Entourage' Shell. Accessed October 7, 2009
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1483196/bio
- ^ "Jerry Ferrara". TV.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2008-11-07.
- ^ "E is for Entourage: Kevin Connolly speaks". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 2011-08-13. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-10-08. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
- ^ "Entourage's Jerry Ferrara Sheds His Shell". Men's Fitness.
Further reading
- OK!: Jerry Ferrara Interview with Staff (July 7, 2008)
- PR.com: Jerry Ferrara Interview with Allison Kugel (July 7, 2011)
External links
- Jerry Ferrara at IMDb