Enrico Colantoni

Enrico Colantoni

Active - 1995 - 2022  |   Born - Feb 14, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada  |   Genres - Drama, Action, Comedy

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Biography by AllMovie

Chances are likely that you would recognize his face, and it's even more likely that although the face is familiar, you don't know that his name is Enrico Colantoni. Though he struck a funny bone in audiences with his role as a befuddled alien in the 1999 comedy hit Galaxy Quest, Colantoni had been appearing in minor film and television roles since the late '80s. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in February of 1963 and raised in a prominent Italian neighborhood of the city, his early interest in acting would result in frequent neighborhood skits to entertain family and friends. His interest in performing peaked after seeing his older brother in a high school play, and despite his interest in the stage Colantoni would later opt to study law at the University of Toronto. Coming from an inartistic background, his parents frowned upon Colantoni's passion for acting, and the aspiring thespian quietly opted for a drama class as an elective as he focused most of his energy on law studies. Colantoni's drama teacher quickly recognized the young actor's potential, and it wasn't long before the bright lights of New York City became to glaring to resist. When his parents announced that they were moving back to Italy, Colantoni made the difficult decision to remain in New York and live the life of a struggling actor. His gamble would soon pay off when Colantoni made his television debut in an episode of Friday the 13th: The Series in 1989. Later deciding that he still needed time to refine his talent, Colantoni subsequently attended Yale and later spent a season at Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater in 1994. Soon thereafter returning to the Big Apple, more stage roles followed until Colantoni was cast in an episode of NYPD Blue as the schizophrenic son of Peter Boyle's character. He made his film debut in the 1995 action comedy Money Train, and subsequent feature roles included Albino Alligator (1996), The Wrong Guy (1997), and 1999's Stigmata. It was during this time that Colantoni was also cast in the weekly comedy series Just Shoot Me. Later essaying the aforementioned role in Galaxy Quest, Colantoni appeared as a murderer in Steven Spielberg's A.I. before taking on roles in The First $20 Million is Always the Hardest and Full Frontal in 2002. He continued to have success in television series' throughout the 2000s, and became known for his roles as Keith Mars on Veronica Mars (2005-2006), and Sergeant Greg Parker on Flashpoint (2008-2011).

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Factsheet

  • First TV acting job was on the newsmagazine A Current Affair; played John Belushi in a reenactment of the comic's last days.
  • His Italian-immigrant parents wanted him to become a priest---he ended up portraying one in the 1998 thriller Stigmata.
  • Met his wife, a nutritionist, while trying to lose weight for his role in Just Shoot Me.
  • Encouraged to play Sgt. Greg Parker on Flashpoint by his brother, a retired cop, who read the pilot and was impressed with its authenticity.
  • Won a Gemini Award in 2009 in the category Best Actor in a Drama for his work on Flashpoint, which also won Best Drama.
  • Teaches youth drama classes at Inner-City Arts in Los Angeles.