Gary Perez(I)

Hailing from the hi-rise Lincoln projects of Harlem, Gary was always curious about the arts. After a move to the Bronx, Gary got accepted into a particular school program for artistically gifted kids, along with a lifelong buddy and colleague David Zayas (Dexter, OZ, Gotham, Bloodline). Later Gary attended the High School of Performing Arts (FAME School) as a Ballet Major, but the acting bug would soon bite him. Choosing to cut class one day, he walked one block west from his high school on 46th street to see a Broadway matinée production of Equus. It starred Leonard Nimoy (Dr. Spock on Star Trek) as Dr. Dysart and was utterly blown away by the power of the actors on the stage.

Never looking back, Gary is now an Award-nominated television, film, and stage actor and is one of the founders of the acclaimed LAByrinth Theater Company (formerly Latino Actors Base) that he founded along with John Ortiz, Paul Calderon, David Deblinger, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Along with a long list of theater credits, he has worked with many top writers, including Pulitzer Prize winners - John Patrick Shanley, Nilo Cruz, Lynn Nottage, and Stephen Adly Guirgis. He has also worked with multiple award-winning directors Anna D. Shapiro, Tony Taccone, Brian Kulick, and Jo Bonny at such theaters as Steppenwolf, Yale Rep, 2nd Stage, The McCarter, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, and The Joseph Papp, Public Theater. Gary got nominated for a JEFF Award for his portrayal of Cousin Julio in Steppenwolf's historic first, all-Latino cast of The Mother Fucker with the Hat - directed by Anna D. Shapiro, playing alongside the long-time friend John Ortiz and Jimmy Smits.

In the television world, Gary recently wrapped a recurring Guest Star on the upcoming Fatal Attraction series playing Joshua Jackson's defense attorney. Recent television appearances have been as Judge Bolden on Law & Order and FOX's The Resident and the final season of City on a Hill. He has Guest recurred on The Blacklist, Law & Order SVU, 13 Reasons Why, The Last Ship, Oz, and The Sopranos. A supporting role in the art-film Love, starring Susan Sarandon & Boris McGiver, written and directed by the uber-talented James Gallagher. He's worked with Whoopi Goldberg in the ABC pilot Delores and Jermaine as a Series Regular. He appeared as John Leguizamo's brother in the acclaimed Netflix mini-series When They see Us, directed by the brilliantly talented Ava DuVernay. Other Guest Star roles include - Homeland opposite Claire Danes, Blue Bloods, New Amsterdam, Instinct, Chicago PD, Madame Secretary, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, NCIS-Los Angeles, Person of Interest, The Closer, Awake, Prime Suspect, Lie to Me, The Unit, Numb3rs, Without a Trace, Law & Order, Third Watch. Other film credits include the Award-winning Merchant-Ivory film written by Lynn Nottage and Tony Gerber, Side Streets; the John Singleton-produced Illegal Tender, directed by Franc Reyes and many other New York Indie films, including a lead role in the Harlem-tale Chapter & Verse, directed by Jamal Joseph, the critically acclaimed All About Nina with the rapper, Common.