JOHN ORTIZ

John Ortiz’s dream of being the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees came to a screeching halt when he didn’t make his school’s team as a freshman in college. Luckily, the theater department welcomed him with open arms. Five short years later, he was on the big screen with Al Pacino in CARLITO’S WAY. As they say, “When one door closes, another one opens.” He has gone on to rack up over 80 film and television credits and close to 50 theater credits in a 30-plus year career as an actor. Some fan favorites include AMERICAN FICTION, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, MIAMI VICE, AMERICAN GANGSTER, THE DROP, FAST & FURIOUS, HBO’s horse-racing series “Luck” & “Togetherness” and, most recently,  “Bad Monkey” and “The Madness.” Although his dream of being a Yankee never came to fruition, he did manage to play shortstop at Dodger Stadium for the fictional New York Empires on the short lived series “Clubhouse.” His favorite players are Roberto Clemente and Thurman Munson.